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September 24, 2015

Volkswagen Emissions Scandal Affects 11 Million Vehicles

In what has been a disastrous past couple of days for the carmaker, Volkswagen today admitted that a whopping 11 million vehicles could be hit by the software that they used to pass the emission tests worldwide.

Volkswagen has already gone into damage control by stating that it has begun work on eliminating the issues that the technical measures have caused. They have also planned to set aside a massive 6.5 billion Euro provision in order to cover the costs.

The German automaker faces a fine of up to USD 18 billion for cheating the emission regulation tests that are conducted by the Environmental Protective Agency (EPA) in the USA. The company had installed “defeat devices” on its diesel cars which could cheat on the official tests. The installed software had a test detection capability and would switch on emission control while undergoing the test.

Following the expose on the company, boss Martin Winterkorn, has already issued an apology and Michael Horn, who is the CEO and President of the Volkswagen group in America also agreed that the company had been dishonest and had “screwed up”.

The issue is likely to see many heads in the top management rolling and is now under investigation by the Congressional Investigators who are part of the Oversight and Investigations Committee of the US Congress. Volkswagen is already on the move in an attempt to limit damage, but it appears that it will be quite a while before the case is put to rest.

Update: In news that has just come in, Volkswagen global CEO Martin Winterkorn has taken full responsibility of the emission fallout on the company and has resigned from the post of CEO.

September 18, 2015

KrazyForKwid contest launched by Renault

A new contest has been started by Renault which allows buyers to win a brand new car. One of the lucky participants will have the opportunity to drive away in a new Kwid with tons of prizes for runners up as well.

The contest needs the people taking part to upload videos or photos which show their craze for the new Renault offering, the Kwid. This can be followed on Twitter live through the hashtags, #LiveForMore and #KrazyForKwid. This can also be run on Facebook.

The car comes with accessories such as chrome exteriors for the grille, fog light enclosure, window visors, boot lid, fog light frame, etc. There are also optionals such as crossover like roof racks and alloy wheels which makes it a fun offering as well. The bookings for the car have opened and deliveries are set to coincide with the festive season. A “Renault Kwid” app has also been set up in order to help buyers book the Kwid. The app focuses on providing a virtual showroom experience and they may select from among the various accessories available.

It was earlier reported that there would be various segment firsts would be launched with the Kwid but now it appears that these would be complimentary with the wide range of accessories on offer. There are as many as 60 categories of accessories on offer as well as 25 decal options and 6 accessory packs which make for a great pool of options for buyers to select from.

September 2, 2015

Skoda Rapid Anniversary Edition Launched at Rs.6.99 Lakhs

Skoda has launched a limited edition model of its Rapid sedan in India. Called Rapid Anniversary Edition, this car has been launched at a price of Rs.6.99 lakh. The Anniversary Edition will only be available for a limited period of time and will be sold till the end of this September in all Skoda dealerships across India.

So what’s new in the Rapid Anniversary Edition? The car has got a few cosmetic changes on its exterior. For instance, the car has got new side door foils along with contrasting colored roof foils. On the inside the changes are more visible. The wood décor trim all around along with the TrackPro car tracking system are just some of the major changes made to the car’s interior. The Anniversary Edition also gets dual front airbags as a standard feature across all variants which make it one of the safest cars to drive in this segment.

Other interior changes in the Rapid Anniversary Edition include Skoda 2-DIN integrated audio system, adjustable AC vents on the rear, Bluetooth connectivity via app, cruise control system, adjustable steering wheel etc.

Important mechanical changes include a seven-speed DSG transmission with triptronic manual gear changing. Since this is just a limited edition model no engine change has been made to the car. It is powered by the same 1.5-liter TDi diesel and 1.6-liter MPi petrol engine and will be available in both these engine versions.

August 27, 2015

Three New Mercedes Benz Outlets Open in Chennai

In order to spread its dealership network further and to fulfill its ‘15 in 15’ target by the end of this year, Mercedes Benz has inaugurated three new outlets in the city of Chennai yesterday. These three outlets include a dealership at Thoraipakkam on OMR, a new city showroom at Mount Road and a service centre for Mercedes cars Preungudi. All of these centres have been opened in partnership with Titanium Motors.

The dealership which is located at Thoraipakkam is spread over an area of 25K square feet and includes things like drive-in valet service, a drivers’ lounge, a Mercedes cafe and a customer lounge. The showroom can display 15 cars at any given time. The city showroom in Mount Road, located inside the Gove Building, will offer accessories, finance schemes and insurance programs to Mercedes customers apart from selling cars. The service centre located in Perungudi Industrial Estate can service up to 6000 cars every year in its 27 bays. The service centre employs 50 people currently.

The outlets were jointly inaugurated by Eberherd Kern, Mercedes India MD and CEO and Arun Surendra, MD of Titanium Motors.

August 14, 2015

Volkswagen to Offer Discounts on Vento and Polo in Kerala

If you are a resident of the state of Kerala and if you are planning to buy a Volkswagen car then we some really good news for you. German carmaker Volkswagen is offering limited period deals on its Vento and Polo cars in the state to celebrate the upcoming festival of Onam. One would get a gold coin with every booking and Volkswagen would offer free insurance, exchange bonus, roadside assistance and many other services if you buy either of the two cars on or before August 31st.

