Indian Car Blog - Carazoo.com

Force India have become the latest team to present the car with which they will compete in the 2010 FIA Formula One World Championship. The VJM03, which will be raced by the unchanged driver line-up of Adrian Sutil and Vitantonio Liuzzi this season, was unveiled online on Tuesday morning.

The Silverstone-based team may have made a name for themselves last season, scoring their first pole position, points and podium, but they are hoping their new Mercedes-engined car will power them to even greater things in 2010.

“Our goal is to continue on the same path of performance improvement that we had at the end of 2009,” said Force India’s chairman and team principal Dr Vijay Mallya. “I don't think I am being over-proud when I say 2009 was an exceptional year for us. The bare statistics say it all: one podium, one pole position, one fastest lap, a further five top 10 starts and 13 points.

“We've learnt from our experiences and we've come out a better team: resilient, resourceful and now resurgent. I hope 2010 will see this great progress carrying forward. We've got one podium so far but I would hope that, this time next year, I'm talking about more points and more podiums. I'm confident we can get this, why not aim high?”


The VJM03 has been designed in-house at the team's UK facility by a unit led by design director Mark Smith. Although very much an evolution of its predecessor, the new car incorporates the 2010 rule changes, including the switch to narrower front tyres and the need for a much larger fuel tank as a result of the refuelling ban.

“The VJM03 is definitely an evolution of the VJM02 in terms of the design philosophies we have developed at Force India over the last year,” explained Smith. “We are very happy with the direction, therefore we have opted to evolve the car rather than significantly revise.

“Obviously one of the major aspects we have had to contend with are regulation changes which have had a considerable impact on some aspects of the design of the car. The removal of refuelling from races increases the amount of fuel needed to be stored in the cars - almost twice the amount we ran in 2009. There is a compromise now: either make the car much longer or wider, or, as we have done, a combination of both. This of course has influenced the mechanical design solutions and also the aerodynamics, specifically with respects to the diffuser and bodywork.”

Both Sutil and Liuzzi are thrilled with their new car and spoke of their hopes for the season ahead: “2010 is a really important season and we are very optimistic about going well,” said Sutil. “I think this year it's important to be consistent from the first race. I'd like to be in the midfield and be competitive from Bahrain.

"It's the first time we have been completely on schedule so I feel this will be the first season when I can show from the beginning to the end what is possible with the car and what I can do. Of course we will have updates and performance packages from this point on but I hope we will be strong from the first practice session rather than compromising at the start.”

Liuzzi, who was promoted from his reserve role to a race seat in September 2009 after Giancarlo Fisichella moved to Ferrari to replace the injured Felipe Massa, added: “After one and a half years in a test role, I feel really prepared, both physically and mentally for a full race season. My objective is to be as strong and consistent as possible and give good feedback to the team to help them improve. For sure scoring points as many times as I can is going to be the key and you never know, perhaps we can get something more as well if everything comes together.”

Following its Tuesday launch, the VJM03 will make its testing debut at the Spanish circuit of Jerez on Wednesday. Liuzzi will be in charge of driving duties for the first two days, before Sutil takes over on Friday and Saturday.

                   &n bsp;     Add New Post

Mitsubishi Motors Corporation (MMC) will premiere its Mitsubishi ASX all-new compact crossover from Tuesday March 2, 2010 to Sunday March 14, 2010 at the 80th Geneva International Motor Show held at the Geneva Palexpo in Switzerland.

Adapting Mitsubishi’s jet-fighter-inspired front end design, the ASX is the European-spec version of the Japan-only RVR, which goes on sale from February 2010. The ASX Compact Crossover will seat five adults and will be released across Europe in stages from late spring 2010, aimed at increasing the brand’s passenger car fleet in the region, following in the footsteps of the larger and recently redesigned Outlander mid-size crossover.

The European-spec version will be fitted with an all-new Euro 5-compliant 1,8-litre turbocharged direct-injection diesel engine, coupled with a six-speed manual transmission. Incorporating “Automatic Stop & Go” technology, this combination promises to provide high environmental efficiency. Considering the CUV's small size and presumably light weight, that combo should yield impressive results at European pumps. The Mitsubishi ASX price will be announced at a later date.

Considering the recent market globalisation concept followed by many International major car makers here in India, and the demand for luxury cars here, we might soon see the Mitsubishi ASX also reach the Indian shores.

                   &n bsp;     Add New Post

The Italian sports car brand with prancing horse logo, Ferrari is doing what might be the most extreme thing ever. Coming up with a hybrid, Yeah, You read that right. Ferrari is expected to reveal a hybrid version of the 599 GTB during the 2010 Geneva International Motor Show in March.

Coinciding with the same "green" strategic direction as some other notable supercar makers, fans of the Italian marque might not find this news too disappointing or at least not much of a surprise. If this is the case, then a hybrid Ferrari 599 concept would usher in a new era for the sports car manufacturer starting with the first ever prancing horse from Maranello to feature a gas/electric power train that is intended for public use.

