VOL-5 • ISSUE-9 • JUNE 2015
50
INDIA
WWW.MOTOWNINDIA.COM
RENAULT KWID BUILT ON ALLIANCE CMF-A PLATFORM
IN INDIA BY END 2015
NEW LAUNCH
PRICE 3-4 LAKH
VOLVO XC90
800CC ENGINE
PRICE 64.9 LAKH
FIRST DRIVE
MERCEDES-BENZ S-GUARD
PRICE 8.9 CRORE ONWARD NEW LAUNCH
NEW AGE XUV500
PRICE 11.21 LAKH
NEW BIKE LAUNCHES
FIRST DRIVE
TATA GEN X NANO B2B SECTION Pages 55-74
INDIAN ROADMASTER | INDIAN CHIEF DARK HORSE | ROYAL ENFIELD LIMITED EDITION DESPATCH MOTORCYCLES
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
P. THARYAN
T
he high point of May 2015 was the visit of Carlos Ghosn of Renault-Nissan to Chennai for the unveiling of the Kwid in India. Ghosn , in his address to the media, was extremely confident of the Kwid doing well in India. “This is a car for conquest,” he told the gathering. The Kwid surely is a good car to look at; it’s a
small hatch with an SUV stance. The Kwid will be competing in the mass market passenger car segment where the Marutis and the Hyundais of the world rule the roost. It’s going to be priced between 3 lakh to 4 lakh. By Diwali or so this
year we shall come to know how good the car is. On the looks front, it definitely scores plenty of points. While there were a slew of car and bike launches in the country, India’s leading automobile manufacturer Tata Motors launched the GenX Nano. It’s got a tad expensive but it now comes with an Automated Manual Transmission or AMT. From the day it was launched several years ago, I have liked the Nano. It’s a brilliant piece of engineering and there is no denying that. But what it lacks is a “Status Symbol”. Yes, no matter what you do to the Nano, it will never be an “Owner’s Pride and your Neighbour’s Envy”. From the day it was born, there were forces that worked against it that go by the name of “Perception”. It will be a miracle if the Nano gets huge numbers in India because the aspirational values related to this car are almost zilch. Mind you, I am not condemning this car at all. While my young reporters were reviewing some breathtaking beauties like the Mercedes-Benz S-Guard and the Toyota Camry Hybrid, I took the Nano for a spin. As usual, I found the car an excellent example of frugal engineering. But as long as it will continue its existing shell design and its name, there will be limited takers for this car. This new GenX is being targeted at the youth of the country. I am not so sure how many buyers Tata Motors will find in this segment. But again, please don’t let the spirit of frugal engineering die. Tata Motors is a great company.
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Editor
EDITOR P. Tharyan -----------------------------------News Coordinator Jisha P Senior Photographer Mohd. Nasir Correspondents Joshua David Luther, Rahul Kapoor S. Madhavan, Tripti Singh, Jasbeer Kohli Web Correspondents Avdesh Kumar, Seema Paul ------------------------------------------For Editorial contact editorial@motownindia.com editorial.motown@gmail.com ------------------------------------------For Marketing & Sales contact Jisha P - Head-Operations jisha@motownindia.com Joshua David Luther - Manager Business Strategy (joshua@motownindia.com / +91-9958125645, 9811097399) ------------------------------------------Sheeja Sasindran - Regional Head Chennai (News Coordination & Ad Sales) sheeja@motownindia.com / sheeja.motown@gmail.com / 98849 50491) ------------------------------------------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: 011-26122757/58/59, ------------------------------------------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 76 pages including both covers. ------------------------------------------Editorial Advisors Salil Sharma, Alexander .T & Annie Jacob
June 2015 I 3
A fiction on crime, riots, political treachery, sleaze, lust, debauchery and passion...
AVAILABLE ON KINDLE FOR 190/Download the free kindle app Sign in to your Amazon Account (www.amazon.in) Search & download the ebook - BELOW THE BELT by D. Maximus Published by Motown Publications Pvt. Ltd.
Contents B2C SECTION
PAGES 8-54
ALL NEW VOLVO XC90 NOW IN INDIA FOR 64.9 LAKH
8
MARUTI SUZUKI NEXA OUTLETS
22
Royal Enfield previews Limited Edition Despatch Motorcycles
30
Mercedes-Benz S-Guard track test review
34
Tata GenX Nano road test review
38
Toyota Camry Hybrid road test review
12
New Age XUV500 for 11.21 lakh onward
14
New Audi RS 7 Sportback launched for 1.4 crore
26
“Woohoo, yes!!” screams Nico Rosberg as he wins Monaco F1 race
20
Indian Roadmaster & Chief Dark Horse launched
27
Di Grassi penalised in DHL Berlin ePrix
B2B SECTION
PAGES 55-74
55
RENAULT KWID WORLD PREMIERE IN INDIA
64
BMW assembles cars with 50 pc local content in Chennai plant
66
Royal Enfield acquires UK based Harris performance
67
Mahindra to take 33pc stake in Mitsubishi Agricultural Machinery for 159 crore
6 I June 2015
10
ELOFIC INDUSTRIES PLANS GLOBAL ACQUISITION
62
68
Dr. Pawan Goenka is envoy of Foreign Investment Promotion for Korea
71
Tractor manufacturers need to proactively support cashstrapped farmers in India
69
Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Mong-Koo Chung meets Modi
72
Bosch drive systems for Porsche hybrid models
70
Bus Body Code comes into effect and Volvo is ready
73
Low Speed Autonomous Emergency Braking is effective
INDIA NEWS
ALL NEW VOLVO XC90 now in India for 64.9 lakh
The highly anticipated all new XC90 from Volvo is now here in India. The new Volvo XC90 will be available in the Diesel D5 engine with Momentum Luxury and Inscription Luxury variants priced at 77.9 lakh and 64.9 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi) respectively. The new XC90 has been revolutionised completely from the old XC90. Globally three engine options are available, but in India only the Diesel D5 version with the 4 cylinder Twin Turbo Diesel engine will be sold in
Tomas Ernberg, Managing Director, Volvo Auto India the Momentum and Inscription trims. The engine produces 225bhp @ 4250rpm mated to an 8-speed automatic transmission which delivers acceleration from 0-100kmph in 7.8 seconds and a top speed of 220kmph. The new XC90 is fitted with a double wishbone suspension at the front and integral axle with transverse composite leaf spring and hydraulic shock absorbers in the rear as standard. Air suspension is an optional extra. The steering wheel is a power assisted rack and pinion system. With 345 and 320mm disc brakes, ABS is offered as standard along with EBD and EBA with a choice of 20inch 10 spoke silver diamond cut alloy wheels or 19inch 10 spoke
8 I June 2015
INDIA NEWS turbine silver alloy wheels. Due to governmental regulations, Volvo’s radar guided cruise control and automatic braking systems will not be available in India. Though the technology will be integrated into the car’s system, the technology will be disabled. If and when the government gives the nod to such advanced technology, the systems will then be enabled by Volvo. But as with every Volvo, the new XC90 is packed with safety feature and is designed to keep the occupants safe under any conditions possible. The XC90 was developed at Volvo’s R&D facility in Sweden from scratch. The XC90 will be available at all Volvo showrooms on order. The XC90 will be imported into India as a completely built unit. Tomas Ernberg, Managing Director, Volvo Auto India said,” The wait is finally over now. With all-new Volvo XC90, we are not just launching a car, but re-launching our brand. An example of Volvo-by-Volvo, the new XC90 marks the beginning of a new chapter for Volvo Cars, capturing its future design direction, incorporating its own range of new technologies and utilising its new Scalable Product Architecture (SPA). Volvo has invested in USD 11 billion to develop the product and engine platforms over the past 3 years. The XC90 paves the way for a portfolio of exciting new cars to come in the following years.” “Truly Scandinavian in its body and spirit, the new XC90 comes with the Volvo badge of world-class safety assurance. The exterior and interior carries a strong connection with the key elements of the Swedish lifestyle: the generous space, the celebration of light and the focus on wellbeing.” added Ernberg.
INTERVIEW WITH LOTTA JAKOBSSON
Senior Technical Specialist, Injury Prevention, Volvo Cars Safety Centre, Sweden REPORT: RAHUL KAPOOR; PHOTOGRAPHY: MOHD. NASIR How did manufacturers in Europe, especially Volvo, tackle the safety related issues in automobiles back in the day? The experience from Europe and other places is that safety interest is related to safety awareness. In Europe safety awareness increased rapidly when consumer information (rating) testing (such as EuroNCAP) started. It was then made clear to the consumers that safety performance varied between different cars and by that, the public safety demands increased accordingly. For Volvo Cars, safety has always been a core value, and there has always been a relatively high safety interest among Volvo customers. Over the years, we have continuously communicated our safety developments, which over the years have resulted in numerous innovations and world first safety features; including implementation of 3pt safety belts as standard in 1959, development of side impact protection systems and whiplash protection systems in the 1990s and pioneering auto brake technology in the 2000s. Communication needs to go with development. Hence one of the keys for safety awareness and prioritisation are continuous development of safety features/systems and of course showing the safety benefits of these features/systems. What is the way forward to convince Indians that safety is important? I believe that one of the major aspects is to show safety effects, ie. that safety makes a difference. Independent testing has great influence on safety awareness. Not only does it serve the purpose of showing difference between different cars, but also by making people aware of the forces / energy in a crash. Crash dynamics are very impressive and by making people aware of this has shown to be effective. Can you talk a bit on the safety features where the focus and attention has been paid on the new XC90? The all new XC90 takes important safety steps in all areas. It comprises the most advanced standard safety package on support systems (active safety technology), including world first system addressing
avoidance in intersections. The protective safety (passive safety) is of world-leading level. The design of the car body is advanced, containing a very high portion of ultra-high strength steel, enabling occupant protection in all different types of crash situations. The restraints have been refined further and are designed focusing safety as well as comfort, illustrated by seat belt height adjustability even in the second row. All safety belts have pretensioners and the Inflatable curtains cover all three rows. Beside these areas, the XC90 offers world’s first systems addressing run off road safety. No one else addresses this safety area. The XC90 detects run off road situations, tightens up the seat belt to help keep the occupant in a good position and if the car is exerted to high vertical loads, energy absorption functionality will cushion the occupant and help protect the spine. The all new XC90 is the safest Volvo so far. It manifests our commitment of our safety vision to significantly reduce injuries. Our aim is that by 2020 no one should be killed or severely injured in a new Volvo car. We hear that you had a dialogue with the Transport Ministry of India. Could you tell us what transpired in this meeting? We met with the Secretary and Joint Secretary of Road Transport and Highways. At Volvo we have a long history of safety research and development and believe it is essential for all traffic actors to work together in traffic safety development. We care strongly for global safety improvements and have started a dialogue to share our knowledge and experience with the Government of India.
June 2015 I 9
INDIA NEWS EXCLUSIVE
MARUTI SUZUKI NEXA outlets; HYUNDAI may have a richer plan
Suzuki S-Cross sold abroad
Report: RAHUL KAPOOR One thing that India’s leading car maker Maruti Suzuki has in common with India’s leading car exporter Hyundai Motor India is that both sell small and affordable cars in India. Now that Maruti Suzuki has introduced a new sales channel by the name NEXA to sell its premium cars, Hyundai India, according to highly placed sources, is contemplating when to introduce its luxury cars in India. What does NEXA ultimately mean? Well if you think it’s like what Lexus is to Toyota, or
Infinity is to Nissan, or Acura is to Honda, we are sad to break this to you, but unfortunately it’s not true. The Lexus, Infinity and Acura brands are luxury brands, Here we are talking about sales channels and the NEXA is on the lines of Toyota’s sales channels in Japan like “Toyota,” “Toyopet,” “Corolla” and “Netz.” Maruti Suzuki’s NEXA outlets will only sell premium cars beginning with the S Cross crossover vehicle that will be launched in the country in the next couple of months. In
order to keep their newly set up NEXA outlets warm and busy, they will, for the time being, sell the Ciaz premium sedan. Once the S Cross is launched, sale of Ciaz models will be discontinued at these NEXA dealerships and pushed into the ordinary Maruti Suzuki dealerships. But what is a lot more interesting is when Hyundai would bring in its luxury cars into India. Unconfirmed sources say that the company is pouring over several strategies to introduce these cars into India but has not
At the NEXA dealerships the company will sell only the premium models like the S-CROSS CROSSOVER based on the Japanese model SX4 HATCHBACK, the YBA SUV, YRA HATCHBACK and more models from the premium Japanese stable of SUZUKI. Maruti Suzuki’s NEXA outlet
10 I June 2015
INDIA NEWS yet decided on any one strategy. And there lies a big difference between these two companies Hyundai Motor India is contemplating bringing their flagship saloons the Genesis and Continental / Equus to India. The unfortunate scenario for Suzuki in that case will be that if Hyundai is to bring in the cavalry (all costing upwards of 35-40 lakh), the biggest vehicle Suzuki has to offer is the Kizashi and others like the Grand Vitara, pushing a little further, the APV people carrier MPV (sub 20 lakh vehicles). There is nothing in the Suzuki stable to match that segment while Toyota, Honda and Hyundai all do. Hyundai’s luxury cars are value for money products in the North American markets. Both in terms of engine refinement and luxury trappings, these Hyundai luxury cars stand out even when compared to the blue blooded models from companies like BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Audi. Hyundai, it is reliably learnt, is keen to push these marques in India and be one up on its closest rival Maruti Suzuki. While Hyundai has yet to decide on a channel to sell its expensive cars in India, Maruti Suzuki plans a NEXA launch across the country.
Hyundai Genesis
HYUNDAI MOTOR INDIA is contemplating bringing their flagship saloons the Genesis and Continental / Equus to India.
THE NEXA PLAN The basic plan of Maruti Suzuki India is to open special Maruti Suzuki NEXA dealerships across the country to sell only the premium cars from those specific special dealerships. These dealerships will be largely existing dealership being converted to NEXA dealerships. New NEXA dealerships will also come up across the country. According to Maruti Suzuki officials, the company plans to immediately set up around 70 to 80 dealerships in the country. Existing dealers are being given an option to upgrade their existing properties or open a new dealership all together. At the NEXA dealerships the company will sell only the premium models like the S-Cross crossover based on the Japanese model SX4 hatchback, the YBA SUV, YRA Hatchback and more models from the premium Japanese stable of Suzuki. Rumour has it, that even the Kizashi might be revived through the NEXA channel. Which brings us to another question, could
they also bring along the Swift Sport? We sure hope so! And mind you, these cars will not have the Maruti tag to it; rather it will be sold as Suzuki vehicles. The company will have around four NEXA dealerships in New Delhi. While the NEXA dealership in Dwarka locality of the city is almost complete, it is selling the Ciaz premium sedan from there. Sources confirmed that originally the plan was to set up the NEXA dealerships across the country and begin its innings by selling the Ciaz model. But then since the dealerships are taking time being set up, the company decided to start the NEXA chain with the S-Cross. Delhi will see NEXA dealerships in Pitampura and South Extension, besides a fourth one, whose location is unconfirmed. Maruti Suzuki has been the largest car manufacturer in India ever since the Maruti Udyog Ltd. days. Currently, Maruti Suzuki is the only brand in the country that sells over 90,000 units every month of every year. However, the premium sedan segment or even anything that was priced over 8 lakh failed to make a mark in India for Maruti Suzuki. High priced luxury cars have been the Achilles’ heel for the company. The Suzuki Kizashi for
example was a masterpiece when the concept was first unveiled at the Auto Expo in 2008. However, when it was launched the Kizashi was priced high because it was imported from Japan. It was the exact same story with the Suzuki Grand Vitara. This got people thinking why should one spend so much money on a Maruti? The marketing department wasn’t able to sell to the consumer and convince them it was more than just a Maruti. Media reviews proved that the cars weren’t any ordinary Maruti that the company had made in the previous years, not a single person who has driven the Kizashi would say that it was not a great car. Despite all the efforts, the company couldn’t manage to hike up the sales figures for these cars. Even the home made SX4, the replacement for the Esteem, didn’t do that well as other models from the company were selling units by the hour. NEXA dealerships are now going to make things better for Maruti Suzuki and their premium cars. Currently, all we know is that the S-Cross, YBA SUV and the YRA Hatchback will be launched and sold through the NEXA network. We reckon any future plans from the company will only be based on how these cars perform in India.
June 2015 I 11
INDIA NEWS
NEW AGE XUV500
for 11.21 lakh onward Mahindra has launched the New Age XUV500 in India for a starting price of 11.21lakh (exshowroom Delhi). The starting prices remain unchanged from the previous generation. The XUV will be powered by the same engine and transmission--- 2.2 litre 4 cylinder engine with a 6 speed manual gearbox, as the previous generation. But the engine has been tuned to deliver 330NM of torque and 140bhp from the MHawk DOHC diesel engine. The suspension has been upgraded, and the regenerative braking system from Mahindra’s Micro Hybrid technology is also added to the New Age XUV500. Mahindra has also attached an ESP traction control system from Bosch and with all this technology the XUV500 can now achieve 16kmpl of fuel economy. The changes on the New Age XUV500 are quite a few. The front grille, the front bumper, the fog lamp assembly, door handles, and the bonnet are all updated with new styling. The rims are updated 10 spoke 17inch alloy wheels
and the head lamps are now bending projector lamps. Some new features in the XUV500 include an electric sunroof, passive keyless entry, push button start and logo projector lamps under the ORVM. Other features include 6 airbags, reverse camera, 7 inch infotainment screen with Blue Sense App, black and beige dual tone interiors, with icy blue mood lighting. Speaking at the launch of the New Age XUV500, Dr Pawan Goenka, Executive Director, Mahindra & Mahindra mentioned, “The XUV500 has pushed the boundaries for Mahindra since its launch, on the fronts of technology, capability and brand. More so, it established the foundations for the development of an entirely new generation of vehicles from Mahindra. Today as we launch the New Age XUV500, we have enhanced the finesse and driving experience while retaining the DNA of the Cheetah inspired XUV500. I firmly believe that the New Age XUV500 will reaffirm our customers’ faith in Mahindra’s abilities to create world class products”. Pravin Shah, President & Chief Executive, (Automotive) Mahindra &
(L) Dr Pawan Goenka, Executive Director, with Pravin Shah, President & Chief Executive, (Automotive) Mahindra & Mahindra at the launch of the New Age XUV500 in New Delhi
12 I June 2015
Mahindra Ltd, said, “Right from the day of its launch, the XUV500 has become a trendsetter for the Indian automotive industry. It has done wonders by becoming the fastest selling SUV (in the premium 10 lakh plus category) to reach the 1 lakh vehicles milestone in less than three years. Today as we launch a new avatar with the New Age XUV500, I am confident that the product will once again resonate with our customers and excite them, with upgrades in styling, infotainment, ride and handling”.
Mahindra has launched a new variant of the XUV500 called the W10 which will feature everything mentioned above. Detailed variant wise pricing is given below.
Variant
Price (Ex-Showroom Delhi)
W4
11.21 lakh
W6
12.48 lakh
W8
14.18 lakh
W8 AWD
14.99 lakh
W10
14.99 lakh
W10 AWD
15.99 lakh
INDIA NEWS New AUDI RS 7 SPORTBACK launched for 1.4 crore German luxury car maker Audi has launched its super sporty car, the new Audi RS 7 Sportback in India for 1,40,20,750/(ex-showroom Mumbai and Delhi). This powerful and mean machine was unveiled by Joe King, Head, Audi India This five-door Sportback has all the elements of a sportscar. Under its hood is a powerful four- litre V8 engine with cylinder on demand technology. The quattro drive and intelligent lightweight design makes the car ensure a superb driving experience. Since its launch last year it has delighted its customers and the company is now confident that the new Audi RS 7 Sportback will further entrench the Audi brand as the leader in the luxury sportscar segment in India, said King. For the first time, Audi has introduced the Audi Matrix LED headlamps on the new Audi RS 7 Sportback. The lamp cluster dynamically alters the high beam on a real time basis with the sole aim of not dazzling the oncoming traffic and the vehicle(s) in the front. The car’s hybrid aluminum design results in roughly 15 percent less weight than a comparable all-steel body, thanks to Audi’s lightweight construction technology. The twin-turbo V8 4.0 TFSI engine with 3993 cc displacement, produces 560 hp between 5,700 and 6,600 rpm, with a peak 700 Nm of torque available from 1,750 to 5,500 rpm. The Audi RS 7 Sportback consumes on average just 9.8 litres of fuel per 100 kilometers, thanks to its efficient Cylinder on Demand technology (COD). What it does is that it deactivates four cylinders in part load operation. It thereby achieves comparatively low fuel consumption and low CO2 emissions without compromising on the performance. Slight modifications have been made to the bumper, with its air inlets. The Single frame grille with the black honeycomb now sports even sharper and more distinctive corners. The headlights are also adapted to the new Single frame grille.
TATA GENX NANO launched at 1.99 lakh onward; AT costs 2.69 lakh Continuing with its spirit to make it a successful car, Tata Motors has now launched the Nano in the all-new GenX Nano avatar. It’s a new compact that is a feature-rich hatchback for the youth of India, and is priced at 1.99 lakh onward. The GenX Nano will be available for sale, across the country in over 450 Tata Motors sales outlets, from May 19, 2015. Prices of the GenX Nano start at 1.99 lakh for the XE variant and goes upto 2.49 lakh for the XT variant, in Manual Transmission. The company has introduced two variants – XMA and XTA with ‘Easy Shift’ Automated Manual Transmission. The XMA variant will be made-to-order and will be available for sales from August 2015. The XMA variant is priced at 2.69 lakh and the top-end, XTA variant is priced at 2.89 lakh and is available post the national launch. All prices are exshowroom, Delhi. The 94 litre boot-space in the AMT and 110 litre boot- space in the MT version can now be accessed more easily, through the openable hatch. The car is equipped with the new generation Tata signature steering wheel which adds to the new-age feel of the driver’s cockpit. The car will come in seven new colours Sangria Red (NEW), Persian Rose (NEW), Pearl White, Meteor Silver, Royal Gold, Dazzle Blue and Damson Purple. The new range comprises of five variants, three with a four-speed manual transmission (XE, XM, XT) and two variants (XMA, XTA) come equipped with a five-speed AMT gearbox which is branded as ‘Easy Shift’ Automated Manual Transmission. The GenX Nano is powered by a 624cc, multi-point fuel injected, liquid cooled, naturally aspirated, 2 cylinder gasoline engine with 2 valves per cylinder. The engine produces 38PS power @ 5500 RPM and 51 Nm torque @ 4000 RPM. Detailed review on page 34.
14 I June 2015
www.elof ic.com
Growing With Green Ideas
INDIA NEWS MERCEDES-BENZ S-GUARD for 8.9 crore onward First and foremost, if you need to stay protected on the road from your enemies, then the best bet is to be in a battle tank. But then battle tanks are only for the Army. So, your next safe bet is a Mercedes-Benz new S 600 Guard that will cost a mere 8.9 crore onward (ex showroom Delhi). If you think the price is a bit too steep, then remember the fact that “Life is precious”. The Mercedes-Benz new S 600 Guard is the first of its kind vehicle which is comprehensively certificated for highest ballistic protection in resistance class VR9 (according to BRV 2009). Also, do remember the fact that the Mercedes-Benz S-Guard is the preferred vehicle for heads of state, high ranking government officials and business tycoons globally and also in India. The car has outstanding strength and stability thanks to the specific reinforcement of the base structure that is integrated into the body shell production stage. Special aramide and PE components provide additional splinter protection. Intelligent overlapping systems at particularly critical points ensure comprehensive ballistic protection. In case you want to outpace your enemies, this car with its V12 petrol engine, generates 530 hp and 830 Nm of torque. The 7G-Tronic automatic transmission results in lower fuel consumption with efficient acceleration. Detailed review on page 30.
FORD FIGO ASPIRE premieres in Delhi Ford India has premiered their upcoming compact sedan the Figo Aspire in New Delhi to give customers a first-hand experience of this stylish compact sedan ahead of the launch. The Figo Aspire was showcased at Cyber Hub, Gurgaon between May 8th and May 10th as a part of the 10 week long roadshow in 25 cities across India. Raj Sarkar, Vice President – Marketing at Ford India said, “Through the road show, we will highlight how Figo Aspire embodies the aspirations of modern India with its striking good looks, clever convenience, smart and practical features as well as outstanding ownership experience. This Sedan is designed to exceed the expectations of customers in every way. I am sure our customers in Delhi will be excited to see the proposition of this global Ford product.” While primary focus was on the styling of the Figo Aspire during the development stage, the car is geared up to set new standards in the segment with leather seats, side curtain airbags, Ford SYNC with AppLink and Dock system, and more. The Figo Aspire will be powered by a 1.5l TDCI turbo diesel engine found in current Ford models in India and an all new 1.2L TiVCT petrol engine with variable camshaft timing. Details of the new engine are still undisclosed however, Ford says that the engine will offer a compelling mix of performance, refinement and fuel economy.
