Monthly Archives: July 2009

Hyundai Rolls Out its First Hybrid

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Hyundai, the Korean car giant has been on the headlines of late. Hyundai Motors has hit the jackpot again by unveiling its first hybrid car in its domestic market of South Korea. Christened as the Elantra LPI, this hybrid will use liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and a set of lithium-ion polymer batteries.

The Elantra LPI will run 17.8 Km/L of LPG and will emit an amazing 99 grams of carbon dioxide per kilometer. Hyundai announced that the set of lithium-ion polymer batteries weigh 35% less than current nickel-metal hydride cells used in the Toyota’s Prius, and the Honda’s Insight.

Moreover, these batteries are 40% smaller and are likely to last 1.5 times longer than nickel-metal hydride batteries. These batteries generate less heat and are more resilient to shock than other types of lithium-ion batteries. The batteries don’t have to conform to a set shape as the polymer resembles a gel. This is Hyundai’s solution to the bulkiness of batteries on hybrids, which has been a concern for years.

Hyundai joining the hybrid party with the Elantra LPI, is a stepping stone for world’s fifth carmaker. The launching of Hyundai’s hybrid coincides with new hybrids from Honda and Toyota.

The first hybrid electric model, largely based on the existing Elantra, makes Hyundai the first carmaker on the planet to offer lithium-ion polymer batteries commercially.

Hyundai has received strong interest for the new hybrid car from Australia, India, Italy and France, which have liquefied-petroleum-gas infrastructures.
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Ronaldo To Sell His Car Collection

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Soccer stars in Europe are known to be exorbitant spenders and also avid collector or rare things. What will they do with all millions of dollars they earn in a year! After all, celebrities enjoy a privileged life.

Soccer stars like David Beckham, Kaka, Ronaldinho, and many more are followed keenly just not on the football field but also in their life. Here is a piece of news on current soccer sensation Cristiano Ronaldo.

After bagging a new contract with the Real Madrid club of Spain, Ronaldo who was staying in UK while playing for Manchester United club, all these days must move to Spain. The latter country allows only left hand drive cars and Ronaldo has decided to sell off his sports cars and luxury car collection of right hand drives. They include Bentley Continental GT Speed, Porsche 911 Carrera 2 Tiptronic S, Porsche Cayenne, Bentley Continental GTC, Audi R8 and Ferrari 599 GTB, among others. Ronaldo has already quoted an exotic price for the sports cars.

He won’t be missing these cars once he moves to the new country. We are sure that Ronaldo will get a set of these exotic cars in left hand drives in Spain. He also plans to sell off the turbo diesel Mercedes Benz C220, which is likely to cost the least for buyers interested in celebrity cars.

In April, Mahindra and Mahindra gifted India’s star footballer Bhaichung Bhutia, a fully customized Mahindra Scorpio Getaway Lifestyle. This event was used to highlight the new Mahindra custom SUVs including exotic Bolero, Scorpio, Jeep Classic and others.
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Denim Themed Ferrari? Hell yeah!

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What do you do if you were to be Lapo Elkann, the grandson of late industrialist and Fiat Chairman Gianni Agnelli and an heir to the Fiat SpA automobile company? You get a custom built denim themed Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano, of course!!! Blasphemy! Did you just say? But this is just what happens if you were to own the company that made the car.

Lapo Elkann, an heir to the huge business empire and a notorious playboy has also splurged millions of dollars on cars. His passion for cars many a times ran overboard. But when he commissioned the denim themed Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano, he was just going a step further to show his eccentricities. (But we are loving it!!!)

The denim themed Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano is painted in baby blue, the roof, mirrors and pentagram wheels in a contrast indigo blue colour. The car has been decked up with denim upholstery instead of the customary leather seats offered by Ferrari itself. (What the ….? Yeah, we do understand your emotions)

Now don’t flinch at the billionaire playboy’s taste. A look at this denim blue Ferrari is actually very startling for Ferrari fans who have liked their Ferraris best clad in flaming red and black. To add to the sacrilege done already, Mr. Elkann now uses it everywhere he goes, which make it unbearable to prancing Horse enthusiasts.

