Audi opens a Showroom at Nagpur

Audi India has opened a showroom in Nagpur as part of its network expansion strategy. The showroom was inaugurated by Michael Perschke, head, Audi India & Gautam Kale, managing director, Audi Nagpur. Spread over a total area of 9684sq ft, the showroom is the biggest luxury car showroom in Nagpur. It can accommodate 10 cars & will display Audi’s entire model range available in India. Audi Nagpur will also manage the 30,000sqft Audi service facility located in MIDC Hingna. The German carmaker will expand its footprint in India & will cover markets like Bhopal, Coimbatore & Delhi West in April 2012. Audi India plans to expand its network to 25 dealerships by 201...

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Used Santro and City are the top sellers from Mahindra First Choice.

Used Hyundai Santros & Honda Citys, from the B  & C segments respectively, are currently the best selling models from Mahindra FirstChoice Wheels (MFCW) outlets. These Mahindra outlets offer used cars from various brands, so you can expect to see a Tata Nano sitting alongside an Audi A4 in a First Choice outlet.   Prices range from Rs 1 3 lakh for a used petrol Santro (2001 10 model) while the second generation petrol City (loosely known as the ‘Dolphin’ 2004 05 model in the used car trade) can be yours for Rs 3.5 4.5 lakh. The C class Mercedes 2002 03 petrol & diesel models can be bought for as little as Rs 6.5 to Rs 7 lakh. However, luxury cars constitute only 3 percent of total sales. Interestingly, just like in...

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New BMW’s affordable GS is for India

BMW is readying the F650 GS from its ever popular adventure family for launch in India. The name could lead you to think back to the mid nineties, when another BMW, the big single engine powered Funduro, launched here courtesy the Hero group. The F650 GS is however a very different animal as compared to the Funduro, that was a bike ahead of its time. Unlike the Funduro’s big single, Rotax developed engine, the GS’s trellis frame holds a more potent, four stroke, liquid cooled, 798cc parallel twin motor that is shared with the 85bhp F800GS. Power for the F650 GS is although capped at a milder 71bhp. At idle the F650 GS’s fuel injected BMW powerplant settles into a smooth rhythm with a muted, bass rich exhaust beat. The saddle of this near...

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Hyundai has Launched it's new i20

Hyundai has launched the updated i20. The new version is called the i Gen i20. The refreshed car gets a light dose of Hyundai’s latest fluidic sculpture design language, which is clearly visible in the front styling. The headlights are slimmer & the grille is hexagonal. The front bumper is completely new with re styled housings for the fog lamps & a much wider chin. The hood design is also updated, possibly due to new EU crash test regulations. Styling changes to the rear include a new bumper & re profiled tail lamps. It also gets turn indicators on the wing mirrors & a new eight spoke alloy wheel design. The new i20 now comes with two petrol & one diesel engine options. Petrol engines include a new 84bhp 1.2 Kappa...

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Review and Test Drive Of new Audi Q7 V12 TDI

Audi’s stock in trade, the Q7 3.0 TDI is a finely balanced machine. It may tip the scales at an ungodly 2.3 tonnes, but with 56kgm of twist available & 241bhp of power, even this most basic diesel manages to deliver plenty of performance. Truth be told, you don’t need more than a 3.0 litre V6 to power a car like the Q7. But what’s luxury if not the exceptional, taken to excess. What indeed? Say a big hello to the emperor of excess, the Q7 6.0 V12 TDI, a formidable beast of a car that is so far over the top, it’s almost floating up there in the ether. To believe – to really, truly believe – they say you have to see things with your own eyes. So before doing anything else I take a good look under the bonnet. & even though I expect...

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BMW recalls 5 series & 6 series models

BMW is recalling 1.3m cars globally amid fears 5 series & 6 series models could catch fire. This is for model year 2003 2010 cars. BMW said: "In some remote cases, the battery cable inside the boot may be incorrectly mounted.  This can result in the electrical system malfunctioning, the vehicle failing to start and, in some cases, to charring or fire." Fewer than 1 per cent of cars inspected so far have exhibited the problem. BMW said it had received nine reports of the defect. An official said: "no injuries to a person have been reported to us." The car maker will write to owners of all cars affected. It said checks will take around 30mins & be free of charge. The recall affects around 368,000 cars in America, 283,000...

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New Maruti Ritz is coming soon

Maruti is all set to give the Ritz its first mid cycle facelift & here is the proof. These spy pictures were posted on the Ritz's facebook page. As seen in the images, the updated Ritz will feature a slightly altered front fascia starting with a more prominent chin, an updated Audi esque grille, restyled fog lamp housing & bonnet. The facelifted Ritz will also feature updated interiors & lighter shades. Under the hood, we expect the 84bhp 1.2 litre petrol & the 74bhp 1.3 litre diesel motors to be carried over. Expect the updated Ritz to be launched in the coming mont...

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New Nissan Sunny Auto is likely by Feb 2013

Nissan Motor India is planning to expand the Sunny range with the launch of an automatic variant by February 2013. The automatic option will only be available only on the petrol variant & will feature a basic Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) 'box for the Indian market to keep costs down. This will help Nissan pitch the Sunny AT against the Maruti Swift Dzire AT which is available with a four speed auto 'box on the petrol variant & is the cheapest automatic transmission equipped saloon in the market. In terms of pricing, we expect the Sunny AT to be priced at around Rs 80,000 more than the Sunny petrol manual varian...