NISSAN TERRANO Limited Edition for 11.45 lakh
Nissan has launched a new Terrano Groove Limited Edition in India priced at 11,45,123/- ex-showroom Delhi. Mechanically, no changes have been made to the car. The Terrano Groove based on the XL (O) variant, the Limited Edition compact SUV is full of features worth 30,000/- at no extra cost from the original price of the XL (O) variant. Some of the features include Rockford Fosgate speakers, ambient lighting, branded fabric mats and LED scuff plates on the doors in the interior. While the exterior gets chrome highlights for fog lamps, tail lamps and tailgate and black roof wrap. Only 250 units of the Terrano Groove will be made.
Mahindra Scorpio registers its highest ever annual sales in FY15
Raj Sarkar, Vice President – Marketing, Ford India
16 I June 2015
The iconic Mahindra Scorpio SUV has crossed the 50,000 milestone in unit sales in FY15, for the 4th consecutive year. According to a press release, the Scorpio sold 51,553 units in FY15, being the highest ever annual sales for the brand since its inception. Apart from that the Scorpio also recorded its highest ever monthly sales in September 2014, selling 6,060 units.
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INDIA NEWS TOYOTA launches all new CAMRY HYBRID for 28.80 lakh Toyota has now launched the all new Camry in India. The Camry will have two engine options in India like before, the Camry Petrol which is priced at 28.80 lakh and the Camry Hybrid priced at 31.92 lakh. All prices are ex-showroom Delhi. The Camry Hybrid comes with Toyota’s Hybrid Synergy Drive (HSD) powerunit. The powertrain combines power from a 2.5 litre Atkinson Cycle four cylinder petrol engine along with an electric motor producing a combined output of 202bhp. Due to the hybrid technology, the Camry Hybrid generates a claimed fuel economy of 19.16kmpl even though the electric motor only has a range of 3kms with the batteries, the kinetic energy and heat generated from coasting or regenerative breaking, which would normally be wasted, help to recharge the battery. Therefore there is no need to plug in to charge the batteries and the total CO2 emission per kilometre from the Camry Hybrid is 122.8gm. The engine is mated to an electronically controlled Continuous Variable Transmission (E-CVT).
Naomi Ishii Managing Director Toyota Kirloskar Motor
Swedish electric vehicles to ply on Delhi roads
Anil Arora, Country Head, Clean Motion India
Zbee, the electric vehicle from Sweden’s Clean Motion company will soon be seen on New Delhi roads. These vehicles will be seen at DLF Place Saket mall, and will connect the Malviya Nagar metro station to the mall. The vehicles will begin plying by July 2015. The first cluster of Zbees will have 20 vehicles, with lithium batteries which allow for charging in 20 minutes. A full charge would take less than an hour and will allow for driving for up to 50 km. Clean Motion will leverage on the support from the Indian government and will work on setting up the backbone for the smooth operations of Zbees. The Zbee was on display at the Indo Swedish Expo in Pragati Maidan in New Delhi, where hundreds of Swedish companies showcased Swedish expertise and world class state of the art technology, Clean Motion, Sweden’s leading electric vehicle technology provider showcased Zbee the next generation of super- efficient clean electric vehicle as a sustainable solution to India’s and Delhi’s last mile connectivity concerns. Göran Folkesson, CEO, Clean Motion said, “We are eagerly looking forward to the pending MOU on Sustainable Urban development framework, slated to be signed during the President’s visit to Stockholm in June first week and are confident that this step will pave the way for a successful PPP partnerships between the Swedish companies and the Indian states”.
IAF Mirage -2000 lands at Yamuna Expressway Indian roads are actually not that bad as it is made out to be. Some roads are indeed good enough for a plane to land! The IAF which has been considering the use of national highways for emergency landing by fighter aircraft finally got a chance to land one of its planes on a road. This capability was demonstrated by IAF on May 21, 2015 by a Mirage-2000 aircraft which got airborne from one of the IAF bases in Central India. All facilities like make shift Air Traffic Control, safety services, rescue vehicles, bird clearance parties and other requirements were set up by IAF personnel from Air Force Station Agra. Thereafter, in coordination with the District Magistrate and SP of Agra and Mathura, necessary tie up was carried out for activation of the selected stretch. The aircraft made a practice approach on the highway, coming down to a height of 100 mtrs before landing off the next approach. The operations were conducted with active support from the government of Uttar Pradesh, Yamuna Expressway Authority, Toll authorities of JP Infratech and Civil Police. The IAF has plans to activate more such stretches on highways in the future. This was stated by a release from the Press Information Bureau, Government of India.
18 I June 2015
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INDIA NEWS
INDIAN
Roadmaster & Chief Dark Horse launched for 34.95 lakh & 21.99 lakh Polaris India Pvt. Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of US based Polaris Industries Inc., the world leader in Off-Road and All-Terrain Vehicles unveiled the 2015 Indian Roadmaster and the new Indian Chief Dark Horse in the country. Indian Motorcycle also opened its second dealership in India in Bengaluru city in the southern state of Karnataka. The exshowroom prices (Delhi) of the 2015 Indian Roadmaster is 34.95 lakh while the price of the Indian Chief Dark Horse is 21.99 lakh The dealership was inaugurated by senior Polaris officials comprising Scott Wine, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer; Bennett J. Morgan, President & Chief Operating Officer; Michael Dougherty, Vice President – Asia
uru
Polaris officials in Bangal
20 I June 2015
Pacific & Latin America, Polaris Industries Inc.; and Pankaj Dubey, Managing Director, Polaris India Pvt. Ltd. The keys of the first new Indian Chief Dark Horse was also handed over to its first customer soon after its debut in the Indian market. Scott Wine and Bennett J. Morgan also handed over the keys of the legendary Indian Scout to a few customers. “The launch of Indian Chief Dark Horse and Indian Roadmaster coincides with the opening up of our second Indian dealership here in Bengaluru. We are bringing these two iconic products
from the Indian Motorcycle stable to the Indian market. Since the introduction of these motorcycles in the Indian market in January 2014, there has been a lot of excitement amongst the motorcycle aficionados across the country. These luxury motorcycles are generating a lot of interest and demand due to their unmatched quality and dynamic looks. We are quite upbeat about the market here and have further plans for bringing these iconic machines close to your doorstep through more dealerships going ahead,’’ said Pankaj Dubey. The showroom, located at Exquisite Moto LLP, Prestige Nugget, No. 126, Infantry Road, Bengaluru – 560001 will display the entire range of the Indian Motorcycle. These include the Indian Roadmaster, Indian Chief Classic, Indian Chief Vintage, Indian Chieftain, Indian Chief Dark Horse and Indian Scout. The team at the dealership will comprise of trained professionals offering global standards of after-sales and service support.
INDIA NEWS
Honda CBR 650F superbike in India by August 2015 Honda Motorcycles and Scooters India Pvt. Ltd. (HMSI), has announced that by August 2015 the CBR650F superbike will be launched in India. The motorcycle will be manufactured in India as a part of the “Make in India” campaign. The localisation content will initially be only around 5pc for this bike. The CBR650F is powered by a 649cc 4 cylinder Honda DOHC engine mated to a 6-speed transmission. Honda has stated that the motorcycle will be manufactured at the HMSI production facility in Manesar, Haryana with a maximum capacity to produce 2 units a day initially. Critical components like the engine will be imported. The CBR650F superbike will be available in 20 cities across the country by the end of the year but the company has no plans in place to export the motorcycle from India currently. Five key HMSI personnel from India were taken to Japan for formal training on assembly and after sales services. The knowledge will be imparted to personnel in the Manesar factory, while also in service centres where mechanics will be trained to service the vehicle in the 20 cities that the motorcycle will be available in. The superbike will be the first motorcycle with its level of technology and the first 4 cylinder 649 cc superbike to be manufactured in India. The CBR650F is the flagship model for Honda, the largest motorcycle manufacturer in the world. The Indian arm has not yet decided on the pricing of the vehicle, stated President and CEO of HMSI Pvt. Ltd., Keita Muramatsu. NEWS WRAP UP FROM HMSI Honda has stated that 25pc of the company’s global sales comes from India, and by the next couple
of years, India will be the leading market for the company in terms of sales. Honda has stated that their motto in India is to “Retain – Expand – Create” to achieve the target of 64 lakh customers by 2016, which they have set for themselves for the current fiscal of 2015-16. Retain: Honda currently hold the market leadership in the automatic scooter segment with the Activa, and the CB Shine is the best selling 125cc motorcycles in the country. The aim for Honda is to retain their position in the automatic scooter and 125cc motorcycle segments, while also becoming the no. 1 brand in the top 35 cities of India. Expand: As a part of the expansion plan, the company will inaugurate their 4th manufacturing plant in the country by early 2016 in Gujarat which will be the largest scooter manufacturing plant in the world. HMSI stated that the plant will increase capacity by 39pc in two years time. To expand its customer reach network, 800
sales and service touch points will be introduced to cater to the growing rural market and last mile rural customer support with 20 mobile service vans. Around 825 “Service On Wheels” (SOV) will also be introduced for after-sales service. Create: HMSI will launch 14 more motorcycles and scooters in India by the end of the calendar year. Six models have already been launched while nine remaining
models will be launched in the coming months as stated by the company. The company has also stated that at the 13th Auto Expo 2016, HMSI will introduce a new segment in the Indian Industry with a brand new model.
Keita Muramatsu, President and CEO & Y.S. Guleria, Senior VP Sales & Marketing, HMSI
June 2015 I 21
INDIA NEWS
ROYAL ENFIELD previews Limited
Edition Despatch Motorcycles Royal Enfield has announced a limited edition of their Classic 500 motorcycle named the Despatch series. The series is inspired by their long heritage with their involvement in the World Wars from their classic wartime Royal Enfield motorcycles. The Despatch Motorcycles will be available in two different colours in India – Desert Storm Despatch and Squadron Blue Despatch. In the international markets a 3rd Battle Green Despatch will also be available. The olive green tint of the Battle Green Despatch is not allowed to be sold in India as per law, hence the variant will not be available in the country. The finish of the entire motorcycle from the panels to the exhaust systems are all finished in a flat matte finish with the body panels finished in a camouflage paint job, in addition to some particular detail differences from the production Classic 500 from Royal Enfield. Only 200 units of each of the colours of motorcycles will be made. A total of 600 Despatch motorcycles will be up for grabs online on www.store.royalenfield. com . The price will be disclosed only on July 15th when the motorcycle will be available. Siddhartha Lal, MD & CEO, Eicher Motors Ltd. said; “Each Royal Enfield Despatch motorcycle has been handcrafted using a unique film transfer technique that uses a
22 I June 2015
delicate and precise hands-on process to transfer the camouflage pattern on the motorcycle’s skin. The body panel of each motorcycle requires specialised and dedicated personnel skills. When these panels are assembled on a single motorcycle; the result is a signature camouflage pattern for each individual machine. Hence, no two motorcycles have the exact same design – making each motorcycle the only one of its kind to ever roll out of the factory.” Along with the global
Siddhartha Lal, MD & CEO, Eicher Motors Ltd. debut of the Despatch motorcycles, Royal Enfield has also launched a flagship gear store in Khan Market, New Delhi where the company will be selling their bespoke Royal Enfield riding gear, accessories and clothing collection. More such stores across the country and around the globe are in the books, though certain international markets already have Royal Enfield apparel stores currently operational. Lal commented; “One of the major gaps that our customers have faced while adventuring
on our motorcycles around the country is the lack of good motorcycle apparel and accessories. We believe that with our expanded offering of purpose built, meticulously detailed and well crafted motorcycle gear, our riders will enjoy their motorcycling experience even more. We have also got a wider range of urban protection and moto-inspired clothing which enhances the motorcycling experience in cities or for weekend rides, and looks great when one’s not riding as well.”
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INDIA NEWS Suzuki GSX-S1000, GSX-S1000F for 12.25 lakh & 12.70 lakh Two wheeler maker Suzuki Motorcycle India Private Limited (SMIPL), has introduced two new motorcycles in the country – The GSX-S1000, a naked roadster and the GSX-S1000F, its fully faired version. According to a company press release, the Suzuki GSX-S1000 and GSX-S1000F are both available in two colours – Candy Daring Red / Glass Sparkle Black – AV4 and Metallic Triton Blue – YSF and are priced at 12,25,000 and 12,70,000 (Ex-showroom, New Delhi), respectively. These GSX-S siblings are just perfect for those who want a street bike with the soul of a GSX-R because both the GSX-S1000 and GSXS1000F have inherited the proven engine of the GSX-R1000. Moreover, these bikes comes with advanced & lightweight chassis, switchable 3-mode traction control system, 43mm inverted KYB forks, radial mount monobloc Brembo brakes and an easy to read instrument cluster displaying an array of comprehensive information.
Yamaha launches new Fascino scooter for 52500 India Yamaha Motor Pvt. Ltd. (IYM) has launched a new scooter Fascino for 52,500 (ex showroom Delhi). The scooter comes with a rich and classy modern retro design, says the company. The scooter was launched in Mumbai by Yamaha Motor India Sales Pvt. Ltd. (YMIS), a group company that has been established to independently support IYM in Sales & Marketing of its products. The new stylish Fascino is powered by an air-cooled, 4-stroke 113cc Blue Core engine with a continuous variable transmission (CVT). It features a lightweight body and delivers a fuel efficiency of 66 kmpl. In addition to practical functions such as comfort and storage, the new Fascino also has features such as 1) new body styling with stylish curves embellished with chrome-plated parts to add a sense of refinement and class, 2) an engine with high combustion efficiency to offer good fuel efficiency in the class, and 3) weight of only 103kg (the lightest Yamaha scooter introduced in India) that contributes to both fuel efficiency and ease of handling. The new model will come in 5 colours including matte chromatic colouring to satisfy the needs of trend-conscious young riders.
TVS Jupiter crosses 500,000 units sales TVS Motor India has reason to celebrate as its scooter model Jupiter has crossed the 500,000 units sales milestone. It achieved this in 18 months since its introduction into the market. TVS Jupiter was launched in September 2013. TVS Jupiter is powered by a next generation, all-aluminum, low-friction 110cc engine that delivers a good mix of power, superior acceleration and best in class fuel efficiency. The metal bodied, TVS Jupiter has been styled and made for the male consumer.
24 I June 2015
Triumph recalls 34 units of Daytona 675R in India Triumph India has just announced a safety recall of 34 units of their supersports motorcycle the Daytona 675R in India. The problem as stated by Triumph in a media statement suggests that Ohlin TTX, shock absorber supplier has notified the company that a certain batch of the suspension component fitted to the above mentioned motorcycle contains a potential manufacturing defect and Triumph is advising owners to immediately stop using the bike until the suspension unit has been checked and if necessary, replaced. The affected batch of the Daytona 675R motorcycles consists of the VIN numbers that are in the 642869–703908 range. These require inspection. A total number of 34 motorcycles have been affected.
INDIA NEWS Kabir Waraich wins Season 1 of Polaris Off-Roader 2015 Kabir Waraich was crowned the winner of Polaris Off-Roader who drove away with a Polaris RZR S800 to conclude the first season of the competition. The Polaris Off-Roader is a reality show which is aimed to promote Adventure Sports in India. The show travelled from 3 cities, namely Chennai, Pune and Delhi. 24 contestants from each city were put through a regional round where four selected participants from each region went to the Final round of the competition. These contestants were judged on their
physical fitness, ATV riding Skills and ATV manoeuvring capabilities. The winner of the show went home in his very own Polaris RZR S800 ATV. The first season of the reality show was concluded on May 17, 2015 where Kabir Waraich, a popular Indian rally driver was crowned the first ever champion of Polaris Off-Roader 2015. Pankaj Dubey, Managing Director, Polaris India said “The grand finale of the Polaris off roader 2015 witnessed sheer display of grit and enthusiasm
from the 12 finalists who fought for a Polaris RZR S 800. We want to thank all the participants for their overwhelming response to Polaris Off-Roader 2015 regional rounds in Chennai, Pune and Delhi-NCR. They not only have redefined the word adventure sports in India but made this journey, a truly unforgettable one for all of us. I wish the winner Kabir Waraich all the best in his future endeavours. For Polaris India it is an ideal opportunity to showcase
the strength, endurance and capabilities of our off-road vehicles and to let the people experience the immense potential of our machines.” (See related report on page 44)
HARLEY-DAVIDSON STREET 750 for Gujarat Police Harley-Davidson has delivered six Street 750 motorcycles specially customised for the Gujarat Police Department. The bikes were delivered by Nine Bridges Harley-Davidson, the company’s dealership in Gujarat. The 750s will be used primarily for quick response actions by the police department, for escorting of senior ministers and visiting dignitaries in addition to emergency response as part of a natural disaster response team, among others. Early this year, a Street 750 and a Superlow 883 Harley bikes were presented to the Gujarat Police during the Vibrant
Gujarat Summit. The bikes were apparently used for escorting
dignitaries at the event. Pranav Nanda, Dealer Principal,
Nine Bridges Harley-Davidson said “We are proud to add these Harley-Davidson Street 750 motorcycles to the Gujrat Police arsenal. The Street 750 not only addresses the police department’s need of a performance motorcycle in challenging situations but also provides great confidence and maneuverability in urban conditions,” Harley-Davidson Street 750 motorcycles is powered by the new Revolution X engine – a pure Harley-Davidson liquid cooled 750cc V-Twin engine. A single overhead cam, four valves per head and a 6-speed transmission.
MAHINDRA REVA slashes prices of e2o electric car Mahindra Reva has announced that following the governments FAME incentive scheme for electric vehicles, the home grown Indian electric car, the Mahindra Reva e2o’s prices have been slashed. The base T2 model e2o will be available from 4.79 lakh and the top model T20 variant will be available at 5.24 lakh. The reduction in price is welcomed due to the recently notified demand incentives given by the central government of India under FAME (Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric
Vehicles). The reduction in cost will benefit customers by 16pc over the original price. In addition to the new price of the EV, 2999 per month for 5 years or 50,000kms will be charged for energy fee. Mahindra Reva has installed more than approximately 300 easily accessible charge ports across the country till date. Under the FAME scheme, the government has also claimed that the charging infrastructure will also be widened and made more accessible. Pravin Shah, President &
Chief Executive (Automotive), Mahindra & Mahindra said “The benefits of the scheme in terms of demand incentives will be passed on to our customers, thereby making the e2o a more compelling and viable choice for mobility. Further, with the intervention of the government towards increasing charging infrastructure coupled with our technological updates, we hope to address range anxiety, accelerate EV awareness and expand our network across the country. Going forward
with the formulated policies in place, I am confident that India is set to witness a shift in changing lifestyles and a spurt in electric vehicle takers”.
June 2015 I 25
MOTORSPORT
“Woohoo, yes!!” screams Nico Rosberg as he wins Monaco F1 race “Woohoo, yes!!” screamed Nico Rosberg of Mercedes AMG Petronas as he won the 78 lap Formula 1 Grand Prix de Monaco 2015 held on May 24th 2015. He’s only the fourth man in history to win three straight races in the Principality of Monaco. Second to come was Sebastian Vettel of Scuderia Ferrari, followed by Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes, who had taken a pole position during the qualifying. Hamilton conceded to 3rd position for Mercedes after leading the entire race. After the first 2-3 laps of the race at the Principality where not much happened, the tables turned surprisingly when an eager Max Verstappen of Scuderia Toro Rosso fighting with Romain Grosjean of Lotus F1 Team for 10thplace, overzealously out manoeuvred himself only to clip the Frenchman’s rear ending up at full speed into the barrier with his car. Thankfully the Dutchman walked away unharmed. For Hamilton it was a not so lucky day. Hamilton was leading
26 I June 2015
Pictures courtesy: Daimler
the race ahead of his team mate Rosberg. When the safety car was brought out to clear the Torro Rosso, Mercedes pitted Hamilton and the Brit ended up in 3rd place controversially behind Vettel’s Ferrari. The reasons behind the decision remain a mystery for now, but Rosberg probably wouldn’t mind not knowing as he completed the final 10 laps to win the Monaco Grand Prix. In the final stages, boiling
Hamilton was charging on Vettel but as the German gained temperatures in his tyres and brakes while trying to defend his position, Hamilton gave up only to be forced onto the defensive as the Aussie Daniel Ricciardo of Infinit Red Bull Racing had made it all the way from 6th to 4th overtaking Kimi Raikkonen of Scuderia Ferrari who called him “Not very nice” when they both touched wheels. With fresher tyres,
Ricciardo moved up to 4th when his team mate Daniil Kvyat moved out of his way with much older rubber attached to his wheels. Riccardo gave a massive fight to Hamilton, but couldn’t manage to overtake, he returned the position to Kyvat and settled for 5th. Last year, Jules Bianchi was the hero of the day at the Monaco GP when the Frenchman scored his first ever point of his career for Marussia. Those points were key to the team’s survival for 2015. Now the Frenchman is still fighting for his life in a hospital in France after a horrible crash left him in a coma. It has been reported that currently his situation is still the same as it was a few months back and no sign of improvement has been seen. The Bianchi Family even stated that they are even considering his death in the form of euthanasia. From Motown India team, all we want to say is ForzaJules! Keep Fighting. The next round of the season race will be held in Canada from June 5 to 7, 2015.
MOTORSPORT
Di Grassi penalised in DHL Berlin ePrix For race winner Lucas di Grassi, who apparently won the race at the DHL Berlin ePrix on May 23, 2015, the sweet smell of victory was short lived. Immediately after the race and his victory, he was excluded from the DHL Berlin ePrix after his Audi Sport ABT car was found to have been running with a modified front wing. According to an FIA Formula E press release, the race-winning car failed post-race scrutineering where it was discovered that the front wing fairings had been modified to include internal metal reinforcing rods. In addition the stewards found that six of the
Picture courtesy: FIA Formula E
Short lived victory! eight holes in the front wing had been sealed. The remaining two holes were found to have had helicoil inserts and chamfers made
and that the front flap and gurney LH 220 has a filler layer added and chamfer made. The team argued that these
Bengaluru karters emerge champions in JK Tyre races Bengaluru for the first time played host to the JK Tyre-MMS Rotax Kart Open and Rookie Cup 2015 on May 23 and 24, 2015. There were 24 races in total which took place over these two days and 40 young karters competing with each other. With the sun beating down and temperatures soaring, the karters raced perfectly to win the overall championship title on May 24. These karters represented six teams under three different classes namely, Micro Max, Junior Max and Senior Max. This year the event witnessed participation from three Sri Lankan racers as well. The event took place at Bengaluru’s new karting destination, known as Meco Kartopia. The national champions of previous years namely Vishnu Prasad, Karminder Singh, Nikhil Kashyap, Diljith, took charge as marshalls and ensured a smooth event. The champions in the JK TyreMMS Rotax Kart Open were: Micro Max – Nikhil Bohra from Bengaluru, Meco Racing placed first with 66 points followed by Ruhaan Alwa from Bengaluru,
Rayo Racing with 65 points. Chirag Ghorpade from Bengaluru, Team BPC Racing finished third at 61 points. Junior Max – Aaroh Ravindra from Mumbai, team Rayo Racing placed Overall champions first 70 points followed by Akash Gowda from Bengaluru, team Meco Racing Bengaluru, team Meco Racing with 72 points. Akshay Bohra from at 68 points. Mohamed Nallwalla Bengaluru, team Meco Racing from Mumbai, team Rayo Racing finished third with 62 points. finished third at 65 points. Junior Max – Aanjan Patodia Senior Max - Ricky Donision from Pune, team Rayo Racing from Bengaluru, team BPC placed first with 60 points followed Racing placed first with 70 points by Nirmal Umashankar from followed by Nayan Chatterjee from Chennai, team Meco Racing at Mumbai, team Rayo Racing at 59 57 points. Kevin Perera from Sri points. Dhruv Shivaji Mohite from Lanka, team Meco Racing finished Kolhapur, team Mohite’s Racing third with 55 points. finished third at 49 points. Senior Max - Mohammed Zain Ali from Bengaluru, team BPC Racing The champions in the JK Tyre- placed first with 71 points followed MMS Rotax Rookie Cup were: by Charith Gunawardena from Micro Max – Ruhaan Alwa from Sri Lanka, team Meco Racing at Bengaluru, team BPC Racing 68 points. Brayan Perera from Sri placed first with 78 points followed Lanka, team Meco Racing finished by Aditya Swaminathan from third with 64 points.
changes were made as a result of repairs and that they offered no competitive advantage, however, they were deemed to be in breach of Article 3.1 of 2014/2015 FIA Formula E Technical Regulations and the exclusion was made. Audi Sport ABT decided not to appeal the decision. The decision meant that Jerome D’Ambrosio became the winner of the race and Nelson Piquet Jr is now in the lead of the championship, 10 points ahead of di Grassi. India’s Karun Chandhok could only manage an 18th position for Mahindra racing while his team mate Bruno Senna came in 17th.
