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Tuesday, 26 June 2007
Importance of safety airbags in cars
Many head-on and side impact collisions happen on a day-to-day basis. To minimize the distress, auto manufacturers introduced seat belts, which saved many occupants during serious collisions. But, there were also deaths caused in spite of using these seat belts. To further reduce the percentage of injuries and deaths, airbags came into the picture. Survey showed that with the airbags mounted, death and injuries can be reduced by 30-percent, which is admirable. An airbag is an empty bag, which becomes a soft cushion when serious crashes occur. Airbags made its debut in automobiles in the early 80’s, before which it was used only in airplanes. These airbags are installed between the occupants and the various car equipments and car structure to completely avoid or if possible decrease any sort of contact that the passengers may have with the hard surfaces of the car. Now manufacturers consider airbags as one of the safest equipments and bedeck their cars with two, six, and even eight. Various airbags are placed in different locations in the car. There is front driver and front passenger airbags, rear seat passenger airbags, front-side driver and passenger airbags, and side-curtain airbags. Foreign companies have started designing an airbag safety canopy system that covers all the passengers with the safety of airbags. An airbag slowly tries to bring the kinetic energy of the passengers to zero, when an accident occurs, to save the passengers from serious harm. An airbag has three important components - bag, sensor, and an inflation system. The bag looks like an empty pillow cover and is made out of fine nylon. The sensor is an electronic devise, which orders the bag to inflate. The sensors obtain the information from an accelerometer built into a microchip and then the inflation system starts to work. It combines sodium azide with potassium nitrate to produce nitrogen gas, which fills the airbag. All these actions happen in a few milliseconds, after or during a crash or in some cases as a pre-emptive action due to loss of control of the car. After the car come to a halt, the gas quickly dissipates from the bag through tiny pores, thus deflating it. The chalky substance that comes out of the bag while deflating is either ordinary talcum powder or cornstarch, used to smear the bag while in storage. Different makers mount airbags at different positions. In Volvo cars you can find airbags at the seat-back. This positioning of the airbags protects passengers regardless of how the seats are positioned. BMW cars have airbags mounted on the doors of its cars. The doors have more space and can hold bigger bags. BMW also features head bags, which works in a similar way as the other airbags. Researchers are still experimenting on these safety bags to design it even more efficiently to further decrease the injury rates. Labels: Airbags, BMW, Volvo
Eco-friendly Cars
Lately, automobile manufacturers are concentrating more on introducing eco-friendly cars. Making use of natural fuels like ethanol, compressed gas, natural gas, and bio-diesel leaves the environment free of contamination. These natural fuels can also save us from importing petroleum products. The success of eco-friendly cars in foreign countries has made prominent car manufacturers think of launching more such models in India. The environment friendly car launched by General Motors in California is known as Hy-wire and looks more like a child’s car, but performs really well. The main aspect of so called hybrid cars is retaining and preserving nature. The usage of these fuels also make the efficiency of the engine last longer, because it does not leave any residue in the carburetor, which bothers many car owners. These environment-friendly fuels enable the vehicle to run smoothly and with considerable power. India’s first eco-friendly car, Maini Reva, has long back hit the Indian roads. Though it is seen very rarely on the roads, it really saves the environment and the pocket. This is an electric passenger car, which makes use of a battery and leaves the atmosphere free of pollutants like carbon-di-oxide and smoke. This peppy car moves skillfully on city roads. However, on the flip side, its performance and speed drops considerably on roads with ditches and potholes. Reva with all its standard equipments turns out quiet expensive. It can afford to seat only two comfortably with the rear space much suited to fill shopping bags. The manufacturers seem to have concentrated more on saving the environment and not much on its reliability. The Reva leaves a lot to be desired. Seeing the growth of Reva on Indian roads, Toyota Motors is planning to launch their version of the eco-friendly car 'Prius'. Hybrid eco-friendly cars are selling like hot-cakes all over the globe and the sales statistics are expected to rise further if the Indian automobile sector can also be captured. Compared to the facilities offered, these cars are pricey. These cars use a battery to move on and, when completely charged, it can travel for 60 kilometers. However, once the car is bought, it is extremely economical. It is best suited as a second car that helps you move around within city limits. Labels: Hybrid eco-friendly cars, Maini Reva, Toyota
Volkswagen to introduce small car in India
Now that many foreign automobile companies are launching their cars in India, it is the local unit of Volkswagen AG, which is planning to release a compact car, especially designed to perform well on Indian roads. The Indian unit of Volkswagen AG is all set to make a smaller version of the Polo car model, which is likely to hit Indian roads by 2009. Blasting sales of this peppy car is predicted. The committee members of Volkswagen surveyed the country roads to learn more about Indian road conditions, before introducing its first car. Compared to big cars, small cars have a much higher demand in India. Towering fuel prices and bad road conditions insist for powerful and fuel-efficient models. Other than Volkswagen, other companies such as Nissan Motors and Honda Motors are planning to design a compact car to survive Indian road and temperature conditions. The modified car will be made accessible in both petrol and diesel engine variants. Volkswagen has requested the presence of over 250 Indian vendors to its first supplier discussion as it is planning to have at least 50% of the locals satisfied when it starts making the models. Volkswagen, which supplies a large percentage of automotive parts worldwide, has called audits of Indian vendors to shortlist them for some of the supplies. In the units distributed around the world, Volkswagen has planned to make a million units a year. Initially, in India the planned target is 110,000 units a year. Companies are planning to source a majority of the parts locally to cut down the price factor. Labels: Compact cars, small cars, Volkswagen GP