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Lewis Hamilton clinches pole in Malaysia

Lewis Hamilton & Jenson Button maintained McLaren's 2012 qualifying superiority as they repeated their Melbourne grid result & filled for the front row for the Malaysian Grand Prix. Michael Schumacher produced the best qualifying performance of his Formula 1 comeback as he took third for Mercedes, while world champion Sebastian Vettel chose to run the harder tyre & will start fifth for Red Bull. Just as had been the case in Australia, Hamilton's first pole shot in Q3 was sufficient to secure the top spot, as his 1m36.219s proved unbeatable. Button was second fastest after those runs, but was pushed back by Schumacher. Mercedes had left it late in Q2 & looked in danger of being eliminated before surging into the top 10,...

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Teat Drive and review of New Maruti Ertiga

We've just driven the Maruti's new Ertiga & initial impressions are that the company has yet another winner on its hands. The Ertiga gets the basics right. It has three rows of seats, can seat seven & comes with the option of both petrol & diesel engines. Also, its monocoque construction promises much in terms of car-like comfort & driving manners. With a length of 4265mm, the Ertiga is shorter than the other MPVs in the market, namely the Toyota Innova, Mahindra Xylo & Tata Aria. What’s more, it also sits lower than the others, so those upgrading from a small car will immediately take a liking to it. Styling at the front is typically Suzuki. The headlights that sweep back towards the A-pillars are reminiscent of...

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Plans of aAudi's aggressive new model

Not content with merely grabbing the attention of India’s luxury car buyers, Audi is continuing its relentless charge for market share with the launch of several new models in the coming months. First up, & most important, will be the Q3, Audi’s compact SUV that is confirmed for a June 2012 launch. Audi may have lost the first mover advantage to the BMW X1, but the company is confident that it can claw back lost ground. In fact, the Q3 has quite a few strengths that the X1 lacks. The most notable being its superior packaging. In contrast to the X1’s rear wheel drive layout & longitudinally mounted engine, the Q3 with its transverse motor offers better space utilisation & is more spacious in the back. While the X1 is rear wheel...

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Taxi market Dzire christened the Swift Dzire Tour

Maruti has named the taxi spec version of the Swift Dzire as the Dzire Tour. This version is basically the first generation Dzire & it now comes only in the base LXi (petrol) & LDi (diesel). Standard features include an AC, power steering steel wheels. Both front & rear bumpers, outside rear view mirrors & door handles are black. The Dzire Tour is priced at Rs 5.91 lakh for the diesel & Rs 4.88 lakh for the petrol variant. It will only be sold to taxi & fleet operators. This model will go on sale next month (April 2012) onwards. Given below is a price comparison of the Dzire Tour & its competitors (all prices, ex showroom, Delhi). Model Diesel Petrol Maruti Dzire Tour Rs 5.91 lakh Rs 4.88 lakh Tata Indigo...

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Lamborghini Ferruccio Beautiful Concept By Mark Hostler

The year 2013 marks the 50th anniversary of the famous Italian sports car brand, Lamborghini. In 1963, Ferruccio Lamborghini started the company with the intent of creating supercars to compete with models from Ferrari. Now, as a celebration of this event, & as an homage to Ferruccio Lamborghini, Mark Hostler, a transportation design student at Staffordshire university, has created the Lamborghini Ferruccio Concept. According to the designer, the concept is "a car that takes inspiration from the company’s lineage, & also showcases the current design language & innovations of the company in their trademark flamboyant style." The concept’s front end, bonnet, & super wide rear end were inspired by the Countach. The front &...

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Jenson Button storms Gonna Australian GP victory

Jenson Button opened the 2012 Formula 1 world championship with a commanding victory for McLaren in the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne. World champion Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull) managed to get up to second from sixth on the grid, fending off pole sitter Lewis Hamilton's McLaren & the second Red Bull of Mark Webber. Fernando Alonso salvaged fifth place from Ferrari's difficult weekend, having proved much more competitive in the race. Button claimed the lead at the start with a better getaway than his pole sitting team mate, & then quickly established a lead of three seconds, which stayed stable through the opening stint. The two Mercedes occupied third & fourth initially, but Vettel overtook Nico Rosberg on the second lap,...

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New Toyota Fortuner Review and Test Drive

Toyota’s Fortuner created a frenzy when news of its imminent arrival first surfaced on our pages in November 2008. Here was a proper middle of the road Toyota SUV that seemed to tick all the must haves. Yes, weak brakes were a big issue on early cars, the Innova like interiors increasingly faced a lot of flak, & buyers really did miss having the option of an automatic gearbox; Checklist for the facelift done then. As facelifts go, this is a good one, especially from the front. Toyota has thought it important enough to upgrade the entire nose of the car and, as a result, looking at it head on gives you the impression that this car is all new. Sharp lines replace the outdated rounded forms, the new Fortuner’s wider wraparound headlights...

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Two wheeler prices may go North

In a show of insufficient support to India’s flourishing private sector, the Government Of India’s Union Budget 2012–13 proposes hiking two wheeler excise duty from ten to twelve percent; an inexplicable move that can only trigger price hikes across the industry, as two wheeler manufacturers are left little choice but to pass their increased cost burden on to buyers. The government has meanwhile also failed to provide relief to what are already sky high import duties levied on imported motorcycles brought in as completely built units (CBU), semi knocked down (SKD) &ncompletely knocked down units (CKD), unreasonably choosing to keep duty unaltered for these products, with 60 percent duty absorbed by the Government on every CBU model,...

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