Suzuki announces Gixxer Cup championship Suzuki Motorcycle India Private Limited (SMIPL) will launch the Gixxer Cup, a one make championship race, in June 2015. The championship will continue till October 2015. Two championship races will run simultaneously - ‘Novice’ for beginners and ‘Open’ for more seasoned racers. Suzuki will provide a full grid of 20, race-prepared Gixxer SF motorcycles for 5 rounds of racing, which will be held in conjunction with the Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship at the Kari Motor Speedway in Coimbatore and the Madras Motor Race Track in Chennai.
June 2015 I 27
MOTORSPORT Solberg takes his first British RX victory in Lydden Hill Petter Solberg has taken his first British round of his rallycross career when the Norwegian held on by a thread to win the World RX of Great Britain despite problems. After Mattias Ekstrom won Heat 4 at the wheel of the Audi S1 EKS RX Quattro, the two Semi Final grids were split with Solberg, Hansen, Nitiss, Kristoffersson, Linnerud and Larsson battle it out in Semi Final 1 while Ekstrom, Jeaney, Bakkerud, Jordan, Wilks and Stohl made it through to Semi Final 2 Semi Final 1: As the lights went out, with Solberg and
Pictures courtesy: Rallycrossrx.com
28 I June 2015
Kristoffersson in the front row, Kirstoffersson bolted towards the joker on the first lap, closing the door on Linnerud and Larsson who followed him. Meanwhile Solberg was leading away with Hansen and Nitiss on his tail. Solberg, over the next 4 laps, drove with perfection at every corner to draw a hefty gap between him and Kristofferson for his Joker on the final lap. Solberg just made it out in front of Kristofferson when he jumped off the exit of the joker to keep his lead and finish 1.3 seconds ahead. Reinis Nitiss finished 3rd in the first Semi Final to make it to the
Supercar Final sending Hansen, Linnerud and Larsson packing. Semi Final 2: With Ekstrom and Bakkerud on the front row, at the drop of the flags, Guy Wilks, the British driver who was racing for the first time in WRX in his Mini from JRM Racing dived into the Joker on the first lap with Manfred Stohl. Wilks drove tremendously to close in the gap to the highly experienced drivers in front, therefore when Davy Jeanney took his jokey, Wilks managed to come out ahead of the French driver in 3rd place. Mattias Exstrom flew away with a
hefty lead to wiin the Semi Final Heat over Bakkerud who finished 2nd almost 3 seconds behind. Less than a second behind in 3rd with the drive of the weekend was Guy Wilks in his Mini who had only driven a single test before heading out against the best of the best in the sport to make it into the Supercar Final in his first run. Jeanney, Jordan and Stohl completed the final scoring positions after finishing 4th, 5th, and 6th respectively. The Final saw Solberg Line up next to Ekstrom, while Kristofferson and Bakkerud stood
MOTORSPORT on row 2 and Nitiss and Wilks completed the top 6 on the 3rd row. Unfortunately for Wilks, the Brit was forced to retire on the first lap after facing a terrible left front puncture. At the front Solberg chose to joker on the final lap with barely enough gap between him and already jokered Ekstrom who was gaining on him. As Solberg came out of the joker inches ahead of the Ekstrom, the Norwegian held on for dear life in his 1st place with Eksrtom breathing down his neck. Solberg’s Citreon DS3 from the SDRX team started showing signs of problems with the drive shaft while also suffering a puncture on the left
front. Despite the gremlins, the reigning World RX finished .04 seconds ahead of Eksrtom to win LyddenRX for the first time in his career. Kristofferson took the final spot on the podium with Bakkerud and Nitisss respectively finishing 4th and 5th. “It’s been a fantastic weekend: good weather, a lot of people, a fantastic atmosphere and some really close racing,” grinned race winner Solberg, who also wins a Rebellion Timepieces Wraith Drive Rallycross watch plus the coveted Monster Energy Super Charge Award for being quickest off the line during the final. “We had some issues with the car’s engine
this morning but everything was working well for the semis and then I just pushed really hard in the final. I pushed so hard that I even got a puncture on the last corner, I was driving at my limit! A lot of my mechanics are English, which makes this win at Lydden even more special – not just for me, but for the whole team.” Round five of the FIA World
Rallycross Championship will take place at Estering in Germany next month from June 19 - 21.
Latvala holds off Ogier to win Rally de Portugal Jari-Matti Latvala took his first win of the 2015 WRC season by holding off his Volkswagen Motorsport team mate Sébastien Ogier at the Rally de Portugal. In the last three rounds of the
championship, Latvala failed to even score points. In Portugal the 30 year old Finn finished 8.2 seconds ahead of the Ogier in the four day gravel event to claim his first victory since last October. It was his 13th career win for the Finnish driver who had a clear road conditions to take the lead on Friday afternoon which no one could take away from him. Despite overshooting a junction on Sunday morning, Latvala saw off challenges from firstly Kris
Meeke and then Ogier to climb from ninth to fifth in the drivers’ championship. Ogier finished in second to extend his championship lead to 42 points after round five of 13.The third VW Motorsport driver Andreas Mikkelsen completed the podium a further 20.4sec behind Ogier, to provide a clean sweep of the top three for Volkswagen Motorsport with its Polo R car. “After the last three rallies some people were doubting if I would come back,” said Latvala. “It was one of the worst situations in my rally career so to come and win here is unique. I really appreciate this victory feeling.” Meeke finished 20.1sec behind the Norwegian but the Northern Irishman was the only man able to challenge Volkswagen’s trio after his first rally victory of his career in Argentina. The sixth round will take place on another all gravel track at the Rally Italia Sardengna from June 11- 14.
June 2015 I 29
WHEELZ & ROADZ A driving experience
MERCEDES BENZ S-GUARD
STATHAM WAGON
Every little nook and cranny of every element in the S-Guard and around it has had years of thought put into it. From the windows to the tyres, the chassis to the axles, everything has been designed to serve one purpose and one purpose only, to save whosoever is present in the cabin of the car from any kind of harm. 30 I June 2015
WHEELZ & ROADZ A driving experience
SPECIFICATIONS
Engine & Transmission 6.0 Litre Twin-Turbo V12 / 7G-tronic Automatic
Power & Torque 530bhp 830Nm
Fuel Efficiency 8.8kmpl (Fuel - Premium Unleaded Petrol)
Top Speed 210kmph
Price 8.9 Crore (ex-showroom, Delhi)
I
Report: RAHUL KAPOOR / Photography: MOHD. NASIR
f you think you are obscenely rich like the Ambanis, or you are insanely famous, or you are a popular politician with a great future or you are just a pop icon with a mammoth fan following, then I presume you need to be protected round the clock. Apart from the gun wielding jumbo bodyguards sticking to you like glue, you also need a safe car to take you places, safely and in comfort. Fear no more, as Mercedes has brought in a new car just for you. Mercedes has introduced a new heavier version of their super luxury saloon the Mercedes-Benz S 600 Guard, or simply the S-Guard. The S-Guard looks exactly like the regular S-Class, only a bit slower. Even though the S-Guard looks like a regular four door saloon, it isn’t exactly what it seems. The S-Guard is an armoured version of the regular S-Class and is designed to save the lives of all the occupants inside, no matter what. It could be a grenade, it could be a battalion of guerrilla soldiers with AK47s, or it could be a bomb strapped underneath the car, nothing along these lines can pierce through the armour plated structure of the S-Guard. Regardless of whatever you throw at it, the S-class will keep moving. The first place someone would probably want to shoot are the tyres to try and stop the vehicles once your bullets ricochet off the 3 inch thick window and windscreen glass. At full deflation, the run flat tyres are designed to keep the car moving for 30kms. The wheels, the tyres, the inner rims are all reinforced with steel internally and weigh 50 kilograms alone‌ each. Each door weighs 200kgs, the firewall, the back of the rear seats, the bottom of the car and the roof are all reinforced with steel armour plating. The total kerb weight of the car is 2225kgs which is the exact total of a standard S-class with a standard E-class on its roof. IT IS HEAVY! To handle the colossal added weight, both axles have been reinforced and instead of aluminium parts, all have been replaced
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Pictures courtesy: Daimler
A driving experience
Optional extras: (L) special cooling compartment in the rear; (R) Fire extinguisher system with automatic activation with reinforced steel parts and uprated brakes all around. Just to cope with all that massive weight from all the armour. You actually feel all the weight even before you get in the car. At first when you open the doors, you attempt to open it like you always have all your life. But you nudge the handle and you begin to realise what everything is all about. Just to open the 200kgs doors, you need to put your back into it. And when you do, you notice a simple cabin waiting for you inside which is exactly the same as a normal S-Class. All full of luxury, all full of finesse and German standards of quality and refinement. But all that weight needs to move, so they unscrewed the 5 litre V8 and threw it out of the factory window and bolted in a 6 litre twin turbo charged V12 which produces 530bhp
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mated to a 7 speed automatic transmission, it delivers 830Nm of torque. It’s enough to move the moon out of orbit!... probably. I’m not a rocket scientist, just trying to prove a point. I was thinking, all that weight and all that power and torque, how does that work? I wanted to know, though it sound epic on paper, how is it on tarmac? So I took it for a spin on our home grown F1 track – Buddh International Circuit, for a small spin to get to grips of how all this actually works. Setting off in the pit lane, the S-Guard was so smooth, it was unbelievable. Everything from the power being delivered to the rear wheels to the sound of the engine to the feel of the pedals at my feet or the electronic power steering wheel all of it felt so smooth, I just felt that the car was literally driving me away
instead of the other way around. Exiting the pit lane and pinning the throttle, the power isn’t immediate though it’s linear. It’s designed to do that because it’s not meant for a racetrack, it’s for the comfort of the rear passengers who should be able to sip a glass of champagne while the driver worries about the shower of bullets headed their way. It’s so refined that unless you’re at half throttle, you can’t downshift just because it would jerk the car and would spill their drinks. The suspension is so soft and gooey even in Jason Statham mode. At one point I clipped a curb too much as the instructor notified me. In any other car, I would hear the wheels rumbling and feel it slightly, but no matter how much curb I took, I couldn’t feel or hear a thing. I was like just on a bed of air. The
WHEELZ & ROADZ A driving experience
only thing in this car that was obvious but we usually take for granted - the weight of the steering wheel. The car weighs over 2000kgs so to steer the car you need a massive amount of muscle in your shoulders and abs just to point the car into the direction you want it to go even with the EPAS. It’s smooth but it isn’t hard to manage at all and literally, anybody can do it. It’s that simple and easy to drive. Taking the parabola on the track entering at a speed of around 80kmph, turn in and just a dab of left foot brake, the back end slips out ever so slightly and so easily letting out tyre squeals, still it’s so easy to control despite it weighing as much as Buckingham Palace. So if you have any of the four personality traits I mentioned above then the S-Guard is for you. I will admit, considering the hefty price tag, the first trait is highly necessary but nonetheless the S-Guard will save your life no matter what. Included in the price is a two day trip to Germany for two, not for a holiday but a driver training programme to teach the owner and his chauffer how to drive. Every little nook and cranny of every element in the car and around it has had years of thought put into it. From windows to tyres, to the chassis to the axles, everything has been designed to serve one purpose and one purpose only, to save whosoever is present in the cabin of the car from any kind of harm from wooden splinters to AK47s or bazookas to grenades. So, if you are a wealthy actor who has millions of crazy screaming fans who love you so much and they want to kill you, or a lunatic dictator, who everyone loves to hate and wants his head on a platter, the S-Guard is the car for you. Or if you feel the need for a bullet proof car, then I’d suggest you take a look at it if you want. You won’t be disappointed that’s for sure.
Thickness of bullet proof windows and glass - 3inchs 10 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE S-GUARD
Max distance on deflated tyre - 30kms
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50kgs = Weight of each reinforced wheel with run flat tyres
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50kgs = Weight of each side window
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3inchs = Thickness of bullet proof windows and windscreen
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200kgs = Weight of each door
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30kms = Max distance on deflated tyre
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2225kgs = Total weight is equal to a standard S-Class with a standard E-Class on its roof.
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Distress signal button in boot
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Reinforced steel front and rear axles and uprated brakes
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Looks unchanged from regular S-Class for discretion
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Fire extinguisher underneath to dispose any exploded bombs
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TATA GENX NANO
INDIA’S VERY OWN MINI
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SPECIFICATIONS
Engine & Transmission 624cc, multi-point fuel injected, liquid cooled, naturally aspirated, 2 cylinder gasoline engine / AMT (5 forward + 1 reverse) with Sports mode and creep feature
Power & Torque 37.5bhp @5500rpm 51Nm@4000rpm
Fuel Efficiency 21.9 kmpl (ARAI)
Price 2.89 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi)
O
Report & Photography: P. THARYAN
pen Sesame! And bingo, the hatch of the Tata Nano finally opened. Yes, it took several years for Tata Motors to do this, but now that it is open it can stock a lot of bags and can ensure that your long journey is much more meaningful. Come to think of it, the Tata Nano is India’s Real Mini. You can climb up a wall and cry your heart out, but for me the Nano is the real mini car of India. Now it’s called GenX Nano and it comes with an Automated Manual Transmission (AMT). I got the top end model, the XTA for a road test review and boy, was I thrilled driving it around Delhi’s cluttered roads! Driving the Nano is like playing a game on your computer. You are so snug and the car drives so well. It hardly takes up any space on the road, yet it zips along at reasonably good speeds. The AMT is a little laid back when it is engaged but the moment you deploy the ‘S’ or Sports mode it springs to
life and picks up pace. The steering is much more solid that what it was earlier. This car is not about brute propulsion and speeding around the Buddh International Circuit, it’s rather about romancing the roads. Tata Motors has launched the all-new GenX Nano range with lots of new features for what they call, the trendy, youthful, bold and stylish customer. The GenX Nano is being offered to customers in both a manual as well as an automatic version. In the Easy Shift AMT (Automated Manual Transmission) version there are two variants, the XMA variant and the top-end XTA variant. Fresh features of the new Genx Nano include the Easy Shift, power steering, hatch access, Bluetooth connectivity, etc. The company has introduced a new Infinity design theme, in which, the front and rear bumpers come with an Infinity motif grille giving the car a solid and planted look. The 94 Litre boot space in the AMT and 110 litre boot space in the MT version
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can now be accessed more easily, through the openable hatch. Open Sesame, finally worked! Tata Motors is offering the new GenX Nano in all together five variants, three with a four-speed manual transmission (XE, XM, XT) and two variants (XMA, XTA) with five-speed AMT gearbox. In order to get the quick response in the AMT, there is an option of ‘Sports’ mode, ideally for those keen on a bit of zing. For ease of maneuverability in heavy traffic and during parking, the AMT also has an in-built ‘creep’ feature, which helps the car to crawl as soon as the pressure is eased off the brake pedal, without pressing the accelerator. The GenX Nano continues to have the Electric Power Assisted Steering (ePAS) designed for light steering and for easy maneuvering in tight parking and driving situations in cities. With a 4metre turning radius, all those efforts just get a lot easier. And before you conclude that this small little fellow is not strong enough for you, you have to realise that the new range comes with advanced structural stability and offers safety features like crumple zone to cushion frontal impact, reinforced body structure for enhanced frontal crash safety, robust side doors with intrusion beams for side crash protection, anti-roll bar for high speed stability and a ground clearance of 180 mm to tackle those rough patches on Indian roads. Super, strong Mini, I would conclude. For the tech savvy guys driving this car, the new GenX Nano comes loaded with connectivity features -- four speakers with surround sound effect mated to AmphiStream music system. This AmphiStream music system is compatible with first-in-segment, Bluetooth, CD, Radio, USB and AUX-in options. The car also comes with Digital Information Display with features like Average and
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Instantaneous Fuel Consumption, Distance to Empty & Gear Shift Indicator. Just in case you are still not satisfied with the features, then there are more that you can get at your dealership. These include accessories like Door Visors, Sunroof, Art Leather Seat Covers, Decals, Body kit, Reverse Parking Sensors, Remote Controlled Hatch Release etc. I would say that the remote controlled hatch release is something you should go in for immediately. It’s a pain to open the hatch manually with your key, every time you or somebody else wants to pick something from the boot. The all new GenX Nano has smartly addressed a lot of niggling issues that were there in the previous models. AMT is just one of them. Though its seats could have been a little more comfortable and broader, overall I felt that the Nano had finally come of age. In an India where roads are getting more and more crowded and parking spaces disappearing like the summer monsoons, the Nano addresses a lot of our woes. It’s easy to drive, easy to park, has a strong AC to keep you comfortable and a lot easy on the pocket. Boys and girls, what are you all waiting for?
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TOYOTA CAMRY HYBRID
DUAL CORE
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Report: RAHUL KAPOOR / Photography: MOHD. NASIR
here is going to come a time when either fuel prices will be so high that it would exceed the prices of cars they are meant to fuel, or completely gone from the planet all together. What are we going to do then? Well I literally have no idea. What I do know is that Toyota is trying their best to conserve as much of it they can with a
Engine & Transmission 2.0 litre, 4 cylinder turbo charged TDI / 6-speed Automatic DSG with paddle shift
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thing called a hybrid. Essentially it is a petrol powered car with an electric motor. How it works is both the engine and the electric motor power the front wheels, while the engine and the brakes also charge the batteries. Toyota first fitted this system into the Prius and then into the Camry. When the Camry Hybrid first came to India as an import, there weren’t many takers. Then Toyota brought the production of the Camry to India which brought down the
Power & Torque 138bhp @ 4200rpm 320Nm @ 1750-2500rpm
Fuel Efficiency 16.9kmpl
price and eventually, people started taking interest in the car. I never really liked hybrids. A car with two engines didn’t make any sense to me what so ever. So I asked Toyota to let me actually see what this hybrid is all about and they handed me the new Camry Hybrid which was facelifted and which was priced at 32Lakh. So here are the two questions for which I need answers. Firstly, does the technology work in the real
Tyres 205/55 R16
Price 17,70,000/(ex-showroom Delhi)
WHEELZ & ROADZ A driving experience
It doesn’t look like any other traditional Japanese car with uninteresting styling anymore. It’s like something out of a Japanese Sci-Fi film. world? Secondly, Is it worth the price tag? Well for starters, I think the Camry looks great with the new aggressive styling. It doesn’t look like any other traditional Japanese car with uninteresting styling anymore. It’s like something out of a Japanese Sci-Fi film. A single side of head lamps has nine bulbs doing different things, a total of 18 different bulbs to illuminate the dark unlit Indian roads. That’s going to be handy. Then there are chrome bits, I personally think all of the chrome together is slightly a bit too blingy, though I guess it’s still charming. But what do I know about aesthetics, right? The interior is littered with more Japanese Sci-Fi-ery. With chrome
dials and perfectly working buttons that are finished with Japanese build quality and precision. Nothing looks like it’s going to stop working anytime soon. Then the seats are designed by some sorcerer I believe. So that you don’t sweat from your back and bottom, the soft comfy leather seats have tiny little holes in them which blow air onto your back and your bottom to stop you from sweating from these places. Amazing, is it not? Even the most expensive Audi’s or Merc’s or BMW’s don’t have this. The only word that comes to mind sitting in the Camry Hybrid is “Luxury”. The rear seats can recline, the sunshades block the sun, and the seats are immensely comfortable with enough leg room to stop Indians from
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their usual complaints. Now let’s get down to its other attributes. How does it drive? Well, firstly there is a 2.5 litre VVT petrol engine and an electric motor with a 244W Nickel Metal Hydride battery pack under the boot. All of it together produces a total of 202bhp while the electric motor alone delivers 270Nm of torque. The transmission is a simple Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) controlled by electronics which delivers such seamless shifts it almost feels like there are no gears at all. The electric motor is just so silent you forget you’re in a car
and the sound proofing is so good, there is no road noise, tyre noise or anything apart from the annoying Indian honking roads. When you floor the throttle and engage the engine, only then can you hear some noise from the 4 cylinder petrol engine. And that’s pretty much it for the noise. But thanks to the electric motor, the acceleration is so instant; it just makes your day. You’ll never want to reach your destination if you’re driving one of these. It just so much fun to drive with the electric power steering being feather light but the tyres could use a bit more grip.
The only word that comes to mind sitting in the Camry Hybrid is “Luxury”. The rear seats can recline, the sunshades block the sun, and the seats are immensely comfortable with enough leg room to stop Indians from their usual complaints.
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Is it practical? Yes with a giant boot and seating for 5 it is extremely practical. But do I have the answers to my questions? Let’s see; does the technology work in the real world? If you know how to drive it, yes, majorly it does work and give you slight advantage from what you would get over the standard Camry. But the EV mode won’t win you bragging rights with Greenpeace. Without full charged batteries, you can’t access it at all, and even when you do, you only get about 3kms of range. But here is the thing, if you can have one of these, why would you go for a standard Camry at all? It just doesn’t make sense. I’ll admit I’m
still not convinced with the technology, that some claim, will save the polar bear. But as a car, I wouldn’t have it any other way. The next question is does it justify the price tag? Well with all the kit and all the technology and those seats from the land of sorcerers, I believe it is the bargain of the century. But there is a problem with the Camry Hybrid that dawned on me and it’s not with the car. The problem is, most of the people who’ll buy it here in India, will only be chauffeured in it, they will probably never experience the joy of driving this car. They will have no idea what this car is capable of. It’s such a shame… What a waste…
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2015 VOLKSWAGEN JETTA
JET - AH!!! Report: RAHUL KAPOOR / Photography: MOHD. NASIR
T
he executive sedan segment in India is slowly and gradually growing. This has become a major market in India as more and more car companies who didn’t see any profits in the segment have all brought out new, updated and modernly styled cars. Volkswagen’s contender in the executive class is the Jetta. The Jetta has been with
Engine & Transmission 2.0 litre, 4 cylinder turbo charged TDI / 6-speed Automatic DSG with paddle shift
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us for a while and now, there is a new one. Volkswagen offers the new Jetta with petrol and diesel engine option. We tested the fully kitted out 2 litre diesel Highline TDI with Volkswagen’s brilliant DSG automatic gear box. On the exterior of the Jetta, Volkswagen has updated both the front and rear bumpers and added a new front grille to match the new design philosophy of Volkswagen. The front
Power & Torque 138bhp @ 4200rpm 320Nm @ 1750-2500rpm
Fuel Efficiency 16.9kmpl
bumpers now have fog lamps and the rear tail lamps are also updated housed on a newly shaped boot lid. A really clever feature on the Jetta is that it has cornering head lamps as well which is highly useful on dimly lit roads of India. Interior wise, the Jetta gets some more updates with a new instrument cluster in front of the driver with a flat bottomed steering wheel. The centre console also gets a new Piano Black finish with dual climate control.
Tyres 205/55 R16
Price 17,70,000/(ex-showroom Delhi)
WHEELZ & ROADZ A driving experience
The climate control on one hand is very easy to use, but the Piano black on any car gets a bit annoying if you’re a perfectionist because it attracts a lot of dust and it will get on your nerves, but that’s just the way it is. The driver seat gets electronic controls with lumbar support, while the passenger seat is manually adjustable, the steering is also adjustable with rake and reach function, and the rear seats gets an air-con vent in the middle but no separate climate control. The car now gets plush leather seat that are extremely comfortable in the front as well as the back,
with the rear now coming with quite a decent amount of legroom as well. Practicality is where the Jetta really scores. The Jetta has a massive boot of 510 litres of space. Also a convenient feature in the Jetta is that with a pull of two levers, you can fold down the rear seats from the boot without having to go around and fold them from the front. This makes it easy to load bulky luggage faster into the car. To drive, the Jetta is extremely smooth and comfortable as the suspension soaks up the bumps quite nicely. The 2 litre turbo
charged diesel engine packs 138bhp and 320Nm of torque, and the excellent DSG gearbox shifts seamlessly. The throttle responds quite immediately in regular driving mode, and it gets sharper when you put it in Sport mode. The acceleration is quite liner and smooth though the 0-100kmph is around 9.5 seconds, but it feels much quicker because the power is delivered is a civilised manner, and not all at the same time. Using the paddle shifters in manual mode for the gears gives instantaneous shifts at each flick and you can redline as much as you want. And the car always has more to deliver. The weight of car feels balanced through the corners and the tyres offer a decent amount of grip. As standard, the Jetta has many safety and convenience features like ABS, ESP and 6 airbags. It also has some added and clever features like follow-me-home head lamps as well. It offers a decent mileage of 16.9kmpl with the automatic gearbox and around 19kmpl with the manual. So if you are scouting for an executive segment saloon under 20 lakhs rupees, the Jetta is an option really worth taking a look at.
