Monthly Archives: December 2009

Nissan to Roll Out 370Z Sports Sedan

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Nissan 370ZNissan Motor Company will introduce its third product in India. And this will happen very soon, as soon as next month.

This time the Japanese car maker will introduce a sports sedan to the Indian car market. Moreover, with the introduction the 370Z sports coupe in India, Nissan is going to be the third car company to roll out a sports sedan after Audi which rolled out its R8 and BMW which brought in its Z4 roadster.

The Nissan 370Z, known as the Fairlady Z in Japan, made its first public appearance at an event in Los Angeles ahead of the 2008 Greater LA Auto Show. The 370Z is the sixth-generation of the Nissan Z-car line, succeeding the 350Z.

The Nissan 370Z is expected to be powered by the VQ37VHR 3.7 L DOHC V6 with Variable Valve Event and Lift Control. This engine is mated either to a new 7-speed automatic transmission with paddle shifters or 6-speed manual transmission which features the world’s first synchronized downshift rev-matching system or SynchroRev Match. The engine can produce 332 bhp at 700 rpm and a torque of 366 Nm at 5200 rpm.

The 370Z sports a front aluminum sub-frame, aluminum-alloy engine cradle, aluminum door panels, an all-aluminum bonnet and an aluminum tailgate.
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Nano Impresses World Bank chief

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New Tata Nano Cars in IndiaTrust us; you’ll never ever hear the end of Nano, no, not at least in your life time. Just when we thought people were tired of praising the Nano for being the people’s car, smallest car, and cheapest car and so on. Here comes one of the most revered praises for the Nano from none other than the President of the World Bank himself.

Robert Zoellick, the President of World Bank Group was impressed with the world’s cheapest car, Tata Nano when he saw the small wonder parked at Road and Highways Minister Kamal Nath’s house in Delhi.

Robert Zoellick who could not help but satisfy the urge to sit in the car immediately was impressed with the abundant space of the Nano. He tried the rear and the front seats of the car and also peeped to have a glance of the engine.

He was amazed with the frugal manufacturing made possible by Indian companies and that it shows signs of strength of India Inc. He could not help but comment “The low end is selling for about USD 2,000. I mean, that’s a very well engineered product and that’s a sign of something.”

He also showered the words of praises on the Tata Nano maker and Tata Group head, Ratan Tata saying “Probably, most people in the car industry thought it couldn’t have been done”.
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Muscle Car Camaro at Delhi Auto Expo

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2010 Chevrolet CamaroThe sturdy American muscle car, the Chevrolet Camaro is all set to make its Indian outing.
And of course not for the filming of “Transformers” series, in which the car has starred, hold your breath, as a showcase model in the upcoming Delhi Auto Expo. General Motors has made elaborate plans to unveil this beauty at the Auto Expo to be held in Delhi next Jan.

Well, here comes the rude awakening, the guys in General Motors have no intention of bringing in this model and selling it here in India like Volkswagen has done with its Beetle and Fiat with its 500, but is being brought to the Auto Expo as just a brand-building exercise for the company.

The original model was initially designed by GM to compete with Ford Mustang, which had already carved a niche for itself in the swinging sixties. The Camaro became increasingly famous and has attained a cult status around the globe as one of the best looking muscle car or Pony car of the world.

The car which GM is planning to exhibit in the Expo is the fifth generation Camaro went into production in March earlier this year. The Chevrolet Camaro is available in 10 exciting colours and an option of two engines, the V6-Equipped LS variant and the powerful V8-powered SS model. Other prominent available features include a wireless cell-phone link, USB port, satellite radio, and remote engine start. Its 2-door convertible model is due to arrive in the overseas market by mid-2011.

Apart from the Camaro , several other models also will be showcased by GM which also includes Chevrolet Volt, Chevy Aveo CNG and electric version of the small car Spark. General Motors is also launching the hatchback, Chevrolet Beat on January 04 coinciding with the Expo.
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New Offering from BMW

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BMW 335i
BMW has got everything to top the position in the car manufacturing market. It has served as an icon in the automobile industry. And in India, it has emerged as the top luxury car company by edging out Mercedes-Benz.

Now, BMW is out with its 335i sedan to lock horns with the Lexus IS350 and the Infiniti G35. The IS350 from Lexus mill can churn out a robust 306 bhp of power and the Infiniti G35 also have above 300 horsepower mark. With these two competitors around, BMW could only ask for more acceleration. As a result, the debut of the powerful car was needed and it triggered the birth of the BMW 335i sedan.