The car’s hybrid system will combine a set of highly efficient lithium ion batteries and an electric motor mounted in the rear transaxle. This electrified prop shaft will generate its maximum torque at zero RPM, thus cutting the extremely inefficient around town fuel consumption by up to 35% which may be translated as equivalent to about 17 litres per 100km.

The future Ferrari concept will make the most of what the Scuderia has learned from the F60’s Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS ) that was developed throughout the 2009 Formula One season. The KERS-like brake regeneration system, start/ stop technology and electric boost will also be installed.

A hybrid 4x4 Ferrari technical illustration first appeared a few months ago and was reported to be the real thing. It seems in the absence of a sedan from the prancing horse the more family-oriented V12-powered 599 GTB would be the perfect candidate for a hybrid powertrain.

                   &n bsp;     Add New Post

The rumours have been laid to rest by Lamborghini officials, who confirmed the release of the new Superleggera during a presentation in London last week. Although the ‘570-4′ number designation has not yet been confirmed, it is safe to assume it the new car will carry the number combination in line with its performance figures.

The Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera LP570-4 will share the same gearbox options as the LP560-4. As the name suggests, there will be a modest 10 bhp power increase, pushing total power output up to 560 bhp. In keeping with the Superleggera tradition, 70 kilograms will be shed to bring the overall weight down to 1,430 kg’s. The latest Superleggera is expected to sprint from 0-100 km/h in just 3.5 seconds and will no doubt benefit from a slightly higher top speed than its ’standard’ LP560-4 sibling.

The car will be offered in six colours i.e Orange, Grey, Lime Green, Yellow, Black and White, with exclusive green, red and white ‘Superleggera’ decals along the side skirt.

There will also be the opportunity for owners to match the leather stitching of the interior to the colour of the exterior in green, orange, and yellow Superleggera’s. White, grey and black Superleggera’s will have the same option but with grey stitching instead. The Gallardo LP570-4 Superleggera will have its official release at this years Geneva Motor Show, starting on 2 March.

                   &n bsp;     Add New Post

India in recent times has weighted against its counterparts in the west by becoming one of the preferred destinations for luxury car makers. We have heard of Aston Martin searching for opportunities to sell its wares in India, and Porsche outselling the quota of Panameras reserved for India, Rolls Royce planning to sell over 60 Ghosts in India and so on.

But what actually catches our eye is Mercedes-Benz, one of the first luxury car makers now trying hard to regain its lost numero uno position to BMW. Mercedes-AMG GmbH, commonly known as AMG, which is a subsidiary of the Mercedes-Benz car company specialising in high-performance luxury cars, is betting big on the Indian market. AMG models typically have more aggressive looks, higher performances, better handling and better stability also comes with a much costlier price tag than their regular Mercedes counterparts.

As per a report in popular news daily, Mercedes Benz has managed to bag as many as five confirmed bookings for the Rs2. Crore SLS-AMG within days after it was showcased in the 10th Auto Expo held in New Delhi. For those who came in late, Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG was showcased in the Mercedes Benz pavilion under the concept of ‘Pure Fascination” at the Auto Show 2010. This car which is a spiritual successor to the 300L has been developed by AMG, the performance division of Mercedes Benz.

Following its world premiere at the International Motor Show in Frankfurt in September 2009, series production of the SLS AMG is now commencing in Sindelfingen, the largest of the Mercedes-Benz production plants. It is to be mentioned that the assembly lines and production facilities in Sindelfingen were brought up to the very latest standards for final assembly of the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG. This is where specially selected, highly qualified specialists produce the gullwing model substantially by hand. Premium quality is not only ensured by continuous monitoring of the ongoing production process. At the end of the production process, the entire vehicle is subjected to further, extensive quality checks.

The unrivalled technology package of the SLS is an alluring proposition: aluminum spaceframe body with gullwing doors, AMG 6.3-litre V8 front-mid-engine developing 420 kW (571 hp) peak output, 650 Nm of torque and dry sump lubrication, seven-speed double-declutch transmission in a transaxle configuration, sports suspension with aluminums double wishbones and a kerb weight of 1620 kilograms based on the DIN standard – this superlative combination guarantees driving dynamics of the highest order. With a front/rear weight distribution of 47 to 53 per cent and the vehicle's low centre of gravity, this extraordinary combination guarantees performance figures at the highest level. The gullwing model accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 3.8 seconds, and has an electronically limited top speed of 317 km/h. A fuel consumption of 13.2 litres per 100 kilometres (combined) makes it one of the best in the competitive line-up.

A heavy emphasis on hand-production is a characteristic feature of the SLS – for the aluminum spaceframe, the engine and during final assembly. The chassis and aluminum bodyshell are produced by Magna Steyr Fahrzeugtechnik GmbH in Graz/Austria. This highly respected system partner is able to look back on many years of cooperation with Daimler, as the Mercedes-Benz G-Class has been in production there since 1979.

Innovative joining techniques are used in the lightweight spaceframe of the SLS AMG, which tips the scales at only 241 kilograms. Hand-production is also the order of the day at the AMG engine workshops in Affalterbach, where the 420 kW (571 hp) AMG 6.3-litre V8 power unit is assembled on the ‘one man, one engine’ principle.

                   &n bsp;     Add New Post