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FEATURES & TRAVEL
YOLO!!
BY RAHUL KAPOOR
I am 22 years old. I am not all that frightfully obese, yet everybody around me thinks I am weird. But I can’t help it because that’s the way I am and I love taking up all kinds of challenges, however terrifying they are. At the end of the day I live by the four letter word…..YOLO…You Only Live Once! Thus, when the guys at Polaris India told me “we are doing this off-road reality show and you should come and try it. It’ll be fun! If you win, you get to keep an RZR S800 ATV,” I thought to myself, I’ve driven a couple of offroad vehicles over the past year. How hard could it be?
Picture courtesy: Indian Autos Blog
44 I June 2015
You only live once, right? So I said, yes! The Polaris Offroader had 3 regional rounds; Chennai, Mumbai and Delhi. Around 24 contestants from each city participated in each of these regional rounds and out of the 24, 4 were selected for the Grand Finale. I was Contestant No.2 from Delhi and they had called us all to Camp Wild Dhauj near Faridabad for the Delhi round of the show. Eager to drive the hell out of the ATV, we all arrived at 8am where we had our briefings and the cameras started rolling. We had no idea what they had in store for us. Before we were allowed to even see the S800, we were asked to undergo a fitness test that involved each of the participants to complete an obstacle course. I just shrugged my shoulders and said “I can do that”. The
obstacle course was obviously inspired by something we get to see in the Army. Obstacle 1 was a rope swing, followed by Monkey Bridge where one had to hang from the ankles and hands and pull oneself across. The 3rd obstacle was plank balancing on a narrow plank perched high. Following the balancing act, one had to climb a tree top bridge with the help of a rope ladder, then cross the bridge that was made with twigs tied together with rope that had a foot and a half wide gap in between each stick. After crossing this bridge, one had to come down via the same rope ladder. The 5th obstacle was swinging steps where each step was in the shape of a triangle with a size big enough to keep your foot on. One had to walk across these swinging steps. The last and final obstacle was epic. A 50 meter track was set with an S800 ATV at one end and a white finish line at the other. A harness was attached to the front of the S800 and you had to pull the ATV
across the finish line. This obstacle course was the brainchild of Raj Kapoor from Northern Motorsport. The man is a legend in the world of adventure motorsports in India. The whole time only one thing was going through my mind; How hard can it be? As it turned out… very hard. Swinging across with the rope successfully, I had a hard time at the Monkey Bridge trying to get my feet up on the rope, but I failed. After the failure on the monkey bridge, my legs were shaking so rapidly, if they were hollow, one could make a cocktail out of them. Climbing on top of the balancing planks with shaking legs didn’t help at all and I started wobbling. After a few steps I fell to the ground but luckily on my feet rather than on my face. I ran to the tree and climbed up, crossed the bridge carefully not to slip and injure myself and climbed back down. I tried to balance myself across the swings, but lost my balance and had to skip the obstacle which gave me a 1:30min penalty again that added to the penalty from the Monkey Bridge and planks. Then I raced for the S800. I strapped myself onto the harness and started pulling. After a few seconds, the wheels started to turn and I gained momentum and finally dragged it across the finish line. With the power of obesity, I set a terrible time and that was the end of the first leg. Post the obstacle course
FEATURES & TRAVEL Tag Heuer celebrates motorsport association in Monaco
Picture courtesy: Indian Autos Blog was the offroad course designed by Raj Kapoor where we would finally be able to drive the ATV. We drew numbers out of a hat and mine came out lucky 13. After 12 contestants had obliterated the terrain and the vehicles, it was finally my turn to get into the muddy buggy. Flagged off I set off and took the first hard left turn towards the first obstacle, the TYRES! I gained enough momentum to hit the first one and then I took to the sky completely perpendicular to the ground. I then landed on my rear wheels and thankfully fell forward on all 4 wheels to wobble across the rest of the tyres before taking flight in the same way as I did before on the last set of tyres to land back on the ground safely. The next obstacle was a muddy slush pack which sent my rear to slide out but I managed to hold myself on the track limits to get to the first drum that I was to knock down with my hand. Seven such drums were set along the track to be knocked down along the way. The 3rd obstacle was a small hill, followed by a bigger hill which had a surprisingly steep decline on the other side and an immediate water pit followed by a 2nd water pit both 5 feet deep. Getting out of the first pit was doable but every contestant got beached at the 2nd, including the professional rally and adventure sport drivers. Each of us had to be pulled out. Once I was out of the second pit, I headed for the 3rd biggest hill after which was a hard left U-turn and a decline hard right turn after
that towards the 2nd drum which I knocked down successfully with swag. I set off again for the 2nd half of the track where I knocked down two more drums and completed the twisty sand pit obstacle as well. I stuck the ATV in rear wheel drive and gunned it through the rest of the track. The final drum was where I thought I had broken my hand. When I punched the drum, I went thumb first and I felt a shock run through my spine. As soon as I touched the steering wheel, I felt it again and I thought I broke my thumb and it felt like I was bleeding inside the glove. The pain was so bad people outside could hear me scream as I drove past. I drove the rest of the track with my right hand including the cross axle obstacle and crossed the finish line soon after. Once i was out of the car and I had removed all the protective gear, to my surprise my thumb was fine and all I had was a big bruise. I iced it for a while and I was fine. After all the contestants had finished the gruesome course, the results were announced. Obviously my display of incompetence didn’t impress the judges and I was left sucking my sore thumb. I was sent home. If given an opportunity to do something so exhilarating would I do it again? At the drop of my hat, I’d clear my schedule, but I’d be smarter next time around hopefully my procrastinating skills don’t get the better of me, I’ll try and be fitter as well. Why? Because You Only Live Once! YOLO!
(L to R) Jean-Claude Biver, CEO of TAG Heuer, Natalie Pinkham and brand ambassadors Cara Delevingne and Fernando Alonso attend the TAG Heuer Monaco Party on May 23, 2015 in Monaco. (Photo by David M. Benett/Getty Images for TAG Heuer) The night before the F1 race in the Principality of Monaco, on-board the SeaDream, which was moored in the Principality’s harbour and decked out in brand colours, Jean-Claude Biver, President of the LVMH Group Watch Division and CEO of TAG Heuer, welcomed guests of the brand to a cool and exclusive party. The new brand ambassador Cara Delevingne (who also started the Grand Prix as a “Grid Girl”), Fernando Alonso and the McLarenHonda Team, the team with which TAG Heuer is celebrating 30 years of partnership this year– the longest partnership in F1, which in itself is very symbolic – and also Mark Ronson as DJ… were all present at the party. They were there to celebrate the unique history of TAG Heuer with motorsport and in particular with the ACM, the iconic organiser of the Grand Prix, an institution which in 2015 is itself celebrating its 125th anniversary. TAG Heuer watches that took the centre stage included: - The McLaren Formula 1 “30th anniversary of partnership” special edition - The “Ayrton Senna” Chrono special editions with the famous “Legend” steel bracelet - The “Cara Delevingne” special editions, - The Carrera Heuer-01 manufacture chronograph, the symbol of a new generation, - The all new Aquaracer 300M.
Brand ambassadors Cara Delevingne (L) and Fernando Alonso
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FEATURES & TRAVEL
Bengaluru Marriott Hotel Whitefield VAST VARIETY OF CULINARY INDULGENCE BY JYOTI BALANI
L
ocated at Whitefield, the IT hub of Bengaluru, Bengaluru Marriott Hotel Whitefield is a vibrant, energetic and a yet business centered hotel. With an IT corridor that includes multinationals, BPO’s and international company headquarters, the hotel is without doubt an ideal place to stay for any business traveler. Owing to Bangalore’s traffic condition, the location of this hotel is most definitely its unique selling point. More than 80pc of guests comprise of independent business travelers who visit the city for an average of 7 to 14 days and hence plan their trip accordingly. With a mall interconnected to the hotel, multiplexes at walkable distances and the vast variety of culinary indulgence within the hotel, the practical needs of every traveler are catered BENGALURU MARRIOTT HOTEL WHITEFIELD Plot No 75, EPIP Area, Whitefield, Bengaluru - 560 066 India
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to at Bengaluru Marriott Hotel Whitefield. Local attractions include Lalbagh Botanical Garden, Bangalore Palace and Iskcon Temple. Bangalore city centre is a 30-minute drive away while it takes about an hour to drive to Bengaluru International Airport. “We’ve had guests who don’t find the need to step out of the hotel due to the range of services offered along with some excellent food and beverage venues, MCafe, Mbar, Alto Vino (signature Italian restaurant) and the Whitefield Baking Company that offers the finest baked and retail products. We ensure monthly promotions such as food festivals, cooking demonstrations and themed buffets to engage our guests during their stay at the hotel. Expat guests even get the chance to witness our regional culture as we celebrate each and every national festival
at the hotel, involving our guests. For guests wanting to tour the city, our concierge service offers tailor made city tours through our partnered vendors, based on our guest’s requirements. For our adventurous and fitness inclined guests, we also offer bicycles for a free ride around the city with a detailed map of each region and
locality Bangalore has to offer. The map also shows them the key attractions and must-dos of areas they wish to visit,” says Nicholas Dumbell, General Manager, Bengaluru Marriott Whitefield Hotel. The 324 guest rooms and suites in the hotel are categorised into Deluxe rooms, Junior Suites,
FEATURES & TRAVEL Deluxe Pool View Rooms, Executive Deluxe Rooms, and Executive Lounge Access. Sweeping city views from stylishly decorated hotel rooms, equipped with modern amenities such as spa like marble bathrooms, 40 inch flat LCD TVs and comfortable beds make a stay in this hotel an experience to cherish. A round the clock fitness center is available in the hotel for those who can’t afford to miss their fitness regimen. Those who refer relaxing in a spa can head towards Sama Spa which is conceptualized to address the equilibrium of body, mind and soul through a gamut of therapies including Ayurvedic therapies, western therapies and other body treatments. The elusive aroma of scented candles and essential oils, the pleasing décor and ambiance, soothing music for a heavenly experience, greet you as one steps into this spa. There is a beautifully designed swimming pool for those who enjoy taking a dip. Whitefield Baking Company, a deli cum patisserie is Bengaluru Marriott Hotel Whitefield’s ideal hotspot in the city. Starting from pastries, to baking what might just be the best breads in town, the focus of the menu is freshly crafted baked goods. Traditional cakes, tarts and gateaux, a delicious soft centered chocolate
cookie, which is now a signature treat, or a slice of ‘melt in your mouth’ cake along with their cup of coffee any time of the day makes WBC a foodies delight. Those who prefer savouries can go for the pies, quiches or made to order sandwiches and wraps. The ambience is contemporary, warm and inviting with wooden flooring and cozy chairs to sink into. A live bakery is the main attraction of the outlet with a lavish display of freshly baked breads and an iconic Italian Coffee Machine. WBC also has a retail section which offers gourmet products such as cheeses, freshly baked goodies, cold cuts and meats-very popular with resident and walk in guests. Alto Vino, the hotel’s Italian fine dining restaurant serves hand crafted and carefully designed authentic Italian cuisine. An open interactive kitchen concept allows the tantalizing aromas of Tuscan, Lombardy and even Liguria delicacies to transport one to a home in Italy. Some of the signature dishes served at the restaurant include Egg Yolk Raviolo, Trenetteall’Orto, Spigola, Fritto Misto, and Risotto ai Funghi. Wood top tables and the wooden and marble floor contribute to the contemporary yet traditional decor of the restaurant. M Café with its traditional English live cooking stations, wire cut brick facades, classic leather and timber chairs is a favourite with those who prefer variety while eating. An external courtyard framed by the dramatic fountain allows guest to relax outside. Chandeliers, a wood fired oven in the centre of the open kitchen, a huge wine bottle display with the right lighting all these add to create just the right ambience for a wonderful meal. ‘Nut Crushed Chèvre, Salad of Arugula with Avocado’, ‘Five Spiced Chicken Banhmi Sandwich’, ‘Honey Glazed Baby Back Ribs’ and ‘Grilled Angus Tenderloin’ are signature preparations dished up by chefs in this kitchen.
June 2015 I 47
CAR PRICES
Buyers’ Guide * Prices (Ex-Showroom Delhi)
OFF-ROAD VEHICLE PRICES SEGMENT
MODEL
ENGINE (CC)
PRICE ( )
POLARIS
ATV & Youth Mode
Outlaw 50
49
2.64 (Lakh)
Phoenix 200
196
4.89 (Lakh)
RZR 170
169
5.29 (Lakh)
Sportsman 400 H.O
445
7.25 (Lakh)
Sportsman 500 H.O
498
7.67 (Lakh)
Sportsman 570 EFI
567
7.94 (Lakh)
Sportsman 850 H.O
850
14.72 (Lakh)
Sportsman Big Boss 800
760
15.35 (Lakh)
400
455
11.14 (Lakh)
Crew 500 EFI
498
13.97 (Lakh)
Crew 800
760
18 (Lakh)
Ranger Diesel
904
20.48 (Lakh)
Ranger EV
NA
12.82 (Lakh)
RZR S 800
760
22.85 (Lakh)
RZR XP 900
875
21.13 (Lakh)
Ranger
Ranger RZR Snowmobile
RZR XP4 900
875
24.10 (Lakh)
Widetrak LS
488
10.86 (Lakh)
CAR PRICES 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 lakh/Crore
ASTON MARTIN DB9 Rapide
Vantage
Vanquish AUDI
A3
A4
A6
A8 L
MODEL
A8 L Coupe Volante Rapide S V8 Coupe V8 S Coupe V8 Volante V8 N430 V12 S V12 Vanquish
6.0 6.0 6.0 4.8 4.8 4.8 4.8 6.0 6.0
P P P P P P P P P
NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA
2.90 (Cr.) 3 (Cr.) 3.50 (Cr.) 1.86 (Cr.) 2.20 (Cr.) 2.40 (Cr.) NA NA 3.85 (Cr.)
TFSI Premium Plus + Sunroof TFSI S Line Cabriolet TDI Attraction TDI Premium + Sunroof Edition TDI Premium Plus + Sunroof TDI Technology Pack + Sunroof TFSI Premium Edition TDI Special Edition TDI Standard Edition TDI Premium Edition TDI Premium Plus TDI Technology Pack TDI Quattro Premium Plus TDI Quattro Technology TFSI Premium Edition TDI Business Edition TDI Premium Edition TDI Premium Plus TDI Technology Pack TDI Quattro Premium TDI Quattro Premium Plus TDI QuattroTechnology TFSI quattro TDI quattro TDI quattro
1.8 1.8 2.0
P P D
16.30 16.30 20
31.40 44.75 24.56
48 I June 2015
2.0
D
20
28.55
2.0
D
20
32.22
2.0
D
20
34.06
1.8 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 3.0 3.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 3.0 3.0 3.0 4.0 3.0 4.2
P D D D D D D D P D D D D D D D P D D
15.64 17.11 17.11 17.11 17.11 17.11 14.94 14.94 NA 17.60 17.60 17.60 17.60 14.50 14.50 14.50 9.20 6 NA
32.68 29.45 30.10 35.39 38.93 40.79 55.02 57.82 45.28 39.90 42.82 48.14 53.68 55.80 60.78 63.13 1.38 (Cr.) 1.17 (Cr.) 1.33 (Cr.)
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 lakh/Crore
Q3
Q5
Q7 RS5 RS7 R8 R8 Spyder S4 S6 TT BENTLEY MOTORS
Continental
Flying Spur Mulsanne BMW 1 Series
W12 TDI quattro TFSI TDI TDI Quatrro Premium TDI Quatrro Premium Plus TDI Quatrro Dynamic TDI Quatrro Premium TDI Quatrro Premium Plus TDI Quatrro Technology TDI QuattroTechnology TDI Quattro Premium TDI Quattro Premium Plus TDI QuattroTechnology TDI Quattro Technology TFSI Quattro TFSI Quattro V8 FSI V10 FSI V10 FSI Plus S-Tronic V10 FSI TFSI Quatrro TFSI Quattro 45 TFSI Coupe Quattro
6.3 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 3.0 3.0 3.0 3.0 4.2 4.2 4.0 4.2 5.2 5.2 5.2 3.0 3.0 2.0
D P D D D D D D D D D D D D P P P P P P P P P
NA 9.89 17.3 15.73 15.73 15.73 14.10 14.10 14.10 13.20 12 12 12 11.30 9.20 NA 8 7.60 7.60 7.70 10.30 NA 8.30
1.87 (Cr.) 27.40 27.83 32.50 36.97 38.59 49.46 51.42 56.02 62.95 61.52 67.01 76.88 84.86 1.09 (Cr.) 1.40 (Cr.) 1.71 (Cr.) 1.99 (Cr.) 2.31 (Cr.) 2.19 (Cr.) 52.64 95.25 60.35
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 6.38 8 NA
NA 3.28 (Cr.) NA 3.54 (Cr.) NA NA 4.03 (Cr.) NA 3.21 (Cr.) 3.40 (Cr.) 5.55 (Cr.)
118d Prestige 118d Sport Line
2.0 2.0
D D
20.58 20.58
26.50 29.50
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 lakh/Crore
320d Prestige 320d Sport Line 320d Luxury Line Gran Turismo Luxury Line 520d Prestige 520d Prestige Plus 520d Luxury Line 530d M Sport 640d Gran Coupé Eminence 730 Ld Prestige 730 Ld Eminence 730 Ld Signature ActiveHybrid 7L 750Li Eminence 760Li Eminence sDrive20d xLine xDrive20d Expedition xDrive20d xLine xDrive30d Expedition xDrive30d Design Pure Experience xDrive30d Design Pure Experience (7 Seater) M3 Sedan M4 Coupe M5 Sedan M6 Gran Coupé sDrive 35i sDrive 35i Design Pure Traction i8
2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 3.0 4.0 3.0 3.0 3.0 3.0 5.0 6.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 3.0
D D D D D D D D D D D D P P P D D D D
18.88 18.88 18.88 19.59 18.48 18.48 18.48 14.69 17.54 16.46 16.46 16.46 13.85 11.62 7.46 17.05 18.56 18.56 15.35
35.90 39.90 39.90 44.50 46.90 49.90 51.90 62.50 1.15 (Cr.) 92.50 1.06 (Cr.) 1.25 (Cr.) 1.41 (Cr.) 1.46 (Cr.) 1.95 (Cr.) 37.90 47.90 52.90 68.90
3.0
D
15.35
74.50
3.0
D
15.35
75.90
3.0 3.0 5.0 4.3 3.0
P P P P P
10.75 10.75 10.10 10.10 10.37
1.23 (Cr.) 1.25 (Cr.) 1.39 (Cr.) 1.80 (Cr.) 74.90
3.0
P
10.37
75.90
1.5
H
NA
2.29 (Cr.)
Veyron Grand Sport
8.0
P
NA
12 (Cr.)
PS LS LT LT Option Beat PS LS LT LT Option LT Captiva LTZ LT (MT) LTZ (MT) Cruze LTZ (AT) LS - 8 Seater LS -7 Seater LT - 8 Seater LT - 7 Seater LTZ - 8 Seater LTZ - 7 Seater Enjoy TCDi LS - 8 Seater TCDi LS -7 Seater TCDi LT - 8 Seater TCDi LT - 7 Seater TCDi LTZ - 8 Seater TCDi LTZ - 7 Seater PS LS LS ABS LT ABS Sail Hatchback TCDi PS TCDi LS TCDi LS ABS TCDi LT ABS PS LS LS ABS LT ABS Sail Sedan TCDi PS TCDi LS TCDi LS ABS TCDi LT ABS BS4 OBDII LS BS4 OBDII Spark LT BS4 OBDII Neo 3 -10-BS3 Neo 3 Max -10-BS3 Neo 3 Max -7-BS3 Neo 3 LS-10-BS3 Tavera * Neo 3 LS-7-BS3 Neo 3 LS-7(C)-BS3 Neo 3 LT-9-BS3 Neo 3 LT-8-BS3 Neo 3 LT-7(C)-BS3 *Only Available in BS3 permitted Cities DATSUN D D1 Go A T
1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 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 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5
P P P P D D D D 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 D D D D D D D D D
18.61 18.61 18.61 18.61 25.44 25.44 25.44 25.44 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 13.58 13.58 13.58 13.58 13.58 13.58 13.58 13.58 13.58
4.20 4.47 4.90 5.41 5.05 5.34 5.77 6.28 25.13 27.36 14.26 15.81 16.86 6.11 6.13 6.68 6.71 7.52 7.54 7.41 7.44 7.87 7.90 8.60 8.63 4.67 5.16 5.39 5.99 5.69 6.20 6.36 7.18 5.50 5.99 6.36 6.84 6.74 7.14 7.45 8.05 3.61 3.88 4.18 7.59 8.47 8.79 9.25 9.51 9.62 10.58 11.03 11.30
1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2
P P P P
20.63 20.63 20.63 20.63
3.23 3.26 3.59 4.05
3 Series Gran Turismo 5 Series 6 Series
7 Series
X1 X3
X5
M
Z4 i8 BUGATTI Veyron (Sold out) CHEVROLET
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 lakh/Crore
Go+
D D1 A T
1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2
P P P P
20.63 20.63 20.63 20.63
3.79 3.82 4.15 4.61
Active Fire Dynamic Fire Active Multijet Dynamic Multijet Emotion 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 Active Fire Dynamic Fire Emotion Fire Active Multijet Dynamic Multijet Emotion Multijet Sport 93 PS
1.4 1.4 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 1.2 1.2 1.4 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.3
P P D D D P P P P D D D P D D P P P D D D D
14.40 14.40 20.50 20.50 20.50 15.70 15.70 15.70 15.70 20.40 20.40 20.40 14.90 19.50 19.50 15.80 15.80 15.80 21.20 21.20 21.20 21.20
6.44 7.31 7.18 7.95 8.49 7 7.99 9.15 9.67 8.47 9.62 10.09 6.12 7.13 7.69 4.94 5.36 7.18 5.88 6.51 7.14 7.52
EX 6 Seater LX-ABS 6 Seater SX-ABS 6 Seater SX-ABS 5 Seater Hard Top (4x4) Soft Top (4x2) Soft Top (4x4)
2.6 2.2 2.2 2.2 2.6 2.6 2.6
D D D D D D D
NA NA NA NA NA NA NA
9.59 14.34 12.70 12.78 8.71 6.42 8.56
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) 4x2 M/T 4x2 A/T 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
5.06 5.77 6.58 6.47 6.95 7.68 6.75 7.71 8.70 9.73 9.14 9.70 7.89 8.61 9.60 10.20 22.15 23.73 25.67 8.50 9.39 10.18 4.14 4.71 5.04 5.45 5.05 5.62 5.94 6.35
E M/T EX M/T S M/T S MT Plus (i-VTEC) SX M/T VX M/T VX (O) M/T S A/T VX A/T E M/T EX M/T S M/T SX M/T VX M/T VX (O) M/T E M/T EX M/T S M/T V M/T VX M/T VX BL M/T VX A/T VX BL A/T E M/T S M/T SV M/T
1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.5 1.5 1.5
P P P P / CNG P P P P P D D D D D D P P P P P P P P P P P
18 18 18 NA 18 18 18 15.50 15.50 25.80 25.80 25.80 25.80 25.80 25.80 19.40 19.40 19.40 19.40 19.40 19.40 16.50 16.50 17.80 17.80 17.80
5.19 5.55 5.94 5.99 6.48 6.87 7.32 6.95 7.78 6.20 6.52 6.97 7.39 7.75 8.20 4.21 4.43 4.78 5.12 5.51 5.99 6.31 6.78 7.53 8.19 8.78
FIAT
Avventura
Linea
Linea Classic
Punto Evo
FORCE Force One
Gurkha FORD
Classic
Ecosport
Endeavour
Fiesta
Figo
HONDA
Amaze
Brio
City
June 2015 I 49
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 lakh/Crore
CR-V
Mobilio
V M/T VX M/T SV CVT VX CVT EMT SMT SVMT VMT VXMT VX (0) MT VX (0) MT 2WD M/T 2WD A/T 4WD AVN A/T E S V V (O) E S V V (O) RS RS (O)
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 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5
P P P P D D D D D P D P P P P P P P D D D D D D
17.80 17.80 18 18 26 26 26 26 25.10 NA NA 13.70 13.70 12 17.30 17.30 17.30 17.30 24.20 24.20 24.20 24.20 24.20 24.20
9.37 10.34 9.81 11.42 8.75 9.40 9.94 10.55 11.53 10.64 11.83 21.09 22.85 25.09 6.75 7.80 9.06 9.75 8.19 8.93 10.09 10.77 11.19 11.87
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+ Era+ Era+ Lpg Magna+ Magna+ LPG Magna+ Kappa Magna+ (O) Sportz Kappa Era Kappa Magna Kappa Sportz Kappa Sportz (O) Kappa Asta CRDi Era CRDi Magna CRDi Sportz CRDi Sportz (O) CRDi Asta Kappa Era Kappa Magna Kappa Magna (LPG) Kappa Sportz Kappa Asta Kappa Asta A/T Kappa Asta (O) CRDi Era CRDi Magna CRDi Sportz CRDi Asta CRDi Asta (O) Era Magna Sportz Sportz LPG Kappa Base Kappa S CRDi Base CRDi S CRDi SX 2WD M/T 2WD A/T 4WD A/T Base S S (O) S (O) A/T SX CRDi Base CRDi S CRDi S (O) CRDi SX CRDi SX A/T Kappa Base Kappa S Kappa S (O) Kappa SX Kappa SX (O) Kappa SX (O) A/T CRDi Base
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 1.0 1.0 0.8 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.4 1.4 1.4 1.4 1.4 1.2 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 1.2 1.2 1.4 1.4 1.4 2.2 2.2 2.2 1.4 1.6 1.6 1.6 1.6 1.4 1.6 1.6 1.6 1.6 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.1
P P P D D D D P P P P/LPG P P/LPG P P P P P P P P D D D D D P P P/LPG P P P P D D D D D P P P P/LPG P P D D D D D D P P P P P D D D D D P P P P P P D
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 20.30 20.30 21.10 18.60 18.60 18.60 18.60 18.60 22.54 22.54 22.54 22.54 22.54 18.90 18.90 18.90 18.90 18.90 18.90 18.90 24 24 24 24 24 19.81 19.81 19.81 19.20 17.19 17.19 21.19 21.19 21.19 14.74 13.01 13.01 17.01 17.01 17.01 17.01 17.01 23.50 23.50 23.50 23.50 19.08 19.10 19.10 19.10 19.10 19.10 16.90 24.40
14.13 15.41 16.50 14.57 15.35 16.67 17.94 3.01 3.31 3.45 3.71 3.75 4.02 4.05 4.18 4.04 5.23 5.77 6.28 6.63 6.86 6.36 6.90 7.44 7.76 7.99 4.62 4.82 5.25 5.22 5.48 6.23 5.81 5.49 5.68 6.08 6.35 6.67 4.17 4.41 4.70 4.98 6.38 7.10 7.63 8.34 8.89 26.65 27.86 29.95 7.69 8.79 9.32 10.05 10.09 8.90 9.93 10.52 11.39 12.12 4.96 5.64 5.90 6.58 6.84 7.59 5.85
HYUNDAI
Elantra
Eon
Elite i20
Grand i10
i10
i20 Active
Santa Fe
4S Fludic Verna
Xcent
50 I June 2015
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 lakh/Crore
Xcent
CRDi S CRDi S (O) CRDi SX CRDi SX (O)
1.1 1.1 1.1 1.1
D D D D
24.40 24.40 24.40 24.40
6.54 6.80 7.47 7.74
D-Max Single Cab D-Max Space Cab Flat Deck D-Max Space Cab Arched Deck BS4 4x2 MT BS4 4x2 MT HI Pack
2.5 2.5
D D
NA NA
5.89 6.09
2.5
D
NA
6.99
3.0 3.0
D D
12.08 12.08
20.20 22
F-Type Coupe F-Type S Coupe F-Type R Coupe F-Type V6 S Covertible F-Type V8 S Covertible XF XF Executive Edition XF XFR Premium Luxury Portfolio Premium Luxury Portfolio
3.0 3.0 5.0 3.0 5.0 2.0 2.2 2.2 3.0 5.0 2.0 2.0 3.0 3.0
P P P P P P D D D P P P D D
NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA 9.4 NA NA
1.25 (Cr.) 1.38 (Cr.) 1.88 (Cr.) 1.53 (Cr.) 1.81 (Cr.) 51.19 51.51 47.66 59.97 NA NA 97.73 96.56 1.03 (Cr.)