But guys remember Mr. Elkann could one day be running Fiat Company and along with it the Ferrari, as Fiat holds a major stake in the sports car company. He could also be running the Chrysler in America and to a lesser extend the Fiat Automobiles in India too. (Thinking of the shapes of things to come already?)
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Brawn wins MIA Award for F1 Contributions

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New F1 cars
Ross Brawn, the British motorsport engineer and Formula One (Brawn GP) team owner was on the ninth cloud after being honoured with the Motorsport Industry Association’s (MIA) Award. This prestigious award was for his outstanding contribution to the motorsport industry.

The award function was organized at the MIA’s annual summer reception at Britain’s House of Lords. Brawn collected the impressive award in the presence of over 300 guests which comprised of Ministers of State, Ambassadors, VIPs, MIA members and leaders from the motorsport industry.

With this award under his wings, Brawn will be sharing the list of other esteemed winners of the award from Formula One Motorsports which includes Professor Sid Watkins, Frank Williams, Stirling Moss, Jackie Stewart and Bernie Ecclestone.

Brawn’s contribution in the motorsport is clearly evident as he has promoted the F1 global industry in numerous ways. With his strategic planning and quick thinking Brawn gets the credit for many F1 victories. In his appreciation, MIA CEO, Chris Aylett commented that “His exceptional race engineering talent is coupled with integrity, sincerity and humility – a rare combination in this aggressive competitive sport.”

Ross Brawn has served various championship-winning F1 teams such as Benetton and Ferrari as the technical director. In 2007 he took a small vacation and showed his presence again in 2008 season as a Team Principal of Honda. He owns Brawn GP team (he took over the Honda team in early 2009, as Honda was hit by recession.

He is a man of inspiration, hard work, integrity, confidence and it is these characteristics that made him successful. Beside Formula One as his first love he is also a great lover of fishing and gardening.
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Cars of 2009 with Best Engines

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New Cars Engines in IndiaWe here in Carazoo.com, have blogged a lot on cars, new car launches, car discounts, best cars etc but very less on the heart of the car (Engines, to be very precise) which is the most important feature of any car. Not many are aware or actually give importance on the type of the engine that a car carries.

People would know about the award winning car models such as ‘Best Car of the Year’ but there will very few who know which engine can be considered to belong to the top 10 best car engines list. It is equally important to know which engine is good and more effective.

The German car manufacturer, Volkswagen, known for best car engineering recently was honored with the “International Engine of the Year Award”. This elite award for innovative design and creativeness was bagged by Volkswagen’s turbo and 1.4-litre supercharged, TSI engine. Apart from this award, Volkswagen also bagged the “Best Green Engine 2009” and “Best Engine” in the 1.0-litre to 1.4-litre category.
The award function which was organized in Germany was judged by 65 Auto journalists from 32 countries.

Apart from the awards bagged by Volkswagen, Car manufacturers like Porsche won the “Best New Engine 2009” for its 3.8-litre 385bhp flat six engine which is powering the 911 Carrera S.

The Mercedes’ AMG performance division’s 6.2-litre V8 was crowned as the “Best Performance Engine” which created a speeding monster. Toyota won the sub-litre category for its 1-litre engine.

BMW/PSA Peugeot Citroën in a joint venture developed turbo petrol engine which has won accolade for the third consecutive year in the 1.4-litre to 1.8-litre category.
The winner this year in the 1.8- to 2-litre category is Audi 2-litre TSFI engine.
From 2005, Audi’s first 2-litre turbo I4 has won this category for the past four times.