The all-new BMW 335i sedan comes with the customary BMW body parts only that this time around the luxury car maker offers turbocharged V6 to create greater power, performance and acceleration. To those wondering how powerful this model can get, the car could sprint 0-100 km in 4.9 seconds and could cover half kilometre in 13.6 seconds. Peak torque of 307 Nm can be derived effortlessly at 5,000 rpm.

The 6-cylinder engine is the world’s first of engine of its kind. The BMW 335i also has high precision fuel injection, 6-speed Steptronic automatic transmission, all-aluminum crankcase, Valvetronic valve management, an electric coolant pump, fully controlled oil pump, top-quality audio, navigation and telematic solutions and many more. The 6-speed Steptronic automatic transmission is also offered as an optional feature.

The proficient increase in acceleration is attributable in part to the gasoline direct injection. The concept behind was developed by BMW to ensure a more appealing and powerful car with measurable edge in fuel economy without reducing its dynamic qualities.

The BMW 335i sedan retained its magical dynamics and driving feel. The only difference is that it is given a boost in handling and acceleration. It boasts its new standard of responsiveness and spontaneity. Moreover, when equipped with sport package, this feature can continue to a top speed of 241 km/h.

With all these features, this new offering from BMW will make its competitors scurrying for cover!
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Mini And Mitsu Launch Electric Car Trials In UK

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Electric Mini The world is acknowledging the word “Green” and how? Two of the world’s largest car firms kicked off trials of their flagship electric vehicles in the UK as part of a nationwide pilot scheme backed by the Technology Strategy Board (TSB).

Mitsubishi’s electric i-MiEVs and BMW’s electric Mini were both distributed to participants in the trial, which is intended to inform both the development of the yet-to-be-released vehicles and the government’s wider electric car strategy.

In the trial that began in Oxford, about 40 customers picked up their Mini electric car as part of a pilot scheme for six months that has seen a special charging points fitted at the homes of the successful applicants and data collection devices fitted to each of the Mini Es.
This was to evaluate the psychological, social and technical aspects of living with an electric car. The information will be collected by Oxford Brookes University and then made publicly available.

The Mini E is based on the Mini hatchback, but the back seat is converted to store batteries. The 35kWh lithium-ion battery powers a 201bhp electric motor, which provides similar acceleration to a standard mini.

BMW, which owns Mini claims that the overall CO2 emissions from the car equates to roughly 68g/km, which is around half the CO2 emitted by a 1.25l Ford Fiesta. It also adds that the emissions related to the vehicle would fall over time as more renewable energy plays a greater role in the UK’s energy mix. It added that each full charge will give the vehicle a range of about 150 miles.

Meanwhile, Mitsubishi‘s pilot scheme has seen 25 i-MiEVs, the electric version of its compact four-seat, four-door, rear-engined “i” city car, distributed to customers in the midlands.

The cars were distributed as part of the £15m Coventry and Birmingham Low Emission Vehicle Demonstrators (Cabled) project, which will ultimately see 110 vehicles trialed in Birmingham and Coventry. Under the scheme, Indian auto giant Tata Motors will contribute 25 electric Indicas, Microlab will provide 10 hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, Land Rover is to supply five Range_e plug-in hybrids and LTI will provide five electric taxis.Mitsubishi Electric i-MiEV

E.ON, Birmingham City Council and Coventry City Council will also install electrical charging points for the vehicles and arrange access to the University of Birmingham’s hydrogen refuelling station. The launch of the trials came as business secretary Lord Mandelson announced plans for a new £19m competition to help accelerate the development of electric vehicles. More details of the competition are expected to be announced in February.

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No Asian Partner for Fiat

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Italian car giant Fiat does not need an Asian partner to compete with its rivals.

Of late, many European car makers are tying up with Asian car makers to grab a bigger share in the world car market. But Fiat says it has no need to find an Asian partner to match recent tie-ups by European competitors with Japanese car makers.

Fiat has already bought a 20 per cent stake in Chrysler and the company feels that this tie-up is sufficient for them. Otherwise, the company might choke trying to shallow too much what it can actually intake.

Asian car makers have secured several deals recently with other car manufactures. It is just last week ago when Volkswagen agreed to buy 20 per cent stake of Suzuki Motor Corporation for $2.5 billion. This has been followed by Monday’s announcement that Beijing Automotive Industry Holding Co (BAIC) has bought some Saab assets.