LP 700-4 LP 700-4 Roadster LP 610-4
6.5 6.5 5.2
P P P
6.3 6.3 NA
3.69 (Cr.) 4.77 (Cr.) 3.43 (Cr.)
V6 SE V6 HSE TD4 S BE TD4 SE TD4 HSE TDV6 HSE TDV6 Vogue SDV8 Vogue SE SDV8 Autobiography V8 SC Autobiography TDV6 Vogue LWB SDV8 Vogue SE LWB SDV8 Autobiography LWB V8 SC Autobiography LWB Pure Prestige Dynamic SDV6 S SDV6 SE SDV6 HSE SC Autobiography
3.0 3.0 2.2 2.2 2.2 3.0 3.0 4.4 4.4 5.0 3.0 4.4 4.4 5.0 2.2 2.2 2.2 3.0 3.0 3.0 5.0
P P D D D D D D D P D D D P D D D D D D P
NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA
1.11 (Cr.) 1.20 (Cr.) 41.61 46.23 51.92 1.83 (Cr.) 2.08 (Cr.) 2.57 (Cr.) 2.68 (Cr.) 2.63 (Cr.) 2.20(Cr.) 2.57 (Cr.) 2.68 (Cr.) 2.76 (Cr.) 49.24 56.72 52.91 1.16 (Cr.) 1.32 (Cr.) 1.51 (Cr.) 1.75 (Cr.)
Plus Non Ac BS4 Plus Ac BS4 Ex Non Ac BS4 Ex Ac BS4 SLE BS4 SLX BS4 ZLX BS4 C2 C4 C6 C8 RX5 MT RX6 MT RX7 AT S2 S4 S4 / S4 4WD S6 / S6 PLUS S8 S10 / S10 4WD Thar DI 2WD / 4WD 4x4 CRDE D2 D4 D6 ABS D6 ABS EXECUTIVE D2 D4 D6 W4 FWD W6 FWD W8 FWD W8 AWD W10 FWD W10 AWD D2 BS IV D2 MAXX BS IV D4 BS IV H4 BS IV / ABS BS IV
2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 2.7 2.7 2.7 2.5 2.2 2.2 2.2 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 2.2 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 D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D
15.96 15.96 15.96 15.96 15.96 15.96 15.96 17.21 17.21 17.21 17.21 11.18 11.18 11.18 NA NA NA NA NA NA 18.06 18.06 20.08 20.08 20.08 20.08 20.08 20.08 20.08 16.00 16.00 16.00 16.00 16.00 16.00 14.88 14.88 14.88 14.02
6.88 7.27 6.50 6.90 7.30 7.82 7.99 6.41 7.28 7.75 8.26 19.83 21.87 23.17 8.69 9.29 9.70 / 10.83 10.48 / 10.79 11.68 12.32 / 13.45 5.03 / 5.53 7.68 6.72 6.95 7.65 8.13 6 6.27 6.89 11.21 12.48 14.18 14.99 14.99 15.99 8.07 7.86 8.49 8.96 / 9.20
ISUZU D-Max
MU-7 JAGUAR
F-Type
XF
XJ LAMBORGHINI Aventador Huracan LAND ROVER Discovery Freelander 2
Range Rover
Range Rover Evoque Range Rover Sport MAHINDRA
Bolero
Quanto
Rexton
Scorpio
Thar Verito
Verito Vibe
XUV 500
XYLO
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 lakh/Crore
XYLO
H8 ABS BS IV / ABS AIRBAG BS IV H9 BS IV
2.2
D
14.02
10.23 / 10.62
2.2
D
14.02
11.47
E
NA
4.79
E
NA
5.24
P P P P P P CNG P P P P P P P P P P CNG P P D D P P P D D D P P P P P P CNG P 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 P D D D P P P P P D D D P P CNG P P
22.74 22.74 22.74 22.74 22.74 22.74 30.46 24.07 24.07 24.07 24.07 24.07 24.07 23.10 23.10 23.10 23.10 31.79 23.10 23.10 26.30 26.30 20.73 20.73 19.12 26.30 26.30 26.30 20.73 19.12 20.73 15.10 15.10 15.10 20 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 20.40 20.40 20.40 20.40 25.20 25.20 25.20 19.10 19.10 19.10 19.10 19.10 23.40 23.40 23.40 20.51 20.51 26.60 20.51 20.51
2.46 2.82 3.05 3.21 3.19 3.37 3.62 3.13 3.29 3.92 3.46 3.66 3.95 3.90 4.40 4.20 4.70 4.86 4.50 4.96 8.25 8.85 7.17 7.74 8.87 9.70 10.05 10.31 8.45 9.58 9.03 3.09 3.39 3.26 4.15 3.37 3.76 4.12 5.99 6.61 6.79 6.87 7.39 7.59 7.42 8.06 8.72 22.68 24.60 5.95 6.09 2.51 2.49 4.38 4.78 5.03 5.97 5.39 5.47 5.79 5.98 6.38 4.58 4.70 5.32 6.17 5.76 6.22 7.21 5.08 5.20 5.85 6.67 6.80 5.99 6.86 7.82 3.64 3.96 4.50 4.22 4.53
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 lakh/Crore
WagonR Stingray
Stingray Lxi Stingray Vxi Stingray Vxi (O)
1.0 1.0 1.0
P P P
20.51 20.51 20.51
4.15 4.43 4.72
Gran Turismo Gran Turismo Sport Gran Turismo MC Stradale Gran Cabrio Gran Cabrio Sport Gran Cabrio MC Quattroporte S FL Quattroporte GTS
4.2 4.7 4.7 4.7 4.7 4.7 4.7 4.7
P P P P P P P P
NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA
1.20 (Cr.) 1.30 (Cr.) 1.37 (Cr.) NA NA NA 1.30 (Cr.) 1.40 (Cr.)
180 Sport Standard Edition
1.6
P
15.50
26.53
180 CDI Standard Edition
2.1
D
20.06
25.61
New 180 Sport New 200 CDI Sport 200 CDI 200 Sport 200 CDI Sport 180 Sport 180 CDI 180 Sport Facelift 200 CDI Sport Facelift 200 Avantgarde 220 CDI Style 200 CDI Avantgarde 220 CDI Avantgarde 200 CDI Avantgarde 250 CDI Avantgarde 350 CDI Avantgrade V6 Cabriolet 200 CDI 200 Sport 200 CDI Sport 350 CDI 250 CDI 350 CDI 350 CDI 500 600 Guard 250 350 350 CLA 45AMG GLA 45AMG C 63 AMG E 63 AMG GL 63 AMG G 63 AMG ML 63 AMG SLK 55 AMG
1.6 2.1 2.1 2.0 2.1 1.6 2.1 1.6 2.1 2.0 2.1 2.1 2.1 2.0 2.1 3.0 3.0 2.2 2.0 2.2 3.0 2.1 3.0 3.0 4.6 6.0 2.2 3.5 3.5 2.0 2.0 6.2 5.5 5.5 5.5 5.5 5.5
P D D P D P D P D P D D D P D D P D P D D D D D P P D P P P P P P P P P P
NA NA 17.90 15.04 17.90 14.91 18.98 NA NA 14.74 19.27 19.27 19.27 13.82 14.21 NA NA 17.90 NA NA NA 14.80 8.70 NA NA 8.8 NA 9.26 NA NA NA NA NA NA NA 10.41 NA
27.45 28.45 31.50 35 35.90 28.84 27.75 29.45 30.45 41.70 39.90 42.90 37.90 47.40 49.60 59.90 78.50 32.75 36 36.90 77.50 56.60 67.90 1.13 (Cr.) 1.44 (Cr.) 8.9 (Cr.) 76.50 91.90 71.90 68.50 69.60 1.07 (Cr.) 1.29 (Cr.) 1.70 (Cr.) 1.85 (Cr.) 1.50 (Cr.) 1.26 (Cr.)
Cooper D Cooper S Cooper D Cooper Convertible One Countryman Cooper D Countryman Cooper D Hightrim Cooper S
1.5 1.5 1.5 1.6 1.6 2.0 1.6 1.6
D D D P P D D P
21.15 21.15 21.15 NA NA NA NA NA
32.65 34.65 36.10 36.70 26.55 28.55 31.40 38.75
Sport 4x2 A/T Sport Di-D 4x4
2.5 2.5
D D
13.5 13.5
24.98 25.28
Evalia XE Evalia XE+ Evalia XL Evalia XL Option Evalia XV Evalia XV Option Evalia SV 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 New Sunny XE New Sunny XL New Sunny XL CVT New Sunny XE D New Sunny XL D New Sunny XV D New Sunny XV D Premium Safety
1.5 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
D D D D D D D P P P D D D D D P P P P P P D D D
19.30 19.30 19.30 19.30 19.30 19.30 19.30 18.44 18.44 19.34 23.08 23.08 23.08 23.08 23.08 19.49 19.49 19.49 17.97 17.97 17.97 22.71 22.71 22.71
9.14 9.67 10.51 10.77 11.22 11.48 12.22 5.16 5.82 6.93 5.74 6 6.62 7.10 7.47 4.38 4.70 5.02 7.40 8.19 9.55 8.60 9.25 10
1.5
D
22.71
10.29
MASERATI
MAHINDRA REVA T2 e2o T20 *Inclusive of Govt. FAME demand incentives MARUTI Alto 800 STD Alto 800 LX Alto 800 LXI Alto 800 LXI Airbag Alto 800 Alto 800 VXI Alto 800 VXI Airbag Alto 800 LXI CNG Alto K10 LX Alto K10 LXI Alto K10 LXI CNG Alto K10 Alto K10 VXI Alto K10 VXI (O) Alto K10 VXI AGS Celerio LXI Celerio LXI AGS Celerio VXI Celerio VXI AGS Celerio Celerio GREEN VXI Celerio ZXI Celerio ZXI (O) VDi VDi Plus VXi VXi Plus VXi Plus AT ZDi Ciaz ZDi (O) Zdi Plus ZXi ZXi AT ZXi Plus Eeco 5 Seater Eeco 5 Seater Ac Eeco 7 Seater Eeco Flexi Green Eeco Eeco Flexi Eeco Green 5 Seater Non Ac Eeco Green 5 Seater Ac Ertiga LXI Ertiga LXI CNG Ertiga VXI Ertiga VXI ABS Ertiga VXI CNG Ertiga Ertiga ZXI Ertiga LDI Ertiga VDI Ertiga ZDI Grand Vitara MT Grand Vitara Grand Vitara AT King Soft Top Gypsy King Hard Top Omni 5 Seater Omni Omni 8 Seater Ritz Lxi Ritz Vxi Ritz Vxi ABS Ritz Vxi AT ABS Ritz Zxi Ritz Ritz Mc Ldi Ritz Mc Vdi Ritz Mc Vdi ABS Ritz Mc Zdi Swift Lxi Swift Lxi (O) Swift Vxi Swift Swift Zxi Swift Ldi Swift Vdi Swift Zdi Swift Dzire Lxi Swift Dzire Lxi (O) Swift Dzire Vxi Swift Dzire Vxi AT Swift Dzire Swift Dzire Zxi Swift Dzire Ldi Swift Dzire Vdi Swift Dzire Zdi WagonR Mc Lx WagonR Mc Lxi WagonR Mc Lxi CNG WagonR WagonR Mc Vxi WagonR Mc Vxi ABS
Electric Motor Electric Motor
0.8 0.8 0.8 0.8 0.8 0.8 0.8 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.3 1.3 1.4 1.4 1.4 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.4 1.4 1.4 1.2 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 1.2 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0
Gran Turismo
Quattroporte MERCEDES-BENZ
A-Class
CLA-Class
B-Class
C-Class
E-Class
GLA-class GL-class ML-class S-class CLS-Class SLK-class
AMG
MINI Mini 3-Door Mini 5-Door Mini Convertible Mini Countryman
MITSUBISHI Pajero NISSAN
Evalia
Micra
Micra Active
New Sunny
June 2015 I 51
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 lakh/Crore
New Sunny
Terrano
New Sunny XV D Premium Leather 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
D
22.71
10.50
1.6 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5
P D D D D D
13.24 20.45 20.45 20.45 19.01 19.01
10.15 10.13 11.17 11.45 11.64 12.60
1.5
D
19.01
12.92
Careera Careera S Careera 4 Careera 4S Careera Cabriolet Careera S Cabriolet Careera 4 Cabriolet Careera 4S Cabriolet Turbo Turbo S Turbo Cabriolet Turbo S Cabriolet Targa 4 Targa 4 S GT3 Boxter S Boxter GTS Cayenne Diesel Cayenne S Diesel Cayenne S Cayenne Turbo Cayman S Cayman GTS S Diesel Turbo Panamera Panamera Diesel Panamera 4 Panamera GTS Panamera Turbo Panamera Turbo S
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 3.8 3.8 3.4 3.4 3.0 4.2 3.6 4.8 3.4 3.4 3.0 3.6 3.6 3.0 3.6 4.8 4.8 4.8
P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P D D P P P P D D P D P P P P
NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA Na NA NA NA NA NA NA NA 12.9 13 12.5 10.2 NA NA NA 15.80 10.80 NA NA NA NA NA NA
1.35 (Cr.) 1.55 (Cr.) 1.45 (Cr.) 1.64 (Cr.) 1.48 (Cr.) 1.67 (Cr.) 1.58 (Cr.) 1.77 (Cr.) 2.10 (Cr.) 2.52 (Cr.) 2.23 (Cr.) 2.67 (Cr.) 1.59 (Cr.) 1.78 (Cr.) 2.14 (Cr.) 1.00 (Cr.) 1.15 (Cr.) 1.04 (Cr.) 1.18 (Cr.) 1.16 (Cr.) 1.74 (Cr.) 1.02 (Cr.) 1.15 (Cr.) 98.18 1.09 (Cr.) 1.14 (Cr.) 1.13 (Cr.) 1.17 (Cr.) 1.47 (Cr.) 1.81 (Cr.) 2.28 (Cr.)
GX GLX DX LX CRDi
1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2
P P D D D
15 15 13 13 20
4.71 5.16 5.64 6.10 6.70
RXE RXL 85 PS RXE 85 PS RXL 85 PS RXL Plus 85 PS RXL Option 110 PS RXL 110 PS RXL AWD 110 PS RXZ AWD 110 PS RXZ Plus 110 PS RXZ Option E2 E4 4x2 MT 4X4 MT 4X4 AT 85 PS 85 PS RxE 85 PS RxL 85 PS RxZ 110 PS RxL 110 PS RxZ (7 Seater) 110 PS RxZ RXL RXL ABS RXZ RXE RXL RXL CVT RXZ CVT RXE RXL RXZ
1.6 1.6 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 2.0 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 1.5 1.5 1.5
P P D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D P P P P D D D
13.24 13.24 19.87 19.87 19.87 19.87 19.64 19.64 19.64 19.64 19.64 20.04 20.04 17.15 16.26 14.56 21.04 21.04 21.04 21.04 19.98 19.98 19.98 23.08 23.08 23.08 16.95 16.95 17.97 17.97 21.64 21.64 21.64
8.30 9.63 9.07 10.10 10.80 11.39 11.10 12.40 13.55 12.37 12.42 14.73 16.31 23.48 26.68 27.75 8.19 8.99 9.59 10.89 10.09 11.79 11.49 5.04 6.11 6.80 7.44 8.23 9.41 10.34 8.58 9.10 10.02
Ghost SWB Ghost EWB
6.6 6.6
P P
NA NA
4.50 (Cr.) NA
Ghost V-Specification
6.6
P
NA
NA
Phantom Phantom EWB Drophead Coupe Coupe Wraith
6.7 6.7 6.7 6.7 6.6
P P P P P
NA NA NA NA NA
3.34 (Cr.) NA 4.01 (Cr.) 4 (Cr.) NA
MODEL
Boxter
Cayenne
Cayman Macan
Panamera
Octavia
Rapid
Superb Yeti
Fluence Koleos
Lodgy
Pulse
Scala
ROLLS-ROYCE Ghost Series II
Phantom Series II Wraith
52 I June 2015
FUEL EFFICIENCY*
PRICE* ( )
Ambition TSI Elegance TSI AT Ambition TDI CR Ambition TDI CR AT Elegance TDI CR AT Active MPI Ambition MPI Plus Elegance MPI
1.4 1.8 2.0 2.0 2.0 1.6 1.6 1.6
P P D D D P P P
16.80 14.70 20.60 19.30 19.30 15 15 15
16.25 19.66 17.87 18.55 20.60 7.55 8.43 8.88
Elegance MPI Black Package
1.6
P
15
9.01
Elegance Plus MPI Elegance MPI AT Elegance MPI Black Package AT Active TDI CR Ambition TDI CR Plus Elegance TDI CR Elegance TDI CR Black Package Ambition TDI CR Plus AT Elegance TDI CR AT Elegance TDI CR Black Package AT Elegance Plus AT Elegance Plus Black Package AT Elegance TSI MT Elegance TSI AT Elegance TDI CR AT Elegance TDI CR 4x2 Elegance TDI CR 4x4
1.6 1.6
P P
15 14.30
9.22 9.87
1.6
P
14.30
10.34
1.5 1.5 1.5
D D D
21.66 21.66 21.66
8.80 9.48 9.87
1.5
D
21.66
10
1.5 1.5
D D
21.66 21.66
10.83 11.18
1.5
D
21.66
11.31
1.5
D
21.66
11.52
1.5
D
21.66
11.65
1.8 1.8 2.0 2.0 2.0
P P D D D
13.10 13.70 17.20 17.72 17.67
21.65 23.30 26.25 20.10 21.80
2.2 2.2 2.2 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.3 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.6 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 1.4 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.3 2.2 2.2 2.2 2.2 2.2 3.0 3.0 3.0 3.0 1.3 1.3 2.2 2.2 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.3
D D D P P P P D D D D P P P P P D D P/CNG P/CNG P P D D D P/CNG P/CNG P P P P P D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D P P P P D D D D D
15.05 15.05 15.05 17.57 17.57 17.57 17.57 22.95 22.95 22.95 22.95 23.6 23.6 21.9 23.6 21.9 25 25 NA NA 15.64 15.64 25 25 25 NA NA 13.70 13.70 13.70 13.70 13.70 21.02 21.02 21.02 21.02 21.02 11.57 11.57 14 14 14 15.30 15.30 15.30 15.30 16.70 21.12 13.49 13.49 17.57 17.57 17.57 17.57 22.95 22.95 22.95 22.95 22.95
10.42 12.56 15.43 4.45 5.16 5.40 6 5.50 6.12 6.35 7 1.99 2.29 2.69 2.49 2.89 4.44 4.85 3.90 4.16 4.93 5.21 5.38 5.57 5.95 4.88 5.15 5.97 6.20 6.61 7.59 7.61 6.16 6.93 7.59 8.58 8.51 10.20 8.90 11.60 13.02 / 14.35 10.41 6.56 6.74 7.28 7.93 5.28 5.97 9.96 10.99 4.85 5.49 5.69 6.27 5.87 6.55 6.75 7.31 7.25
TATA Aria
Bolt
GenX Nano
RENAULT
Duster
FUEL*
SKODA
PREMIER
Rio
ENGINE*
* Engine in Litres | Fuel - Petrol (P), Diesel (D), CNG, LPG, Hybrid (H), Electric (E) | Fuel Efficiency in kmpl/kmpkg | Prices in lakh/Crore
PORSCHE
911
VARIANTS
Indica
Indigo eCS
Manza
Safari Safari Storme
Sumo Gold
Vista Xenon XT
Zest
Pure LX 4x2 BS IV Pleasure LX 4x2 BS IV Pride 4x4 BS IV XE Revotron 90PS XM Revotron 90PS XMS Revotron 90PS XT Revotron 90PS XE Quadrajet 75PS XM Quadrajet 75PS XMS Quadrajet 75PS XT Quadrajet 75PS XE XM XMA (AMT) XT XTA (AMT) ev2 LS BS IV ev2 LX 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 Safire GEXL Quadrajet LS Quadrajet LX Quadrajet VX Quadrajet EX Quadrajet EXL Dicor EX BS 4 Dicor LX BS 4 Storme EX BS 4 Storme VX BS 4 (4x2 / 4x4) Storme LX BS 4 CX BS 4 CX - PS BS 4 EX BS 4 GX BS 4 Quadrajet LS BS 4 Quadrajet VX Tech BS 4 XT EX 4x2 XT EX 4x4 XE Revotron 90PS XM Revotron 90PS XMS Revotron 90PS XT Revotron 90PS XE Quadrajet 75PS XM Quadrajet 90PS XMS Quadrajet 90PS XT Quadrajet 90PS XMA Quadrajet 90PS
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 lakh/Crore
TOYOTA Camry Corolla Altis
Etios
Etios Liva
Etios Cross
Fortuner
Innova
Land Cruiser LC 200 Land Cruiser Parado Prius
A/T Hybrid JS G G (CVT) GL VL A/T D4-DJ D4-DJS D4-DG D4-DGL J PS G V VX D-4D JD D-4D GD D-4D VD D-4D VXD J PS G V VX TRD Sportivo D-4D JD D-4D GD D-4D VD D-4D VXD D-4D TRD Sportivo Cross G Cross V D-4D GD D-4D VD 4x2 M/T 4x4 M/T 4x2 A/T 4x4 A/T 4x2 M/T (TRD Sportivo) 4x2 A/T (TRD Sportivo) E Euro IV Non AC 8 Seater E Euro IV Non AC 7 Seater E Euro IV PS 8 Seater E Euro IV PS 7 Seater G Euro IV 8 Seater G Euro IV 7 Seater GX Euro IV 8 Seater GX Euro IV 7 Seater VX Euro IV 8 Seater VX Euro IV 7 Seater ZX Euro IV 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 1.4 1.4 1.4 1.4 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.5 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 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5
P P P P P P P D D D D P P P P D D D D P P P P P D D D D D P P D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D
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 23.59 23.59 23.59 23.59 17.71 17.71 17.71 17.71 16.78 23.59 23.59 23.59 23.59 23.59 17.71 16.78 23.59 23.59 12.55 12.55 11.88 NA NA NA 13.31 13.31 13.31 13.31 13.31 13.31 13.31 13.31 13.31 13.31 13.31
28.8 31.92 13.06 14.58 15.88 16.22 17.73 13.93 14.50 15.90 17.54 6.03 6.33 6.73 7.35 7.13 7.43 7.83 8.45 5 5.17 5.67 6.18 6.83 6.18 6.36 6.70 7.21 7.19 6.23 7.63 7.41 7.71 24.17 25.49 25.17 26.49 24.35 25.35 10.51 10.55 11.04 11.08 12.58 12.53 13.15 13.10 15.16 15.12 15.81
VX 200 Premium
4.5
Parado VX-L
3.0
D
9.65
1.19 (Cr.)