For 2.0-litre-2.5-litre class, the appreciation was given to Mercedes-Benz diesel 2.1-litre engine, which is found in the all-new E-Class models for the global car market. In the 2.5-litre-3.0-litre segment BMW 3.0-litre DI Twin Turbocharged engine was honoured.

BMW 4.0-litre engine proved to be a great favourite of the judges by winning the Best Engine Award in 3.0-litre-4.0-litre segment. And last but not least regardless of tough competition from BMW and Jaguar, the Mercedes-AMG 6.2-litre engine has been crowned winner of the above 4-litre class.
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Rolls Royce Ghost India-Bound

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New Rolls Royce Phantom Cars in India
The ultimate name in luxury, the Rolls Royce will be launching its smallest offering, Ghost, in India by the end of this year. It is also called the Baby Rolls Royce and is perfect for an everyday drive to office and back.

The Rolls Royce Ghost will be globally launched at the Frankfurt Motor Show scheduled to be held in September 2009. It will be brought to India in November or December. The Ghost will be priced around U.S. $ 250,000 and U.S. $ 270,000 (Rs 1.2 crore to Rs 1.4 crore). It will come with all the exclusive features a typical Rolls Royce will have.

Currently, the Indian car market has around 40 Rolls Royce cars of which 14 of them were brought last year. Interestingly, Indians were busy buying Rolls Royce when the world was going through an economic slowdown. Rolls Royce in India sells three models already- Phantom, Phantom Coupe, and Phantom Drophead Coupe.

With the inclusion of the Ghost in the Rolls Royce portfolio, Indian luxury car buyers’ will be spoilt for choice. The Rolls Royce Ghost is expected to be a Moolah-Churner for the Indian operations of Rolls Royce.

The Indian luxury car market is very small compared to China, its nearest rival. It is said that Indian market is only one eighth of the Chinese market. However, Rolls Royce believes that India has a lot of potential as it is an emerging market.

It believes that there are at least 1,000 customers yet to tapped. This is where the Rolls Royce Ghost is targeted.
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Ford Endeavour Sheds its Price

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New Ford Endeavour Cars in IndiaGood news guys!!! The premium SUV from Ford India, the Ford Endeavour just got cheaper. The new pricing of the Endeavour is a result of the announcement made in the new Union Budget for the current year.

It has been proposed that the excise duty applicable on cars with an engine capacity of 2000 cc and above will be reduced from Rs. 20,000/- per vehicle to Rs. 15,000 per vehicle. The high end Endeavour will now cost less by Rs. 6,000.

Ford India feels that the additional duty reduction is an agreeable measure taken by the Government, even if the reduction is limited only to large cars. The price reduction of Rs. 6,000 will be applicable to all the three models of Ford Endeavour. The base model (2.5 Litre) of the Endeavour will now be available at Rs. 15, 01,000 (Ex-showroom, New Delhi). The Ford Endeavour is available in two other variants, 2.5L XLT and the 3.0L Thunder Plus.

The Ford Endeavour was launched in India in 2003. Besides its commanding road presence and imposing built, the Endeavour offers a genuine American SUV experience and proclaims its SUV-truck roots with pride. It is a hugely functional SUV with serious off-road capability, especially in the all-wheel drive (AWD) version.

The premium, world class and versatile 7-seater from Ford India, competes with Hyundai Tucson, Honda CRV, Chevrolet Captiva and the Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara.

This world class SUV from Ford India is more spacious than the other premium SUVs that are being offered in India.
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GM India strong performance attracts US

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General Motors India has been termed as a strong performer by its beleaguered parent company General Motors of United States. The Supreme Court of U.S. has shown the green signal to General Motors for its restructuring and to form a brand new entity called General Motors Company.

After restructuring, General Motors wants to regain its control over its strongest performers including its Indian subsidiary. When this happens new General Motors will be able to show a stronger balance sheet and profits which will help it reinvest in development of future technologies.