Fiat is building a plant in China with Guangzhou Automobile, China’s sixth-largest auto producer and has a joint venture with India’s Tata Motors. Fiat aims to go to China with the Jeep and its deal with Chrysler “is also aimed at Eastern markets.”

Fiat also revealed that its sporty Alfa Romeo marque was not for sale under any circumstances, after a recent analyst report suggested it could be bought by Volkswagen.

Fiat would be able to significantly increase output in its native land as the government has requested during negotiations over the car maker’s future strategy and the government’s commitment to incentives for trading in old vehicles.

Fiat also said Chrysler will allow the car maker to cover market segments the company is not present in till date. Moreover, it expects to shift production of around 270,000 Panda cars from its overworked factory in Poland, either to the southern Italian Pomigliano plant or to Mirafiori, near its home base of Turin in the north-east.
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Schumi To Drive For Mercedes GP In 2010 ?

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Michael SchumacherThis is one of the many comeback stories that we have often heard in Carazoo.com. But unfortunately the story revolves around just one person, the legendary motorsport ace Michael Schumacher. The 7-time F1 world champion who had about 4-5 months back was eying the driver’s position of his erstwhile team Ferrari to replace Felipe Massa, who was down with grave head injury, had to back-down after the medics deemed him unfit to be Ferrari’s driver after he complained of sprain in the neck that he had suffered while karting.

Now, the retired and revered F1 driver has reportedly agreed to a 3.5 million euro deal to drive for Mercedes GP in the 2010 Formula 1 season, if reports from the German media are to be believed. A couple of German publications quoted an unnamed source close to Schumi who has revealed that a one-year verbal contract has been agreed between him and Mercedes. If the rumours are to be believed further which also says Schumi is also in talks with Ferrari to relieve him from his consultancy roles at Ferrari. Ferrari had announced earlier this year that they would only have Schumacher as a technical consultant for the development of its road cars and that his advisory role for their F1 team has ended.

There is no question of anybody braying for Schumi’s blood this time around on his fitness if he plans to get back to the race track. This is because though Schumacher is awaiting the final green signal from his doctors before the deal is signed, the source close to Schumi maintains that the signature is just a formality since Schumacher already feels fit and healthy. The latest medical tests that were conducted on him were entirely positive.

Mercedes had earlier brought stakes in the erstwhile Brawn GP team from Ross Brawn. Ross Brawn was a team principal of the Ferrari team when Michael Schumacher was a F1 driver with Ferrari. The dream team combo of Schumacher and Ross Brawn might prove as a blessing in disguise for Mercedes GP in return. Once the official procedures with Ferrari are over, Schumacher would not only drive for Mercedes, but is also expected to become a long-term brand ambassador for the German brand. This would prove to be a huge loss to Ferrari and an even bigger gain for Mercedes.

By the way, if we are going by these reports, Ferrari 458 Italia will be the last car to be ever fine-tuned by Michael Schumacher for Ferrari which would make the car gets a legendary tag.
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Sumo Grande MK II Launched

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Tata Motors today launched the Grande MK II, an upgraded version of its premium utility vehicle, the Tata Sumo Grande.

Tata sumo, the work horse of Tata Motors has been around for about a decade now and going strong. Tata Sumo has seen various upgrades with the passage of time to suit the taste of the generation next. The new Tata Sumo Grande MK II is bound to deliver added value to customers through substantial changes in the exteriors and interiors combined with improvements in drivability, ride and handling and comfort.

There have been conspicuous changes in the exteriors of the new Tata Sumo Grande MK II which includes a new chrome lined grill, side rub rails with chrome inserts and indicators on ORVMs. While the interiors of the Grande MK II gets a completely refreshed look with a two tone theme complemented by a new faux wood centre console and new fabric upholstery.

Apart from these cosmetic changes, ergonomic improvements also have been taken care of like that of smaller steering wheel with floating horns, a grab handle on the ‘C’ pillar to aid egress of third row passengers, and new inner door handles.

The vehicle is powered by the new generation 2.2 litre DICOR engine fitted with a variable geometry turbocharger which delivers maximum power and torque of 120 PS and 250 Nm respectively. The drive ratio in the new Grande MKII also has been changed to give a boost to low speed performance in city driving conditions. While a modified suspension ensures a comfortable ride, particularly for second and third row occupants, optimised anti-roll bars reduce body roll to a minimum during cornering. The existing low NVH levels have been further refined.