Vintage cars and their popularity in India
Small, elegant, and sturdy cars manufactured between 1919 and 1930 are known as vintage cars. These cars are very popular among Indians who have the money to buy these vintage cars as a collector’s item. The characteristics of these cars are that they have front engines, closed bodies, internal combustion engines along with multi-valve and overhead cam engines with efficient V-8, V-12 engines and even V-16 engines for the luxurious car models. Popular vintage car models include Austin 7, Bugatti Type 35, Ford Model A, and Cadillac V-16. There are many Vintage and Classic Car clubs in India, which organize exhibitions and rally these oldies for specialty shows. There are also a few dealers who exclusively sell old model cars that have a rising demand. These cars are considerably pricey due to their value as an antique and the attached social standing. Though vintage cars have a booming market, the buyers face a very real problem; mechanical engineers who deal with and repair antique cars are rare to find. They use the modern techniques instead of the old mechanism to keep it moving, which lack the feeling of driving an old car. Now, in India most of the old cars are owned by aristocrats and royal families. The general population enjoys the appearance of these vintage beauties only during parades that happen once or twice in a year. These cars without any doubt draw everybody’s attention and stand like royal figures amongst the new makes. Simple in structure and elegant in gesture, these cars have always been a property of the upper class. In India, however, there are a few middle-class houses who own these noble vehicles for generations. In foreign countries there are workshops, which make fake versions of vintage cars. Most people get their favorite models done here. To a certain extent the mechanism is also copied to retain the novelty of the experience. The Indian market is yet to see manufacturers who can reproduce cars. The reproduction of Vintage Cars is a definite thought. Labels: Ford, Vintage cars still influence Indians
Monday, 11 June 2007
Imported cars in the Indian market
India is emerging as one of the fastest growing markets for foreign cars. With the people earning more, investments to lead a luxurious life-style with an expensive car is also increasing. Imported cars are the top choice for most business executives. India's automotive trade is set to double by 2010 and then double again by 2016. India is turning into one of Asia's major car markets. Automotive industries from Korea, Japan, and the US are in tough competition with each other to make a place for themselves in the Indian automobile segment. Renault in joint venture with Mahindra & Mahindra launched Logan and Hindustan Motors is in collaboration with Mitsubishi. The automobile industry is witnessing a growth of 10% annually. Foreign manufacturers invest heavily on Indian automobile market because of their ensured knowledge of good returns. Indian economy's growth rate is allowing its citizens to change their life-styles. Many Indians are ready to spend on chic and flamboyant cars, which enhance their style of living and play a major role in signifying the societal status of a person. However, most foreign cars are imported to India rather than being manufactured here, such as the Audi Q7, Mercedes-Benz SLK, and so on. This is mainly because even though luxury cars are in high demand, only a small segment of people can afford to buy such expensive cars. Indian manufacturers feel that it is not feasible to manufacture cars in small numbers. Importing a car causes further increase in prices. However, this does not deter the rich in India - the higher the car price, the more the prestige that goes with it. Labels: Audi Q7, Foreign car manufacturers to launch more vehicles in India, Logan, Mercedes-Benz
Alloy Wheels – A must have car accessory
Alloy wheels, which are usually festooned to give a rich look, today is just one of the types of car accessory that rules the road. In the beginning alloy wheels were designed keeping in mind racing cars, because they tend to decrease unsprung mass so that the suspension can respond quicker to the surface of the road, keeping the car steadier. They come with different tints that without any doubt increase a car's grandeur. Flattered by cars owned by celebrities, modern folk get them introduced in their own cars in order for their vehicle to stand out in a crowd. Alloy wheels are available in the market in a variety of different designs to suit the structure and outlook of almost any modern-designed car. Some of the higher end models in India, such as the Maruti SX4, come with alloy wheels as a standard feature. Alloy Wheels conduct heat efficiently than the usual steel wheels, dispelling heat from the brakes competently and thus reducing the chances of brake failure in a crisis situation. Replacing standard steel wheels with alloy wheels is known as "Aftermarket Wheels". Usually a part of an alloy wheel is steel combined with aluminium, magnesium, or other light-weight metals. There are many companies including "Aura" and " Neo" that exclusively market alloy wheels in India and the major foreign brands include Hijoin, League, and SM. Silver, gold, and hyper-crome finish wheels are in great demand in today's market. Though not standard on many economy cars, because of the heavy pricing, alloy wheels are the most sought-after accessory. These eye-catching wheels start from Rupees 10,000 in the Indian market. Alloy wheels compared to the ordinary steel wheels are much lighter, more attractive and enhance the car price during a resale. The darker side is that they are expensive, hard to process, and prone to corrosion if the shielding coat comes off. Now, decked in your car, these accessories need some extra care to look fresh and new. Alloy wheels require a certain deal of wheel maintenance, because they are usually prone to rust and dust and should be washed regularly with mild soap water to keep it free from soil and rust to retain their bright and gleaming stance. Labels: Alloy wheels to rule the road, car accessory, Maruti SX4
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