It is also likely that General Motors may reward the Indian buyers for their continued support by bringing in some of their best cars. General Motors is already selling seven cars under the Chevrolet Brand. It is also likely that the new General Motors will pump in additional investments to make the Indian subsidiary more challenging.

General Motors India faced a minor hurdle when its parent company filed for bankruptcy. The Indian subsidiary worked to restore faith in the company and bring back customers to their showrooms. During this critical period, General Motors launched a campaign called ‘There for you, there for India’ to assure car buyers in India that the company was not leaving the country.

Since June 1, when the parent company went into bankruptcy frenzy, the Indian subsidiary has been showing a strong performance.
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Hyundai i20 Diesel Launched

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New Hyundai i20 Diesel in IndiaThe wait is over!!! The much awaited Hyundai i20 diesel has finally rolled out from Hyundai’s mill to India’s roads. And this is not the end of the Hyundai‘s commitment to Indian Car Market. Hyundai also has a surprise gift for the i20 lovers, who it is pampering with an Automatic!

The i20 diesel CRDi engine uses a DOHC, 16 Valve, Variable Timing Valve Train (VTVT) technology that ensures acceleration, smooth drivability, low emissions and optimum fuel mileage of 20 km/l on average. Delivering a power output of 88 bhp, the CRDi engine is more powerful than the petrol engine of the i20.

The i20 Automatic Transmission (AT) has a 1.4L GAMMA petrol engine that uses a 4-speed gearbox with an overdrive lock switch. With the launch of the i20 Automatic, Hyundai has become the first carmaker to offer an automatic option across all the segments starting from the compact to the premium.

The safety features in the newly launched i20s include 6 airbags, rear disc brakes with Anti-lock Braking System and Electronic Brakeforce Distribution.

The i20 diesel and the petrol will be available in three different models, i.e., the Magna, the Asta and the Asta Option. The i20 Automatic will be sold in two variants namely the Asta and the Asta Option. Asta Option variants sport a cool sunroof. The base Magna will come with power windows, electric power steering with tilt and telescopic adjustment and air-conditioning or heating.

In total the i20 is now available in eight variants. The i20 CRDi and i20 Gamma Automatic is available in seven exciting colours – Berry Red, Black Diamond, Dark Grey, Sleek Silver, Crystal White, Sparkle Blue and Silky Beige. The diesel version will cost Rs. 6.2 -Rs. 7.2 Lakhs and the new petrol variant will fall in the range of Rs. 7.3 – Rs. 7.7 Lakhs (ex-showroom Delhi).
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Mercedes Introduces Alarm for Sleepy Drivers

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New Mercedes-Benz E-Class Cars in IndiaMercedes-Benz has always been known for introducing path breaking safety features. Apart from luxury and the stunning looks, Mercedes has been a pioneer in bringing out latest car safety technologies like airbags, antilock brakes and brake assist. And this has made the brand come out as one of the best in the global car market.

Mercedes-Benz, once more proving its worth as an innovator of safety features in a car has introduced a unique technology called Attention Assist, a new anti-drowse alarm for drivers. The new safety technology has been introduced in their E-Class luxury sedans for the American and European markets.

The Attention Assist system detects several abrupt steering corrections, a habit often noticed in drowsy drivers. The system emits low frequency beeps to alert the driver of reckless driving. If the driver continues to ignore audio warning, an espresso cup graphic lights up on the display screen, to remind him to remain awake if he wants to reach his destination.

Mercedes-Benz hopes that the Attention Assist safety feature will help cut down road accident caused due to drowsy driving. It is not known if Mercedes-Benz E-class sold in India will features the same technology.

If it does, it will set a new path for Indian car manufacturers. We hope the same system arrives in India at the earliest. Such a technology needs to be made mandatory on all cars to help save more lives lost in road accidents. It is proven that many road accidents are caused by drowsy drivers who are tired of fatigue and sleep.

It is not only the driver who may end injuring himself, but also road users who follow rules to the T.
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