In spite of all these changes, the Grande MK II carries forward the class leading features of the earlier version such as best in class third row seats and lowest turning circle radius of 5.25 m in the category, in addition to having one of the best fuel efficiencies in its class.
Dual HVAC with roof integrated louvers, motorised ORVMs, height adjustable driver’s seat and a state of the art CD/MP3 music system are some of the other features Grande MK II continues to sport.

The Grande MK II will be available in 3 variants, such as top of the line Gx, Ex and Lx with a seating capacity ranging between 7 and 9 seats in front and side facing configurations. The vehicle will be available in three new colours, Walnut Gold, Platinum Beige and Castle Grey.
The Grande MK II is priced in the range of Rs. 6.43 lakhs to Rs. 7.50 lakhs (ex-showroom, Delhi).
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Nano Europa Details Revealed

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Tata Nano EuropaWe have more news on the Nano front. AutoCar UK has revealed some information about the Tata Nano Europa. The Nano Europa is the upgraded version of the Tata Nano meant for European and American markets.

The Tata Nano Europa will boast of a three-cylinder 1000 cc engine which can produce 60 bhp while the Indian Nano carries a 624 cc two-cylinder 33 bhp engine. AutoCar UK says that the new engine will give Nano Europa higher sustainable speeds, while still keeping emissions low and fuel efficiency high. The car will also get a new five- speed manual gearbox with longer gearing to suit its higher speeds.

Moreover, the Tata Nano Europa is eight inches longer that the Indian version and is now proved itself all ready for the European market after it passed the European NCAP crash tests, both offset front and side impact in flying colours. Hence, the added eight-inch to the Nano Europa is for improving crash safety beyond what it was, or for increasing passenger space inside the car.

The Nano Europa comes with airbags for the driver and passenger, ABS and traction control. Moreover, independent rear suspension is another addition for the Tata Nano Europa.

The Tata Nano Europa is going to be priced between 4000-5000 pounds in the UK and the price in America should be similar too. The car will stand on 14-inch alloy wheels and Tata Motors has been considering a rear hatch for the Nano for easier access to the engine.

Meanwhile, Tata Motors has plans to introduce diesel, micro-hybrid, CNG and electric versions of the Nano. These new engines too should find their way to the Tata Nano Europa when they are ready.
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Lexus LF-A Gets F1-inspired Roar

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Lexus LF-ARemember we had come up with a blog on Lexus LF-A some time back? Well, we are back again, but of course in a different beat and tune.

Lexus, the luxury brand of Toyota had come out with a super car strangely named Lexus LF-A and intended to produce only 500 units of these beasts costing Rs 3 crore and above a piece.

The super car which is endowed with conventional rear-wheel drive and transaxle six-speed automated sequential gearbox for smooth shifting of gears carries under its hood a 4.8-litre, 552 bhp, V10 powerful engine. Moreover, the engine revs rise and fall so quickly and with such a sharp timbre that it feels like a pure race engine. The LF-A can sprint 0-100 km/h in 3.7seconds and can run at a top speed of 323km/h.

Now let’s come to the main part of this blog. You can only imagine the raw sound and thump it would create right?

Toyota’s stint with F1 probably has served its purpose as the Lexus LF-A will now come with a distinctive Formula-1 inspired sound from its silencer pipe. That’s a song for a car that is fitted with an equally explicit car engine eh? The acoustics have been tuned to create a rumbling note at idle, which rises to a spine-tingling wail at higher revs.

‘The acoustic team studied the noise made by a Formula 1 car at maximum revs, then applied detailed design features to create an exhaust note for the LFA that is unlike any other car on the road, enhancing the sensation of speed and acceleration,’ says a press release from Lexus.

Unlike other supercars, the LFA’s engine induction and exhaust sounds are actually channelled into the car’s cabin, so people on board can enjoy the experience as much as those on the outside. Do we hear you say Mother of God, give us more? Wishes granted, here you go…
The main sound channel that pipes in the engine’s induction notes runs from the surge tank into the cabin below the main dashboard panel, while two further sound channels run to an opening in the upper cowl on top of the dashboard structure and a reflector panel low down at the front of the cabin. Together with the primary sound channel, these put the driver at the centre of what the Lexus LFA team calls the 3D Surround Sound Concept.

Well, we can already see the mechs and sound engineers in Ferrari, Lamborghini and Nissan scurrying for cover or are they off for the Iron Maiden Rock concert to learn more of acoustics?
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