D
11.13
Z5 Z6
88.80
1.8 1.8
P P
23.91 23.91
38.10 39.80
TSI Trendline TSI Comfortline TDI Trendline TDI Comfortline TDI Highline TDI Highline A/T Trendline Comfortline Highline Trendline (Diesel) Comfortline (Diesel) Highline (Diesel) GT TSI GT TDI MPI TDI Comfortline AT Highline AT Trendline Comfortline Highline Trendline Comfortline Highline Comfortline AT Highline AT
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 1.5 1.2 1.2 1.6 1.6 1.6 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5
P P D D D D P P P D D D P D P D P P P P P D D 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 16.47 20.14 16.93 16.93 15.04 15.04 15.04 20.34 20.34 20.34 21.21 21.21
14.15 15.67 15.31 17.24 19.14 20.17 5.33 5.95 6.47 6.68 7.30 7.82 8.48 8.48 6.94 8.40 9.85 10.45 7.77 8.57 9.26 9.03 9.85 10.42 11.05 11.53
T6 Petrol D4 Kinetic D4 Momentum R-Design D5 Summum D4 Summum D5 Summum
2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.4 2.0 2.4
P D D D D D D
NA NA NA NA NA NA NA
40.25 32.40 35.25 40.25 38.35 42.58 46.20
VOLKSWAGEN
Jetta
Polo
Cross Polo
Vento
VOLVO S60
S80
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 lakh/Crore
V40 Cross Country XC60
XC90
D3 Inscription
2.0
D
NA
32.50
T4 Petrol D4 Kinetic D4 Momentum R-Design D5 Inscription D5 Inscription D5 Momentum
1.6 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.4 2.0 2.0
P D D D D D D
NA NA NA NA NA NA NA
27 43.50 46.60 52 50.20 65 72
TWO WHEELER PRICES MODEL
ENGINE*
FUEL EFFICIENCY*
PRICE*( )
99.27 102 94.38 102 124.6 124.6 144.8 144.8 144.8 134.66 149 149.5 178.6 199.5 199.5 199.5 199.5 220 219.89
90 96.90 91 84 76 76 NA NA NA 68.10 65 NA 58.10 58 NA NA NA 54.20 49.80
0.39 0.44 0.46 0.48 0.51 0.53 0.54 0.57 0.60 0.63 0.70 0.79 0.73 0.91 0.91 1.18 (Lakh) 1.30 (Lakh) 0.86 0.81
1170 1170 1170 1170 1293 1293 999 1170 1649 1649 1649
NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA
24.13 (Lakh) 29.73 (Lakh) 29.73 (Lakh) 25.96 (Lakh) 27.25 (Lakh) 29.41 (Lakh) 29.41 (Lakh) NA 34.35 (Lakh) 37.04 (Lakh) 44.79 (Lakh)
300 600 600 898 1131
NA NA NA NA NA
2.83 (Lakh) 5.15 (Lakh) 5.62 (Lakh) 9.48 (Lakh) 11.81 (Lakh)
249 249 647 647 678.2
NA NA NA NA NA
2.84 (Lakh) 3.00 (Lakh) 4.79 (Lakh) 5.26 (Lakh) 5.77 (Lakh)
803 803 1078 1078 803 1078 1078 992 1198 1198 1198 1198 1055 1055 1198 1198 849 1198 1198
NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA
NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA
749 883 883 1202 1585 1690 1690 1690 1690 1247 1690
NA 21.70 21.70 NA 18.18 17.85 17.85 13.86 17.85 15.80 17.85
4.32 (Lakh) 6.32 (Lakh) 7.22 (Lakh) 8.82 (Lakh) 10.37(Lakh) 13.03 (Lakh) 15.08 (Lakh) 16.30 (Lakh) 16.45 (Lakh) 22.02 (Lakh) 29.91 (Lakh)
* Engine in CC | Fuel Efficiency in kmpl/kmpkg | Prices in lakhs
BAJAJ AUTO Platina 100 Platina 100 ES Discover 100 Discover 100 M Discover 125 DTS-i (Drum) Discover 125 DTS-i (Disc) Discover 150 S (Drum) Discover 150 S (Disc) Discover 150 F Pulsar 135LS Pulsar 150 DTS-i Pulsar AS 150 Pulsar 180 DTS-i Pulsar 200 NS Pulsar AS 200 Pulsar RS 200 Pulsar RS 200 ABS Pulsar 220 Avenger 220 DTS-i BMW MOTORRAD R 1200 R R 1200 GS ADV 0A02 R 1200 RT R 1200 X (RnineT) 0A06 K 1300 R K 1300 S S 1000 RR HP2 Sport K 1600 GT K 1600 GTL K 1600 GTL Exclusive 0603 DSK BENELLI TNT 300 TNT 600i TNT 600 GT TNT 899 TNT R DSK HYOUSUNG Aquila 250 GT 250R GT 650R Aquila PRO ST7 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 Multistrada 1200 T Streetfighter Streetfighter S Diavel Diavel Carbon 848 1198 1198 S HARLEY DAVIDSON Street 750 Super Low Iron 883 Forty - Eight Street Bob Fat Bob Fat Boy BreakOut Heritage Softail Classic Night Rod Special Street Glide
June 2015 I 53
TWO WHEELERS * Prices (Ex-Showroom Delhi) MODEL
ENGINE*
FUEL EFFICIENCY*
PRICE*( )
* Engine in CC | Fuel Efficiency in kmpl/kmpkg | Prices in lakhs
CVO Limited 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 Activa 3G Aviator CB Twister Dream Neo Dream Yuga CB Shine CBF Stunner CB Unicorn CB Unicorn 160 CB Trigger CBR 150R CBR 250R CB 1000R CB 1000RR VFR 1200F VT 1300 CX Gold Wing- GL 1800 INDIAN MOTORCYCLE Chief Classic Chief Dark Horse Chief Vintage Chieftain Scout Roadmaster KAWASAKI Ninja 300 Ninja 650 R Ninja ZX 10R Ninja ZX 14R Ninja 1000 Ninja Z800 Ninja Z1000 ER-6n Z250 KTM KTM 200 Duke KTM 390 Duke KTM RC 200 KTM RC 390 LML NV SPL NV LS STAR EURO 150 STAR EURO 200 MAHINDRA 2 WHEELERS Kine Flyte Duro DZ Rodeo RZ Rodeo UZO Gusto Pantero Centuro Centuro Rockstar PIAGGIO Vespa LX Vespa VX Vespa S Vespa ELEGANTE ROYAL ENFIELD Bullet 350 Bullet 500 Electra Twinspark Thunderbird 350
54 I June 2015
MODEL
ENGINE*
FUEL EFFICIENCY*
PRICE*( )
500 346 499 499 499 535
NA 53.40 53.40 39.35 39.35 NA
1.63 (Lakh) 1.18 (Lakh) 1.51 (Lakh) 1.53 (Lakh) 1.60 (Lakh) 1.84 (Lakh)
124 112.8 124 112.8 124 149.5 154.9 154.9 250 1255 805 1783 1783 1340 999 999 999 1037
50.22 63 51 72 68.50 55.70 NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA
0.49 0.43 0.51 0.45 0.51 0.69 0.72 0.83 2.09 (Lakh) 10.75 (Lakh) 10.05 (Lakh) 15.95 (Lakh) 16.45 (Lakh) 15.95 (Lakh) 12.25 (Lakh) 12.70 (Lakh) 15.95 (Lakh) 14.95 (Lakh)
865 865 865 675 1050 675 675 800 800 800 1215 1699 1699 2294
18.12 18.13 NA NA NA 16.37 16.37 17.56 NA NA 15.93 NA NA NA
5.99 (Lakh) 6.97 (Lakh) 7.18 (Lakh) 7.91 (Lakh) 11.06 (Lakh) 10.69 (Lakh) 12.14 (Lakh) 11.60 (Lakh) 12.70 (Lakh) 12.14 (Lakh) 18.75 (Lakh) 13.95 (Lakh) 16.19 (Lakh) 21.29 (Lakh)
87.8 87.8 109.7 109.7 99.7 109.7 109.7 125 125 159.7 177.4
65 65 62 62 87.70 83.90 62 67 67 NA NA
0.42 0.44 0.47 0.42 0.40 0.42 0.44 0.51 0.55 0.69 0.73
113 113 113 113 106 106 123 123 123 153 153 150 150 153 153 153 149 998 149 998 998 1679
NA NA 53 53 75.74 70.03 71.50 78 NA NA NA NA NA 62.40 NA 50.81 NA NA NA NA NA NA
0.48 0.52 0.46 0.48 0.38 0.45 0.51 0.52 0.55 0.71 0.73 0.77 0.79 0.61 0.58 0.78 0.84 10.72 (Lakh) 1.17 (Lakh) 22.34 (Lakh) 29.43 (Lakh) 25.65 (Lakh)
* Engine in CC | Fuel Efficiency in kmpl/kmpkg | Prices in lakhs
1801
NA
49.57 (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
49 50 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 0.51 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
109 109 109.2 124.9 110 109 109 109 109 124.7 124.7 149.1 162.71 149.1 149.4 249 998 999 1237 1312 1832
60 60 60 60 60 60 70 74 74 65 NA NA NA NA NA 30 NA NA NA NA NA
0.47 0.46 0.44 0.53 0.48 0.47 0.48 0.49 0.44 0.47 0.56 0.63 0.69 0.66 1.17 (Lakh) 1.52 (Lakh) 11.81 (Lakh) 15.21 (Lakh) 17.63 (Lakh) 13.99 (Lakh) 28.50 (Lakh)
1811 1811 1811 1811 1131 1811
NA NA NA NA NA NA
25.50 (Lakh) 21.99 (Lakh) 28.50 (Lakh) 32 (Lakh) 12 (Lakh) 34.95 (Lakh)
296 649 998 1441 1043 806 1043 649 249
26 33 14 18 15 18 15 NA NA
3.60 (Lakh) 5.14 (Lakh) 16.40 (Lakh) 17.66 (Lakh) 12.87 (Lakh) 8.13 (Lakh) 12.87 (Lakh) 4.78 (Lakh) 2.99 (Lakh)
200 373 200 373
NA NA NA NA
1.31 (Lakh) 1.81 (Lakh) 1.60 (Lakh) 2.05 (Lakh)
149.56 147.55 150.82 199.89
NA NA NA NA
0.40 0.45 0.47 0.53
71.5 124.6 124.6 124.6 125 110 106.7 106.7 110
63.25 40 56.25 59.38 59 63 79.40 85.40 85.40
0.34 0.41 0.49 0.47 0.48 0.45 0.39 0.48 0.45
125 125 125 125
62 60 NA NA
0.67 0.71 0.75 0.79
346 499 346 346
53.40 NA 53.40 NA
0.98 1.42 (Lakh) 1.10 (Lakh) 1.28 (Lakh)
Thunderbird 500 Classic 350 Classic 500 Desert Storm Classic- Chrome Continental GT SUZUKI Access 125 Lets Swish 125 Hayate Slingshot GS 150R Gixxer Gixxer SF Inazuma Bandit 1250 SA Intruder M800 Intruder M1800R Intruder M1800R B.O.S.S Hayabusa GSX - S1000 GSX - S1000F GSX - R1000 V- Storm 1000 TRIUMPH MOTORCYCLES Bonneville A3 Bonneville T100 Thruxton A2 Street Triple ABS A2 Speed Triple ABS A1 Daytona 675 ABS Daytona 675 R Tiger XRx Tiger XCx Tiger 800 XC Tiger Explorer Thunderbird Storm Thunderbird LT Rocket III Roadster TVS Scooty Pep+ Scooty Streak Wego Zest Star Sport Star City Jupiter Phoenix Phoenix (Disc) Apache RTR 160 Apache RTR 180 YAMAHA Alpha Facino Ray Ray Z Crux YBR 110 YBR 125 Saluto SS 125 FZ FZ-S FZ Version 2 FZ-S Version 2 SZ-RR SZ-S FAZER FAZER F1 Version 2.0 FZ 1 YZF R15 YZF R1 YZF R1M VMAX
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COVER REPORT
RENAULT KWID BUILT ON ALLIANCE CMF-A PLATFORM IN INDIA BY END 2015 PRICE 3-4 LAKH 800CC ENGINE
“THIS IS A CAR FOR CONQUEST” Carlos Ghosn unveils Kwid for Indian market Report: : P. THARYAN / Pictures Courtesy: RENAULT INDIA
June 2015 I 55
COVER REPORT
Carlos Ghosn, Chairman and CEO, Groupe Renault (second from right) with Sumit Sawhney, CEO & MD, Renault India, Gérard Detourbet, Alliance Managing Director (extreme left) & Laurens Van Den Acker, Senior VP Industrial Design at the global unveiling of Kwid in Chennai
R
enault India is now eager to take on the Marutis and the Hyundais in the small car segment with its soon to be launched Kwid. This 800cc, aggressively styled (on the lines of an SUV) small hatchback car recently made its world premiere in Chennai. To do the honours were
56 I June 2015
Carlos Ghosn, Chairman and CEO, Groupe Renault and his team of senior officials. “This is a car for conquest. This car is going to compete in a segment of the market which is 25pc of the Indian market. Today we have no presence in this market and this car has two main competitors. We have Maruti Suzuki and Hyundai...This car is going to go for big sales volumes
and it is going to go for conquest. We are going to compare this car to understand its potential. To compare what are the benefits of this car compared to its two main competitors. The most important is the price, which starts at 3 lakhs which is 4,500 Euros. But the competition is not just about attractive pricing. It’s also about fuel efficiency which is the best in class. It has a lot of features
which other cars don’t have in this segment. We talk about the navigation system and other features. The interior volume of the car, the knee room and the trunk space are all top of its class. When I add up all the advantages of the car it should do well and be very competitive in the market. So this is a very important pillar for the advance of Renault in India,” Ghosn told journalists during the
COVER REPORT We introduced five cars to India and one of them has been a hit, the Duster. All the others have had very moderate sales results. But during this time it was not wasted, we learned a lot about the Indian consumer and about what is needed to be successful in India.
unveiling ceremony. With its short front and rear overhangs and high ground clearance (180 mm), the Kwid is 3.68 meters long and 1.58 meters wide. The car is expected to be launched around the festive season in 2015 which falls between September and November. The Kwid is a new vehicle built on a new Renault-Nissan Alliance
platform. Founded in 1999, the Renault-Nissan Alliance sold 8.5 million vehicles in almost 200 countries in 2014, consolidating its position as the world’s fourth largest vehicle manufacturer.
AN OUTCOME OF THE CMF-A PLATFORM Renault Kwid will be the first Renault-Nissan Alliance model to use the CMF-A platform. A
couple of year ago, Renault and Nissan had announced the all-new programme for building cars that went by the name of Common Module Family (CMF) and was intended to cover very affordable cars. The CMF approach defined vehicles as five essential modules: the engine bay, cockpit, front underbody, rear underbody and electrical/electronic architecture. The compatible parts were to be assembled into hundreds of possible configurations, for maximum efficiency and brand differentiation. Production of vehicles within the CMF-A scope has now finally begun in 2015 with the revealing of the Kwid. “CMF-A opens new horizons in terms of our ability to satisfy and even exceed the expectations of customers in countries where demand is currently highest, particularly those customers buying a vehicle for the first time. These influential consumers do not want a car that was initially designed for mature markets before becoming outdated. They aspire – and rightly so – to a modern, robust, elegant car at a price that represents a minirevolution for such a remarkable vehicle,” noted Arnaud Deboeuf, Alliance Senior Vice President, Renault-Nissan BV and Alliance CEO Office. The Kwid’s body and chassis were tested in Japan, body equipment was evaluated in Korea and endurance tests were carried out in France, while India was the backdrop for overall and assembly
testing. The vehicle was developed close to its market. Supplier sourcing in India has been raised to 98pc, including 60pc in the Chennai region. The project management team put in place the conditions necessary to develop the KWID, with the entire team working out of a single location so that the teams tasked with designing, developing and building the car could work together more effectively. According to Renault, Kwid will play an essential role in Renault’s ongoing expansion in India. Renault has placed the emphasis on local presence and local content by setting up a first operational base for the Alliance, with the Chennai production plant and the Renault-Nissan engineering and purchasing centre, Technical Business Centre India (RNTBCI). “Today in India’s A-segment you have attractive cars or you have innovative cars or you have affordable cars but until now you could not find all three attributes in one car. The Kwid will change that, it offers a unique combination of style comfort and innovative features at an affordable price. The car has a distinctive SUV design. It’s a great car to drive, it is compact outside and ideal in all traffic conditions and it is generous inside with a comfy interior and room for five people. Once comfortably seated inside you can enjoy our navigation technology called ‘Media Nav’. It includes a radio, Bluetooth
June 2015 I 57
COVER REPORT We are very patient people and we accept long term returns as long as we have the perspective of returns and I can tell you in India there is a very good perspective of return but you have to do a good job. and comes with a 7 inch screen unique to this segment. It is comfortable and easy to use. Renault Kwid does not stop there and based on Renault’s group of expertise in engine technology its fuel efficiency is best in class in India. The car has an outstanding amount of features for its selling price in India between 3 to 4 lakh depending on your choice of options,” revealed Ghosn. “It is the first car built of the newest Alliance platform called CMF-A. The Renault Nissan Alliance platform approach combines the sharing of key components module on one hand with the range of distinctive design and features on the other. This high level of flexibility enables the alliance to develop an international product offering while meeting the specific needs of each local market. Renault KWID will be a big contributor to our growth in India and in emerging markets. After the international success of the Duster, the Renault Kwid
58 I June 2015
will be our next global car. It perfectly expresses Renault’s passion for cars,” he added.
CARLOS GHOSN ADDRESSES THE MEDIA: ON THE KWID’S LOCALISATION CONTENT This is the most localised car in India...Special efforts have been made by the head of the project to make sure that everything can be done in India and supplied in India. So we really wanted to make a fully integrated car and this starting with the 97-98pc level of localisation is a big achievement. In India the festive period is between September & November and we will be launching it then.
INVESTMENT DONE ON THIS PROJECT The investment done on this
project depends on the investment on developing the platform, since it is the first car on this platform. This platform is an Alliance platform which will generate many cars. This is the first one. You also have the investment on this car specifically, after developing the platform you have to develop the car. Gerard Detourbet, Head of Project Renault KWID – It is not so easy to answer the question because we have done a lot of things, like the platform, the engine, the gear box, the new plant for the engine and gearbox and introducing the car into the plant. So globally for all of that, one platform, two cars, one engine, one gearbox and also the facilities for that we have spent around 20 billion. If you try to compare that with what we normally do it is less than 50pc of the investments we do.
ON RENALUT INDIA MARKET SHARE For Renault the milestone is 5pc market share. Today we are at around 1.5pc market share, which is mainly based on one product even though we have 4-5 other products. The Duster comprises most of our market share. We recently launched the Lodgy and its sales have begun. Now we have the Kwid, so we are developing and introducing cars that in our opinion are going to be significant in the Indian market. We obviously introduced some cars whose volume was not significant in the Indian market it was part of our learning of what really attracts Indian consumers. So the first milestone is 5pc market share for Renault. The Alliance partner of Nissan is also going for 5pc market share. We have said from the beginning 10pc share for the Alliance in the market. It is mainly based on products some of which you have seen and a very deep level of localisation, using as many Indian suppliers,
COVER REPORT
There are still many people whose first wish is to buy a car. They are not in the market but with the economic development taking place in India and particularly a lot of initiatives that India is taking to promote economic development you are going to have a lot of people moving in and the people moving out will be compensated by people moving in. So we are not worried about this segment going down, at least in absolute terms, may be in percentage it may go down, but in volume this segment will continue to be a very important segment in the market. manufacturing, engineering and resources because we can’t be competitive if we don’t use Indian resources. India is not an easy market, particularly for people who are coming to this market and we have paid our tribute to the knowledge of the Indian market, we have been here for many years and we are learning our way. I can tell you we are absolutely resolute and decided to play a role and contribute to the development of the Indian market you know very well that India is one of the markets with
the highest growth potential for the next 5 years. I think between India and China is the only two markets of a certain size with a 6pc plus growth potential per year. In our estimate India in the next 4-5 years can become the fourth largest market in the world after China, US and Japan. So now is the time to contribute and to develop but the basic level of development particularly starts with the product and then the dealers. We have to learn our way but there is absolutely no other large market where you
just do it right the first time. And we are learning our own way and hopefully the Kwid and the success of the Kwid we are going to show you that we learned a lot from the Indian market.
ON INDIA BECOMING A PRODUCTION HUB FOR KWID We can make India a production hub for the region without any doubt. With this car it is obviously for the Indian market, that is why we want to test it and see its potential. But then can we export
it outside the region because Chennai has a lot of capacity, as you know more than 4,00,000 cars a year capacity installed in Chennai? So using Chennai as a hub to produce for the region we have no doubt we can do it for South East Asia and countries surrounding India. There may be some export to other countries in limited quantities for a simple reason that the success of the car is based on heavy localisation. For example I don’t think you can shift this car from India to South America. If you have to sell this car
June 2015 I 59
COVER REPORT
in South America you will have to produce it locally. But you can ship this car from India to surrounding countries and South East Asia region and still be competitive. Yes, Chennai will be a hub for production for the region.
ON WHY KWID WAS UNVEILED IN INDIA Well first as you know this car has been co-developed with French, Indian and Japanese talent. But India was one of the centres for development of this car and of this platform. We also know the Indian market is extremely
60 I June 2015
competitive, so if a car makes it with these kinds of features and is a global car....we are sure it will be competitive in any other market of the world. We are using India as a test market but we are also using it in India as it is 25pc of the Indian market and 25pc of 3 million cars, so we are talking about potentially 7,50,000 cars. These are the reasons why we are launching it in India. Again this is a global platform and a global car. If we make it in India with big numbers one feels very confident about repeating this launch in many other markets in the world.
YOUR TAKE ON INDIA’S ENTRY LEVEL CAR BUYERS AND THEIR CHANGING PREFERENCES There is always a tendency in any emerging market that people are going to move up, but at the same time as people move up there are people moving in. There are still
many people whose first wish is to buy a car. They are not in the market but with the economic development taking place in India and particularly a lot of initiatives that India is taking to promote economic development you are going to have a lot of people moving in and the people moving out will be compensated by people
COVER REPORT moving in. So we are not worried about this segment going down, at least in absolute terms, may be in percentage it may go down, but in volume this segment will continue to be a very important segment in the market.
ON RENAULT INDIA MAKING MONEY IN ITS OPERATIONS When you enter a new market, it is very difficult for a car maker to make money immediately as we have so many fixed costs and investments to be done at the beginning. We are very patient people and we accept long term returns as long as we have the perspective of returns and I can tell you in India there is a very good perspective of return but you have to do a good job. We introduced five cars to India and one of them has been a hit, the Duster. All the others have had very moderate sales results. But during this time it was not wasted, we learned a lot about the Indian consumer and about what is needed to be successful in India. We came with Lodgy and now we come with the Kwid. The Kwid is a result of five years of presence in India. That is the way I would put it. I can tell you that we are going to make money in India and yes it will be in the midterm which will be assisted by the sales of Kwid.
ON ANY POSSIBILITY OF LAUNCHING THE KWID IN EUROPE We are not planning to launch this car in Europe. The priority for this car is India and it will take some
time to fulfil its demand in India. It is the region around India it may be other strong emerging markets. For the moment we have no plans for Europe. But then when we started the development of the Logan we said it will not go to Europe. But guess what, the Logan and the product derived from the same platform are becoming a big success in Europe. So that is why I will be extremely prudent and humble that for the moment we don’t see it and we don’t have any project for this. I am talking for the next 3-4 years after that the market will determine what to do.
ON YOUR LEARNINGS OF THE INDIAN MARKET Learned enough? I would never tell you learned enough. The Indian culture and engineering power is immense and nobody can have the pretention to learn it all. We will continue to learn it from our Indian colleagues. What I can tell you is the amount of knowledge accumulated by the project led by Gerard Detourbet is very precious for the group, we learned a lot in terms of frugal product planning and engineering from this process. This car was not easy to develop but it was developed with a very aggressive product target and cost target. We reached these levels even though many people considered it impossible in the beginning thanks
to the exchange between the expertise from France and Japan and knowledge from India. To give you some facts and examples Gerard has been living through this for the past 3 years working hard to develop this project. He is teaching through his learning to the engineering base in France and Japan to try modifying and changing loop cycles in order
to make sure very aggressive objectives are being realised. This is the only car developed from scratch by an international player on a new platform which is 97pc localised. There is no other car in the industry following this and this is part of the learning and cooperation between the engineering team and Indian suppliers.
June 2015 I 61
INDIA NEWS
ELOFIC INDUSTRIES plans global acquisition; New plant in Gujarat soon Report: : P. THARYAN, Photography: MOHD. NASIR
L
eading automotive filter manufacturer in the country Elofic Industries is planning a major acquisition globally that will catapult the company as a global leader in filters. The company is in talks with several global players to which it is already supplying filters. A formal announcement is expected in the next 12 months, the company stated. Elofic Industries is also setting up a new plant in Gujarat for strategic purposes. Besides, the company is also foraying big time into the world of two-wheeler automotive filters for which it is already in advanced stage of talks with leading two wheeler manufacturers for OEM supply. “We are talking to a lot of people for mergers and acquisitions. Globally we are talking to several people, so you should be hearing something soon. All put together there are 10-12 major players who are giants in their fields. We have a strong relationship with them. Many of them are our customers as well. They source products from us. We have a lot of talks and discussions with them. A lot of times there is an informal flow of technology as well which comes in from there. At any time at a given opportunity, things may click and we may join hands with them. We have talks going on maybe within a year we should have something. We are actually in talks for acquisitions as well. That is an area where we would like to be more interested in so as to be a global player,” said KD Sahni, Joint Managing Director, Elofic Industries, in an exclusive interview with Motown India. Sahni said his company wants to be one of those 12 global companies, “not by merging into them but by being one of them”. MB Sahni, Managing Director,
62 I June 2015
(L-R) M.B. Sahni, Karam Sahni and K.D. Sahni Elofic Industries, while agreeing to the fact that the company was keen on acquiring a company abroad, said that primarily his company was doing it “for horizontal growth and technology is not really a concern as what we have today is the best in the world. Technology is not really the need but the different markets are the primary need.” MB Sahni also noted that his company has the best technology available. “The backward integration done in our plant is better than anywhere in the world. We are confident that we are growing and we will be growing further. Other filter manufacturers outsource a lot of components whereas we do everything in-
house, we buy the raw material, the steel coils, base paper. Other manufacturers buy components, while we manufacture them in house,” he added. “We are looking at Gujarat and are in the advanced stages finalising land procurement there. In the coming years Elofic will surely have a plant in Gujarat. Being closer to the port, it has its own advantages. We can cater to the export markets from there. We have to look at the western part of India as some major customers are targeted there, “ said KD Sahni. Elofic currently has three plants in Faridabad, one is for lubricants where it does oil blending and grease making, the second is for paper impregnation and
the third one is the company’s main unit where it makes filters. The company also has a unit in Nalagarh (Himachal Pradesh) as well as in Hosur (Tamil Nadu). The core business of the company is filtration and it is primarily more into the automobile passenger vehicles segment. Besides that it is also into commercial vehicles, tractors, industrial machines and other applications like small engines, industrial heating, cooling, airconditioning, etc. These are of course in a smaller way while the primary business is from automobiles. “Filters are a product which needs to be changed at a certain service interval, so there is a
INDIA NEWS significant after-market demand compared to other auto ancillary products. So 30pc of our total revenue comes from OE while 40pc comes from the aftermarket segment,” noted Sahni.
EVOLVING TECHNOLOGY KD Sahni pointed out that the filtration technology has evolved over a period of time. “About 40 years ago one used to have Depth Type Cotton Filled Canister Filters, or the Felt Type Filters, the Cloth Filters, Pleated Paper Filters, the STF Type cartridges, and then we had spin ons and now what you are seeing in the world are the various metal free filters with a considerable amount of synthetic media in them which gives them longer life, better efficiency, etc. The filtration technology has taken a great leap over time,” he mentioned. Sahni noted that filters made in India and abroad are similar in terms of technology and quality. “Our facilities are world-class and they are the best in the world. We are capable of catering to the requirements of all major OEMs abroad. About 30pc of our sales is exported where a major chunk goes into OEMs in the US. We have a warehouse in Wisconsin, USA. We have a subsidiary company in the US and the product is sent to the subsidiary company which warehouses it and
supplies it to the various OEMs on a JIT (Just in Time) basis. Besides upgrading its manufacturing technology, the company has also invested nearly 30 crore on upgrading its R&D technology. That gives the company the most modern equipment for testing, prototyping, etc. “This gives us a lot of leverage to develop new products for various customers. Today Elofic has one of the best R&D capabilities in the country. We have close to about 30 people working at the R&D centre. The expenditure on the R&D centre is close to 2pc of our turnover,” said Sahni. The popularity of the Elofic brand has led to the company leveraging its brand into other businesses like lubes and coolants. “They are still in the infancy stages but nevertheless, the results are very encouraging. We sell about 80KL of Lubes per month which is not bad for a new entrant by industry standards. We have very ambitious plans for the future but our core business is filtration,” said Sahni.
TWO-WHEELER SEGMENT There is lot of action happening in the two-wheeler filter segment for Elofic Industries. In the aftermarket for the last fiscal the company clocked about 20 lakh units and established a network of 150
distributors across the country. “We are looking to double this in the next fiscal with a network of 300 distributors. This is a completely different network for the two wheelers and the response has been overwhelming,” revealed Karam Sahni, Head, TwoWheelers, Elofic Industries. “When we started off, our main intention was to be an OEM player. We started approaching all the OEMs in the country and we are happy to receive a positive response. Our products were very well accepted. Our aim is to work closely with the OEM engineering, do a lot of reverse engineering for them, be it through reducing a lot of parts in an assembly, or proposing alternate materials which will eventually bring their cost down,” he said. Karam Sahni stated the technology for two-wheeler filters over the years has changed. “Earlier, we had foam filters in majority of the bikes. That technology is completely obsolete now. We now have paper type filters, plastic moulded filters,
plastic inline filters, so it is the most appropriate time for us to enter the segment,” he pointed out. Elofic Industries is currently an OEM supplier to DSK Hyosung and Suzuki Motorcycles. As Karam Sahni puts it, “Maybe it does not get us the volumes but it certainly gives us the prestige”. The company is in talks to Harley-Davidson, USA, Triumph Motorcycles and other players in the segment to supply automotive filters. “In the regular two wheelers segment, we are in talks with Mahindra Two Wheelers, Royal Enfield, India Yamaha for all their future engines,” he further stated. Today there is a basket of more than 25 part numbers which Elofic Industries is exporting to OEMs globally. “We have not launched two wheeler filters in the global aftermarket. We hope to be a global player in this space too,” he stated. “The sky is the limit, we will definitely like to have filtration as our core business, there is still a lot more we can do in this area particularly in water filtration, industrial filtration for breweries and inks, etc. there is a lot of market there and that is an area we will enter,” concluded KD Sahni.
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INDIA NEWS
BMW assembles cars with 50pc local content in Chennai plant Report & Photography : RAHUL KAPOOR
F
or a luxury car company that does not believe in only numbers but gives a lot of importance to profitability, BMW India has just announced that it has increased the level of localisation of its cars at its plant in Chennai to as much as 50pc. Thus, there is no better way of celebrating the ‘Make in India’ initiative, the company affirms. Former Indian cricketer and legendary sportsman Sachin Tendulkar marked the occasion in a unique way by assembling a BMW 5 Series using parts from Indian auto component suppliers. The BMW Plant Chennai started
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operations on March 29, 2007. Since then, the company has been increasing the number of its locally produced car models. Up to eight car models can be locally produced on two assembly lines at BMW Plant Chennai. At present, the BMW 1 Series, the BMW 3 Series, the BMW 3 Series Gran Turismo, the BMW 5 Series, the BMW 7 Series, the BMW X1, the BMW X3 and the BMW X5 are locally produced at BMW Plant Chennai. Some of the major auto components sourced for local production of cars at BMW Plant Chennai are: Engine and
Picture courtesy: BMW India
INDIA NEWS
Sachin Tendulkar trying his hand on the assembly line of BMW Chennai plant Transmission from Force Motors; Axles from ZF Hero Chassis; Door Panels and Wiring Harness from Draexlmaier India; Exhaust Systems from Tenneco Automotive India; Heating, Ventilating, Airconditioning and Cooling Modules from Valeo India and Mahle Behr and Seats from Lear India. Tendulkar said, “I am an avid BMW enthusiast and have been driving BMW cars since a very long time. But the experience of making a BMW with my own hands was unique and unforgettable. I am impressed by the high quality standards followed at BMW Plant Chennai that ensure the impeccable performance of a BMW. I got the opportunity to go through the tiniest details and efforts that are put into making a BMW. Next time I take my BMW out, I can proudly say – I have made one!” Philipp von Sahr, President, BMW Group India said, “The BMW Group has always looked towards India with a long-term perspective and our strategy is based on
(L-R) Philipp von Sahr, President, BMW Group India, Sachin Tendulkar and Robert Frittrang, Managing Director, BMW Plant Chennai an inclusive approach. We have continued to build our operations in India in a systematic way. With a strong portfolio of locally produced cars, the time was appropriate to partner with major Indian auto component suppliers. This decision benefits BMW in terms of cost optimization and value addition while at the same time it creates business and profitability
for our suppliers – a win-win situation.” Robert Frittrang, Managing Director, BMW Plant Chennai said, “BMW Plant Chennai takes pride in producing cars that have the same international quality standards as any of the BMW production and assembly facilities worldwide. Highly skilled employees, advanced
manufacturing processes along with state-of-the-art machinery and technology provide all the necessary ingredients to achieve these tough standards. The cars locally produced at BMW Plant Chennai now feature very strong local content. We are confident that through our partnership with Indian auto component suppliers, we will set even higher benchmarks in quality standards and supply chain management.” Headquartered in Gurgaon (National Capital Region), BMW India is a 100pc subsidiary of the BMW Group. To date, the BMW Group has invested Rs 490 crore(69 Million Euro) in BMW India. The wide range of BMW activities in India include a manufacturing plant in Chennai, a parts warehouse in Mumbai, a training centre in Gurgaon NCR and development of a dealer organisation across major metropolitan centers of the country. Currently, BMW India has 40 sales outlets in the Indian market.
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INDIA NEWS Royal Enfield acquires UK based Harris performance Motorcycle major Royal Enfield has acquired UK based Harris Performance Products Ltd, a company established over 40 years ago by brothers Steve and Lester Harris and Stephen Bayford. The company is one of the leading experts in designing and manufacturing of specialised high performance motorcycle chassis and components. Royal Enfield will acquire all assets, employees, trade names, technical know-how and intellectual property of Harris Performance Products Ltd. Harris Performance has had a long standing relationship with Royal Enfield. The company was responsible for the chassis development of the Continental GT café racer model. Siddhartha Lal, CEO Royal Enfield said: “Royal Enfield is working on its new generation of
(L-R) Steve Harris, Director, Harris Performance with Siddhartha Lal, CEO Eicher Motors products and platforms; to have the Harris Performance team dedicatedly working with us will clearly enhance our engineering and product design capabilities. Their proven expertise, deep insight and understanding of motorcycling and Royal Enfield will be invaluable for us in our journey
towards achieving leadership in the global mid-sized motorcycling segment.” Alongside successful relationships with the Royal Enfield brand, Harris Performance has been the only manufacturer from UK to have been officially commissioned by Yamaha and Suzuki to design, develop and
Motherson Sumi gets 15,400 crore order from Daimler Global automotive supplier Motherson Sumi Systems Ltd. (MSSL) through its subsidiary Samvardhana Motherson Automotive Systems Group BV (SMRPBV) has received a significant order worth 15,400 crore from Daimler for their Mercedes-Benz vehicles. The order is supply of a range of exterior and interior systems for several future MercedesBenz vehicle generations. MSSL estimates these orders to generate sales revenues of approximately 15400 crores (Euro 2.2 billion approx.) over its lifetime and expected to commence from calendar year 2018. According to a press release, in order to support Daimler’s expansion activities, MSSL will invest in 2 new plants, one each in the USA and Hungary which will enable SMRP BV to be closer to Daimler’s vehicle assembly plants, along with capacity expansion in existing plants in Germany as well as new machines, tools and
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product development efforts. All of the mentioned activities are concerning operations of SMRPBV‘s division SMP (Samvardhana Motherson Peguform), which was acquired in 2011. SMP is a technology and market leader for bumpers, door panels and cockpits with strong footprint in Europe, Mexico, Brazil and China. It is a major supplier to car manufacturers in Europe, especially the German car makers. SMP’s new plant in Hungary will be located close to Daimler’s operations in Kecskemet. With the establishment of the new plant in the region around Tuscaloosa, close to Daimler’s assembly plant, SMP enters an important strategic growth market - USA which had been a ‘white spot’ for SMP so far. Vivek Chaand Sehgal, Chairman (MSSL) said “We can’t give any specific details about these orders. But we can state that the preparatory work for the establishment of the two new plants has already begun. We are
eager to start producing products matching Motherson’s global quality in these two plants.” Motherson’s relationship with Daimler dates back to 1997 when the Group started to supply cockpits and wire harnesses to Daimler in India. Samvardhana Motherson Group received the Daimler Supplier Award 2014 award in the category ‘Partnership’ in February 2015. Motherson was honored as “a reliable partner who supports Mercedes-Benz’s global growth by investment in capacity expansion and new plants”. The award was received by V.C. Sehgal from Dr. Dieter Zetsche, Chairman of the Board of Management of Daimler AG and Head of Mercedes-Benz Cars and from Dr. Klaus Zehender, Divisional Board Member Procurement and Supplier Quality Mercedes-Benz Cars during an event at the Daimler Headquarters in Stuttgart, Germany.
manufacture race bikes for Grand Prix and World Superbike. Siddhartha continued: “All of the current staff at Harris Performance will now become employees of Royal Enfield, taking responsibility of performance and development engineering for our new range of motorcycles. They will be part of Royal Enfield’s upcoming UK Tech Centre.” Steve Harris, Founder, Harris Performance said: “Having worked with Eicher Motors Ltd’s motorcycle brand Royal Enfield for a number of years as a Technical Partner, we have experienced firsthand their capability, commitment, and ambition for their motorcycles and accessories. We are proud to be integrated into the Eicher family, the founders and staff of Harris Performance look forward contributing to Royal Enfield’s continued success”.
VW India rolls out 500,000th car from Chakan plant Volkswagen India rolled out the 500,000th car from its Pune Plant in Chakan recently. The celebratory car was a powerful, 105 PS Polo GT TSI with 7-speed DSG for the Indian market.Since its inauguration in March 2009, Volkswagen Pune Plant has produced a total of 500,000 cars which include Volkswagen Polo, Volkswagen Vento, Skoda Rapid and Skoda Fabia (till end of 2013). The cars rolling out of the plant are catering to the Indian domestic market as well as export markets (since 2011). Currently, the Volkswagen cars are being exported in both right-hand drive as well as left-hand drive versions to over 32 countries across three continents of Asia, Africa and North America. Currently approximately 430 cars per day are being produced in a two-shift system at Chakan.
INDIA NEWS Mahindra to take 33pc stake in Mitsubishi Agricultural Machinery for 159 crore
Leading automobile manufacturer in India Mahindra & Mahindra will invest around Japanese Yen 3 billion (USD 25 million / 159 crore approx.) for acquiring 33pc voting stake in Japan based Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. (MHI) subsidiary, Mitsubishi Agricultural Machinery Co. Ltd. (MAM) As part of a strategic partnership in the agricultural machinery field, the two companies signed a definitive agreement. The acquisition will be done through fresh issue of common shares and Class A (non-voting) shares of MAM. The deal is expected to close by October 1, 2015, with the new funding to be used to increase MAM’s capital base. Said a press release issued by M&M. Mitsubishi Agricultural Machinery is a full range agrimachinery company producing and selling tractors, combine harvesters, rice transplanters and other agri-machinery. It had
revenues of approximately JPY 50 bn (USD 408 mn / 2595 crore approx.) in 2014-15. The agreement was signed by Kazuaki Kimura, President and CEO, MHI Machinery, Equipment & Infrastructure, Katsumi Tottori, President, MAM and Rajesh Jejurikar, President & Chief Executive (Farm Equipment & Two Wheeler), Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. Commenting on the partnership, Kazuaki Kimura, President and CEO, MHI Machinery, Equipment & Infrastructure said “It is an honour for us at Mitsubishi to welcome Mahindra, who are the largest tractor manufacturer globally by volumes as a partner to Mitsubishi Agricultural Machinery. Today’s signing will only build upon the wonderful relationship which both companies have shared for over a decade. I am sure that the commitment and expertise of both of the companies will open a new horizon to the business globally.”
Speaking on the alliance, Rajesh Jejurikar, President & Chief Executive (Farm Equipment & Two Wheeler Division), M&M said, “It is a matter of pride for us to have signed this alliance today which is a ‘WinWin’ for the agricultural machinery businesses of both companies. This will enable strategic growth avenues for Mitsubishi Agricultural Machinery (MAM) through Mahindra USA, China and other international markets, thereby speeding up international expansion. It will also provide a platform for both the companies to leverage Technology and Product Development synergies.” Mahindra is the world’s largest tractor manufacturer by volume with a very strong leadership position in India. MAM has been supplying OEM tractors to
Mahindra USA (subsidiary of M&M in the US) as well as providing technical license to Mahindra for walk-behind rice planters and new tractor in India. The new partnership will help both companies to jointly develop products to address global opportunities in the tractor and agri-machinery space. In addition, the partnership will enable MAM and Mahindra to improve cost competitiveness though joint procurement and optimize the supply chain.
Mahindra invests 250 crore more in Zaheerabad plant Automobile manufacturer Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. has inaugurated its extended automotive manufacturing facility in Zaheerabad, Telangana. This facility was inaugurated by Chief Minister of Telangana K Chandrashekar Rao. This facility will be used to manufacture Mahindra’s new small commercial vehicle code named P601. This vehicle is scheduled to be launched in the first half of the current fiscal. Set up with an investment of around 250 crore, the extended manufacturing facility for the automotive plant has an installed capacity of 92,000 new vehicles per annum, which can be scaled up further to meet additional demand. This is in addition to the production capacity of 75,000 vehicles per
annum from the already existing automotive manufacturing plant in Zaheerabad. The automotive plant in Zaheerabad will manufacture sub one tone commercial vehicles which include 4 wheel load and passenger vehicles, in addition to the UVs, LCVs and 3 Wheelers, which are being currently manufactured. The expansion will provide additional direct and indirect employment, taking the total employment to 3,500 workers spread across the automotive and tractor plants. Mahindra had earlier inaugurated its tractor plant in Zaheerabad in 2013. This plant has already reached a production volume of 3,500 tractors per month. Other than Zaheerabad, Mahindra has five more automotive manufacturing plants in Mumbai, Chakan, Nasik, Igatpuri and Haridwar and a full-fledged
research and development centre, Mahindra Research Valley, for the design and development of both Automotive & Farm Equipment products. Dr. Pawan Goenka, Executive Director, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. said, “Our Zaheerabad plant incorporates a flexible and agile approach to manufacturing which will ensure that it is able to respond rapidly to evolving customer needs. With our investment of over 1,100 crore till date and employment generation of over 3,500 between both our tractor and auto plants, we are significantly invested in the state of Telangana. While thanking the state government for their encouragement and support, we look to accelerate development and put Telangana high on the industrial map of India”.
According to Pravin Shah, President & Chief Executive, Automotive, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd, “It is a moment of pride for us as we inaugurate the extended auto manufacturing facility, which will manufacture our soon to be launched small commercial vehicle code named P601. We will work towards manufacturing some of the best commercial vehicles from our Zaheerabad plant and help generate employment in and around the plant either directly or indirectly through our suppliers and other business partners. Infact 6 of our suppliers are currently setting up plants in the nearby supplier park, with investments of over 100 crore. This will further maximise industrial activities and operational effectiveness, leading to just in time delivery for optimising cost”.
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INDIA NEWS Dr. Pawan Goenka is envoy of Foreign Investment Promotion for Korea
Dr. Pawan Goenka, Executive Director, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd., was appointed Honorary Ambassador of Foreign Investment Promotion for Korea at a special ceremony which was held in Mumbai. He was conferred with this title in the presence of several senior dignitaries and officials. As Honorary Ambassador, Dr Goenka will promote economic ties between India and Korea and advise corporate India on potential investment opportunities in South Korea, said a press release issued by the company. The appointment comes on the back of the just concluded Korea – India CEO Forum in Seoul which was attended by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Korean President, Ms. Park Geun-hye. Dr. Goenka represented Mahindra as well as the South Korean auto company, SsangYong Motor Co. Ltd. where he is the Chairman of the Board. The Korea – India CEO Forum was co-hosted by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, Korean Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency and Indian Chamber of Commerce in Korea. Commenting on his appointment, Dr. Goneka said, “It is an honour for me to be appointed the Honorary Ambassador of Foreign Investment Promotion for Korea. Both countries have a remarkable history of ties and a strong bilateral trade relationship which contributes significantly to the economy of the two countries. I hope to utilise this platform to encourage closer economic ties between our two nations and promote Indian investment in South Korea.”. Y.C. Kim, Director General of KOTRA Mumbai said, “Dr Pawan Goenka is quite knowledgeable about Korea and we are confident that Indian investment to Korea will see a quantum jump during his tenure as the Honorary Ambassador”.
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500,000th India made Nissan car exported Nissan has exported the 500,000th car manufactured in India, setting a record in the passenger car segment of the industry within a span of five year. The Nissan Micra was the 500,000th vehicle that was exported. The Nissan Micra has been the most exported car from India in FY14 while Nissan was second largest exporter of passenger cars from India. Nissan India was able to set the record within a span of five years of their presence in the country. Nissan with its Alliance with Renault has made an investment of 4,500 crore in a production facility of global standards near Chennai. The facility caters to the domestic as well as the export market for both Nissan and Renault. Nissan not only exports completely built units, the company also exports over 1800 types of manufacturing parts to 34 plants across 24 countries. Guillaume Sicard, President, Nissan India Operations said, “India is a key strategic market for Nissan. We have major manufacturing and R&D operations which support us to be one of India’s biggest exporters of cars. While exports help us in optimal utilization of our manufacturing capacity, it also helps showcase world-
class Indian production quality on the global stage and expands the scope for widening the export base for India-built cars. Datsun Go which is developed and manufactured in India, is a good example of ‘Made in India’ and ‘Made by India’.” Nissan entered into a strategic understanding with Kamarajar Port Ltd. (Ennore Port Ltd.) and has been the first car maker to use the Kamarajar Port Ltd. as the export gateway since 2010. Nissan has been exporting vehicles to various regions including Europe, Middle East, Latin America, Australia, New Zealand, Asia and Africa. While Nissan Micra constitutes 73pc of exports from India, Nissan Sunny and Datsun Go are the other two export models from Nissan portfolio. Nissan started the exports of Datsun GO in 2014 to South Africa and Nepal.
Tata Green batteries launched for two-wheelers Tata AutoComp GY Batteries Pvt. Ltd. (TGY), a joint venture between Tata AutoComp Systems Ltd, India’s leading auto component manufacturer and GS Yuasa International, Japan has inaugurated the manufacturing facility for VRLA batteries. The VRLA range of batteries from Tata Green Batteries will be manufactured for the company’s state-of-the art manufacturing plant at Ranjangaon near Pune. These batteries will be marketed under the brand name “Tata Green Batteries – Velocity Plus” and will be available in 3AH, 3.5AH and 5AH. These batteries are suitable for most 2 wheeler brands of motorcycles and scooters/
scooterettes. The Velocity Plus batteries by Tata Green Batteries are designed to give higher ignition power to ensure instant start in all weather conditions. The Lead – Calcium alloy ensures longer life of the batteries. These batteries are high performance, compact, lightweight and long lasting. The batteries are also customised for today’s high performance bikes and scooters. Ajay Tandon, MD & CEO of Tata AutoComp Systems Limited stated, “Tata AutoComp, along with its partners, has always tried to be at the forefront in offering cutting edge technologies to our esteemed customers.”
INDIA NEWS Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Mong-Koo Chung meets Modi Hyundai Motor Group’s Chairman Mong-Koo Chung met with India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi to exchange ideas on Korea-India’s auto industry’s cooperation and mutual development. This was stated in a press release issued by Hyundai Motor India. Chairman Chung mentioned, “Hyundai Motor’s Chennai plant is a symbol of Korea-India economic cooperation and I thank the Indian government for its support in Hyundai Motor’s growth in the Indian Market.” Chairman Chung commented “I hope in the future Hyundai Motor Group will be able to continue its cooperation with India in other areas such as construction and railway to play a more meaningful role in Korea-India’s mutual economic development.” Modi replied “It is a great pleasure to meet with Chairman Chung. Hyundai Motor plays a key role in India’s auto industry. India will actively seek possible ways to continue its cooperation with Hyundai Motor. I hope Hyundai
Motor will become a leading global company through its success in India.” Hyundai Motor, in its first year in the market, ranked second among the car brands in India. It continued to launch strategic models specifically targeting India and now leads the market by selling 400,000 vehicles annually. The Indian plant can currently produce up to 650,000 units operating on three shifts and improving the UPH (unit per hour) within its two plants. Hyundai Motor Group started its railway business in India with Hyundai Rotem securing its first order in 2001. By securing subsequent orders such as Bangalore and Hyderabad metro deals, Hyundai Motor Group has the largest market share in India’s EMU market. In the construction business alone, Hyundai Motor Group has successfully secured business in bridges, harbors, and power plants. Hyundai Motor Group is aiming to expand its business as
the Indian government is actively investing in infrastructure projects. In the auto component business, Hyundai Motor is helping its business partners in its expansion into the Indian market. Currently, 71 component suppliers including 42 tier I suppliers have expanded into the Indian market
New Renault Espace glows with Hella lights In the new fifth generation Renault Espace, global lighting experts Hella has provided the combination rear lamp a complex shape and equipped it with innovative LED technology. This French crossover was first introduced as an “Initiale Paris” concept car at the IAA. The new Espace now comes with the two-part lamp that is embedded into the rear of the vehicle and the tailgate as to remain a part of the complex design of the car. A visual extension of the vehicle is achieved through the division of the lamp into two parts. This effect is especially strong when the indicator is activated, which is also horizontally embedded into both parts. In addition, the signature of the light guide technology-based tail light highlights the overall appearance of the crossover bypassing through the entire lamp in a powerfully curved line. An auxiliary lens positioned in front of the light guide adds further visual accents through the interplay of brushed and smooth coatings.
The brushed sections only partially allow the light to pass, creating a similar visual effect as when light shines through an ice cube. Hence, the design was named ‘Ice Cube Design.” Furthermore, the full LED combination rear lamp features a chrome inlay, something that is typical for vehicles produced by the French automaker (with the exception of the backuplight, all light functions use LEDs). Parallel to the indicator and stop light, the inlay extends across both parts of the lamp. Finished with an elegant, jet black piano lacquer, the combination rear lamp seamlessly blends with the aesthetic of the vehicle.
along with the Hyundai Motor and continuing its growth in the market. As the auto industry output continues to increase Hyundai Motor will support its component suppliers to attain business with other global auto companies in India, the release added.
Maruti Suzuki rolls out 15 millionth unit Maruti Suzuki India Limited set a new milestone by becoming the only car manufacturer in India to roll out its 15 millionth car. The 15 millionth car, a DZire VDi (Chassis No. MA3FJEB1S00740865) rolled out from the company’s Manesar facility. While the first five millionth milestone was reached in April 2005, (it took the company around 22 years to reach this!) the last five million (from 10 million to 15 million) only about four years. Now the company wants to hurry even further with its next five million, taking its cumulative production to 20 million units. The first car, a Maruti 800, had rolled out from the Gurgaon facility in December 1983. The Company has achieved this milestone in 31 years and 5 months. The Company’s medium term goal is to clock sales of 2 million vehicles per annum by 2020.
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CV NEWS Bus Body Code comes into effect and Volvo is ready For the Indian bus industry it is a milestone as two regulations aimed at imparting greater safety and comfort have come into effect from April 1, 2015. These are the Bus Body Code and mandate to make ABS standard for commercial vehicles. According to Volvo Buses press note, their buses are fully compliant and the company has started delivering vehicles as per the new regulations. The company has been offering ABS as standard in its entire product range since 2005. The Bus Body Code envisages safer bus travel experience by mandating several features. These include active safety, passive safety and personal security solutions in the form of driver and passenger awareness, information
items as well as tools specially designed for use in the event of an emergency. The mandate to make ABS a standard feature in commercial vehicles has far reaching implications for road safety. VRV Sriprasad, Managing Director, Volvo Buses India said, “The implementation of the Bus Body Code is an important landmark for the bus industry. Volvo Buses believes that the regulations will help in raising the benchmarks for safety and comfort, which will benefit scores of drivers and millions of passengers. Volvo was the first company to introduce ABS as a standard and the implementation of this rule is a welcome step. The cumulative impact of the Bus Body Code and ABS will help enhance
overall safety standards.” India ranks among the top 10 countries in terms of fatalities in road accidents. With about half million accidents, which involve high percentage of commercial vehicles, the changes ushered in through these new regulations will help in curbing and reducing road accidents. “At Volvo Buses, we will continue to bring in new technologies and features, while continuing to emphasise on making good drivers even better at out Driver Training Centre. It is
Volvo Trucks first with automatic all-wheel drive Volvo Trucks is the first truck manufacturer in the world to offer automatic engagement of all wheel drive on construction trucks. The Automatic Traction Control function activates the front wheel drive when the rear wheels lose traction on slippery or soft ground. “Many drivers connect frontwheel drive or differential lock in good time before a difficult section of terrain, in order to avoid getting stuck. Volvo Automatic Traction Control engages the front wheel drive when in motion, and only for the short time that it is really needed,” says Jonas Odermalm, Construction Segment Manager at Volvo Trucks. According to a press note, Volvo Automatic Traction Control, which has now become standard in the Volvo FMX with driven front axle, is already used by Volvo Construction Equipment in their articulated haulers. The solution consists of software connected to the wheel speed sensors which detect and control wheel drive.
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When a rear wheel starts to slip, the power moves automatically to the front wheels without the truck losing torque or speed. A dog clutch activates the front-wheel drive in just half a second. The clutch is lighter and has fewer moving parts than a traditional solution with permanent all-wheel drive. If the driver encounters particularly rough ground, then it is possible to manually lock the other differentials at both front and rear. The drive on the front axle prevents standstills on slippery surfaces. At the same time, the function is often only required for a very small part of the total driving time. With Automatic Traction Control, the front tires’
grip is concentrated on the steering right up until any critical situation. Thus, the driver can take advantage of the better manoeuvrability for as long as possible. The driver also avoids extra fuel consumption and wear on the driveline and tyres, that the constant engagement of front-wheel drive normally results in. Automatic Traction Control ensures that the optimal drive combination is always enabled and removes the decision from the driver. “Automatic Traction Control is yet another example of how innovative technology can make things easier and smarter than before. Just like the Volvo I-Shift revolutionised the gearbox, we are confident that this new development will do the same for the driven front axle,” says Ricard Fritz, Vice President, Volvo Trucks Brand. Automatic Traction Control is standard on the Volvo FMX in versions 4*4, 6*6, as well as 8*6 and is offered with the complete engine program for Euro standards 3, 4, 5 and 6.
our strong belief that safety begins with driver behaviour and best practices. Volvo has trained close to 60,000 drivers till date, which includes about 26,000 bus drivers alone. This gives us confidence to focus on preventing accidents itself,” Sriprasad added.
Prestigious quality award to Volvo Trucks Volvo Trucks has received Europe’s prestigious Quality Innovation of the Year Award. Volvo Trucks has received this award for its new transmission, I-Shift Dual Clutch. The I-Shift Dual Clutch makes the driver’s job simpler and safer. Matti Kaulio, Associate Professor Industrial Economics, KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm and representative of the Swedish SIQ (Swedish Institute for Quality), said, “I-Shift Dual Clutch represents a new-for-the-industry product innovation with strong improvements in parameters that influence drivers and transport companies as well as cargo owners and society in general”. The 2014 awards were presented by Hungary’s President János Áder at a ceremony in Budapest on January 19, 2015. These awards are backed not only by SIQ but also by quality institutes in several other European countries.
CV NEWS
Tractor manufacturers need to proactively support cash-strapped farmers in India BY DR. GORDON SHIELDS AND YUKTI ARORA It is a bleak time for farmers right now. Not only has recent torrential rains caused widespread damage to crops, the capricious climate has also lowered expectations from the Kharif yield threatening the livelihood of many farmers. Compounded by the increasing costs in seeds and labour, more farmers are now finding it unviable to fund the purchase of new tractors. It was only recently when there was a boom in tractor sales, which saw sales doubling from 303,000 units to 645,000 in just seven years. Today, tractor sales are poised to suffer significant decline as farmers are renting their tractors out to supplement their income. TRACTOR RENTALS AS AN ALTERNATE SOURCE OF INCOME The J.D. Power Asia Pacific 2015 India Tractor Product Performance Index (TRPPI) Study notes that more than one-third of the farmers surveyed rent out their tractors. The highest incidence of tractor rental is seen in some of the poorest states of India like Bihar (81pc), West Bengal (71pc) and Chattisgarh (58pc). Across the fourteen states covered in the study, the 41-50 HP is the most
Yukti Arora
popular tractor size in the rental market. Indian agriculture is characterised by small and marginal farms, defined as having less than 2 hectares of land, and the cost to operate these small farms is much higher compared to large operations that can enjoy greater economies of scale. In addition, not only does it cost more to operate, the agriculture yield that can be expected from these small farms is much less than larger operations. To illustrate, less than a quarter of small land farmers assess their present income from agriculture to be good compared with more than a third of large land farmers who report the same. As a result, a higher percentage (45pc) of small and marginal farmers are renting out their tractors to generate alternative income, compared with farmers of large land holdings (29pc). This is especially viable as tractors are increasingly becoming more technologically advanced and offer an array of functions and applications that make them suitable to be rented out for nonagriculture use. DRAWBACKS OF TRACTOR RENTALS FOR FARMERS While tractor rental income may look like a lucrative proposition, farmers must be cautioned that it might have the opposite intended effect of incurring higher costs of maintenance and repairs that result from tractor misuse. One drawback that many tractor owners face is that they have limited control over the proper use of their machines when renting. Rough handling and driver misuse are commonplace resulting in early and premature tractor failures. This poses notable challenges for tractor manufacturers who face
a rising number of quality issues as farmers increase their rentals. The study finds breakdown rates are double for rented tractors compared with non-rentals hitting the wallets harder for farmers looking for an additional income. On average, owners who rent out their tractors report an overall problem count of 262 problems per 100 tractors (PP100), while those who do not rent out their machines report 174 PP100. The greatest difference in problems reported by these two group of owners is seen on engine and transmission followed by driving and operation. The top problems reported relate to clutch pedal effort, tyre wear, and gearshift operation. THE IMPACT TRACTOR RENTALS HAS ON MANUFACTURERS Not only does tractor rental have an impact on the perceived quality of tractor, it also has a discernible impact on brand loyalty and advocacy that tractor manufacturers cannot afford to ignore as it will have a direct impact on their future revenues and profitability. Our TR PPI study finds that nearly 50pc of nonrenting tractor owners say they will definitely repurchase tractors of the same brand. This loyalty drops to just under 40pc for tractor owners who actively rent out their tractors. All this underscores an increasing need for manufacturers and dealers to educate tractor customers on the correct usage and compatibility of their machines for different applications in order to avoid damage and excessive wear. In addition, actively encouraging customers to bring their tractors for regular checks and servicing will help to protect their machines and reduce downtimes. For example, routine maintenance of
Dr. Gordon Shields hydraulic couplings and fittings will prevent unbalanced lifting and lowering of the load, which creates the potential for accidental dislodgement. Scheduled maintenance can also reduce the frequency of parts replacement and diagnose potential failures. However, the study finds that only 8pc of owners are contacted by their authorised dealer to bring their tractor in for routine maintenance. In a dampening agrarian market, tractor dealers have an opportunity to create a win-win solution by focusing attention on the after-sales market. Providing a positive experience on service support can have a direct correlation in improving their brand’s image, and it can also increase recurring revenue from servicing at a time when debtridden farmers are likely to put off new purchases. Therefore, for tractor manufacturers to help support farmers, it is important that they focus not only in providing the product quality of their machines to cope with increased demands of rental work, they must also invest time and resources in advising customers on how best to maintain and use their machines across a variety of applications. Brands and dealers that can help farmers protect more of their rental incomes by improving the overall quality and performance of their machines, will certainly enjoy the benefit of improved loyalty amongst their customers.
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TECHNOLOGY
Pictures courtesy: Porsche
Bosch drive systems for Porsche hybrid models For Porsche’s 918 Spyder, the Panamera S E-Hybrid and the Cayenne S E-Hybrid that are basically plug-in hybrids, the company relies on an innovative drive system from Bosch. The possibilities offered by the combination of an internal combustion engine and an electric motor are very impressive in these models. “We promised to redefine driving pleasure, efficiency and performance with the 918 Spyder. We kept our word, and in so doing repositioned hybrid technology”, says Wolfgang Hatz, Member of the Executive Board – Research and Development at Porsche AG. The Porsche 918 Spyder was the first globally road-legal car to complete the 20.6 kilometre lap of the North Loop of the Nürburgring in less than seven minutes. At exactly six minutes and 57 seconds, this super sports car with plug-in hybrid drive beat the existing record by 14 seconds. Porsche also integrated the knowledge gained from the development of the technology demonstrator into the electrification of the rest of its model range. The Panamera S E-Hybrid and Cayenne S E-Hybrid round off the product range and make Porsche the global market leader for hybrid cars in the premium segment. “Porsche and Bosch
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have teamed up to bring electrification to electrifying sports cars together. Electricity gives added driving pleasure and efficiency”, says Dr. Rolf Bulander, Chairman of the Business Sector Mobility Solutions at Bosch. For the three plug-in models made by Porsche, Bosch supplies the power electronics, the battery pack, the electric motors for the Cayenne and Panamera and the electric motor installed on the front axle of the 918 Spyder. The project definition for the 918 Spyder’s development team was to build the super sports car for the next decade with a highly efficient and high performance hybrid drive. The completely new development, which logically started from scratch on a blank piece of paper, allows a new concept without having to make any concessions. The whole car was designed around the hybrid drive. The 918 Spyder thus highlights the potential of hybrid drives, i.e. the simultaneous increase in efficiency and performance, without one
coming at the expense of the other. Thanks to the SMG 180/120 electric motor developed by Bosch, the Porsche 918 Spyder has an additional 286 hp of driving power. The electric motor on the front axle of the 918 Spyder delivers a torque of 210 Nm right from the start, while the motor on the rear axle delivers 375 Nm. The result is a total system output of 887 hp with a maximum torque of up to 1,280 Nm, allowing the 918 Spyder to accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in a mere 2.6 seconds. Meanwhile, the driving experience of a sports car combined with the consumption of a small car – the Porsche Cayenne S E-Hybrid and Panamera S E-Hybrid prove that these two are not contradictory to each other. The world’s first plug-in hybrid amongst the premium SUVs with a system output of 416 hp achieves an NEDC fuel consumption of just
3.4 l/100 km. The plug-in hybrid model of the Porsche Gran Turismo, which also has a system output of 416 hp stands out thanks to its weight advantage, rear-wheel drive and low drag, giving it a fuel consumption of just 3.1 l/100 km. In the plug-in hybrid models of the Porsche Cayenne and Panamera, Bosch’s IMG-300 electric motor provides additional electrical propulsion. It gives a boost of up to 310 Nm of additional torque and provides 95 hp of additional power. The central interface between the electric motor and the battery is the INVCON 2.3 module made by Bosch. The power electronics are the control centre of the electric powertrain, because the system converts the direct current stored as energy in the battery into three-phase alternating current for the electric motor and vice versa. The traction battery stores the electricity in the powertrain. It is made up of prismatic cells with an energy capacity of 9.4 kilowatt hours in the Panamera S E-Hybrid and 10.8 kilowatt hours in the Cayenne S E-Hybrid that can be fully charged from a normal household power socket in less than four hours. Using a high current power supply, the charging time is almost halved to a good two hours.
TECHNOLOGY
Picture courtesy: Euro NCAP
Low Speed Autonomous Emergency Braking is effective
Euro NCAP and ANCAP, the independent safety bodies for Europe and Australasia, have announced the advanced publication of effectiveness of low speed autonomous emergency braking in real-world rear-end crashes in the online edition of the journal ‘Accident Analysis & Prevention’. The publication reported among other things that Low Speed AEB technology leads to a 38pc reduction in real-world rear-end crashes. Also, it said there is no significant difference between urban and rural crash benefits. It also mentioned that Meta-analysis is an effective method for combining data from various countries. The publication concluded that Low Speed AEB technology needs widespread fitment for maximum benefits.
Autonomous Emergency Braking is one of the more promising safety technologies that is becoming increasingly common on modern passenger cars. The low speed option normally consists of an automatic brake function that operates for speeds up to 30km/h or 50km/h. Previous studies have predicted significant expected benefits of AEB technology in low speed rear-end crashes but, so far, there has been little evidence that they really work. Real-world evaluations of advanced safety systems are often limited by slow take-up rates, insufficient crash data and lower crash rates of new, safer vehicles. Euro NCAP, with support of ANCAP, has initiated the ‘Validating Vehicle Safety through Meta-Analysis’ (VVSMA) group that brings together experts from
governments, industry, consumer and insurance organisations. The group pooled data from five European countries plus Australia using a standard analysis format and a novel prospective metaanalysis approach. Induced exposure methods were adopted to control for any extraneous effects. The findings showed a 38 pc overall reduction in real-world, rear-end crashes for vehicles fitted with low speed AEB compared to a sample of equivalent vehicles with no AEB. There was no statistical difference found between urban (≤60km/h) and rural (>60km/h) speed zones. Dr Anders Lie, the group chairman from the Swedish Transport Administration, commented: “The meta-analysis approach used in this analysis is
a unique academic contribution to the evaluation of vehicle safety technologies internationally and proved to be reliable with robust findings. Clearly, at this level of effectiveness, low speed AEB is potentially an important active safety technology and widespread fitment through the vehicle fleet should be encouraged in the interest of improved vehicle safety.” Dr Michiel van Ratingen, Secretary General of Euro NCAP, said: “These findings strongly support our decision to make AEB technology a key discriminator in the safety rating of new vehicles. Through VVSMA, we will continue to monitor the effectiveness in reducing real world crashes of the advanced systems that are promoted in order to validate and improve the overall star rating.”
Goodyear tyres with next gen silica offer better fuel efficiency Global tyre maker The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company has begun using a next-generation silica to increase the fuelefficiency of its tyres, according to a press release based out of the US. This new silica will be first used in the Goodyear EfficientGrip SUV tyre, which is
being launched this month in Latin American markets. Tyres containing the silica also will be introduced in other regions within the next year. For more than a decade, Goodyear researchers worked with PPG Industries to examine the effects of chemically treated
silica on tyre performance. The goal was to further improve rolling resistance without have a detrimental effect on traction in wet conditions. . In Goodyear’s new EffcientGrip SUV tyre, this next generation silica was used in a new tread compound and a new tread pattern to provide both
improved rolling resistance and improved wet traction. “Our customers around the world are demanding more fuelefficient tyres, but they want us to minimise the typical tradeoffs,” said David Zanzig, director of Global Materials Science for Goodyear.
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INDUSTRY OVERVIEW PASSENGER VEHICLE MANUFACTURERS IN INDIA APRIL 2015 (Total Domestic Sales + Exports) 2,02,363 Units
Maruti Suzuki India (46.51)% Hyundai Motor India (25.39)% Honda Cars India (6.30)% Volkswagen India (5.75)% Tata Motors (4.45)% Nissan Motor India (3.86)% Toyota Kirloskar Motor (3.32)% Ford India (2.10)% OTHERS (1.23)% Skoda Auto India (0.59%); Fiat India Automobiles (0.33%); Mahindra & Mahindra (0.18%); Renault India Pvt. Ltd. (0.13%); General Motors India (1.09)%
TWO WHEELER MANUFACTURERS IN INDIA APRIL 2015 (Total Domestic Sales + Exports) 14,71,725 Units
Hero MotoCorp (36.24)% Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India (23.15)% Bajaj Auto (19.42)% TVS Motor Company (12.64)% India Yamaha Motor (3.31)% Royal Enfield (2.30)% Suzuki Motorcycle India (1.86)% OTHERS (1.08)% Mahindra Two Wheelers (0.90%) Piaggio Vehicles (0.14%) H-D Motor Company India (0.02%) Triumph Motorcycles (India) (0.01%) Kawasaki India (0.01%)
66,065 Units
Mahindra & Mahindra (29.47)% Maruti Suzuki India (26.68)% Ford India (15.09)% Toyota Kirloskar Motor (10.51)% Renault India (5.70)% Tata Motors (4.46)% Nissan Motor India (4.03)% General Motors India (2.14)% Honda Cars India (1.13)% OTHERS (0.79)% Hindustan Motors (0.31%) Force Motors Ltd (0.20%) Hyundai Motor India Ltd. (0.19%) Skoda Auto India Pvt. Ltd (0.03%) Ashok Leyland (0.04%) Isuzu Motors (0.02%)
THREE WHEELERS MANUFACTURERS IN INDIA APRIL 2015 (Total Domestic Sales + Exports) 80,214 Units
Bajaj Auto (62.93)% Piaggio Vehicles (16.68)% TVS Motor Company (12.34)% Mahindra & Mahindra (4.59)% Atul Auto (3.12)% Scooters India (0.34)%
LIGHT COMMERCIAL VEHICLE MANUFACTURERS IN INDIA APRIL 2015 (Total Domestic Sales + Exports) 31154 Units
Mahindra & Mahindra (41.04)% Tata Motors (41.02)% Ashok Leyland (5.97)% Force Motors (4.55)% VECVs - Eicher (4.48)% Piaggio Vehicles (1.61)% SML Isuzu (1.17)% Isuzu Motors (0.16)%
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UTILITY VEHICLES MANUFACTURERS IN INDIA APRIL 2015 (Total Domestic Sales + Exports)
MEDIUM & HEAVY COMMERCIAL VEHICLE MANUFACTURERS IN INDIA APRIL 2015 (Total Domestic Sales + Exports) 21,607 Units
Tata Motors (52.82)% Ashok Leyland (30.31)% VECVs - Eicher (11.30)% SML Isuzu Ltd. (2.37)% Mahindra & Mahindra (1.92)% AMW Motors (0.85)% VECVs - Volvo (0.43)%
RNI No DEL ENG/2010/34562