Polo buyers would get three years of free insurance and one year of free extended warranty, while Vento buyers can avail a Rs.20,000 exchange or loyalty bonus.

Right now this offer is limited to the state of Kerala, but with the onset of the festive season, Volkswagen would offer similar or even more exciting deals in many of its cars around the country.

August 11, 2015

New Audi Dealership Opens in Pune

In a partnership with Jubilant MotorWorks Pvt Ltd, Audi India has opened a new showroom in the city of Pune in Maharashtra spread over an area of 42,000 square feet.

The showroom also has an attached workshop spread over an area of 23,400 square feet. This is, incidentally, the 5th showroom that Audi has opened with Jubilant. Two such showrooms already exist in Bengaluru, and one each on Mangalore and Chennai.

It is the only showroom in Pune that can display 15 cars on one floor. The showroom can display a highest of 19 cars at a time. The new showroom meets with all Audi standards. The attached workshop consists of 14 bays and is capable of servicing 28 cars on any given day. An Audi merchandise shop has also been opened within the showroom where customers can purchase all kinds of Audi merchandises.

June 10, 2015

Grand i10X Pseudo-Crossover Leaks For The First Time

All of a sudden, interesting news had surfaced that conveys Hyundai is looking to build a crossover/off-road version of Grand i10 for Indonesia. The compact car of Hyundai has turned out to be a lucrative option for the first time buyers, or entry-level segment in the markets it is launched. Building a crossover type model on that will prove something out of the box for Hyundai. Thus, the said trend of remodeling the car in the package of ruggedness is not something new to us. Here in India, we had witnessed the i20 Active, Toyota Etios Cross, Fiat Avventura, so why not down size that to lower segment for further bridging the wide gap between the segments.

Touted as Grand i10X, the images seen here on the blog are actually flown from Indonesia, and are expectedly clicked at a dealer’s meet. Some even called it as ‘pseudo-crossover’.

As per the information available, Grand i10 is manufactured at only couple of locations around the world, in Chennai (India) and Turkey. The product from latter manufacturing facility differs from the one rolled out by former. So, most chances are there the car seen in the images is produced in this country, which means the local launch is also on the cards. Thus, with this new model in the pipeline, the Korean carmaker had tried to boost the new wave in the compact car segment where options are very limited to own a fancy and distinct model out of the lot, where buyers don’t mind paying something extra for the assortment.

Talked about the differentiations the Grand i10X carry than the standard model, it seems to have received the beefed-up ground clearance, followed by plastic add-on to the front bumper, skid plate, daytime running lights inside the fog lamps cluster, plastic side extensions, slightly resurrected C-pillar, roof spoiler and chromed exhaust tip. However, on inside, except for the silver bezel ornament on the steering wheel there is no more distinctive feature to report.

Hence, the engine bay will continue to drive the car with the option of 1.2-litre petrol producing 83PS of power @ 6000rpm and 116Nm of torque @ 4000rpm, with five-speed manual transmission as standard.

The top-end option of Grand i10 also offers an exhaustive list of feature that includes cooled glove-box, 2-DIN music system with MP3 player and four-speakers, USB and AUX-in facility, driver seat height adjustment, smart key, push start and lot more. Despite small in size it surprises with its 265-litres of boot space which sounds enough for holding luggage of a weekend drive.

Source: Autonetmagz.net

May 12, 2015

Maruti Celerio ZXi AMT Launched For Rs 4.99 Lakh Ex-Showroom Delhi

Members who were drooling of enjoying the top-end goodness with AMT convenience of Celerio, now can own it for a price of Rs 4.99 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi). The launch of Celerio ZXi variant with AMT gearbox will change the scenario for its maker.

Earlier, the much hyped car of Delhi Auto Expo 2014 from Maruti was available only with the base LXi and VXi trims. Now, giving it away with the top-end variant as well, Delhi based carmaker has filled the quench of buyers who wished to enjoy every comfort on-board with the ease of AMT transmission.

Against the VXi variant, Celerio ZXi AMT in comparison gains body coloured handles, ORVMs with integrated turn indicators, 2-DIN music system included of Bluetooth, AUX, USB, MP3 and 4-speakers. Keyless entry system, dual-front airbags, tilt scope for steering-wheel with mounted controls, and rear wiper/washer are some other advancement which the top-end buyers enjoy.

On safe side, the maker too provides ABS, fog lamps, alloy wheels and seat height adjustment (only for driver) just in case the disappointment may not follow buyers.

Power to front wheels is sent by a 1.0-litre 3-cylinder K-Series petrol engine producing peak power of 68PS and 90Nm of max torque. The fuel-efficiency is rated at 23.1 kmpl.

March 6, 2015

Range Rover Evoque Cabriolet Confirmed At Geneva Motor Show

No man needs a SUV with the convertible roof, but certainly some buyers across the globe had demanded, and Range Rover confirmed to fulfill them by launching the Evoque with convertible roof made out of soft-fabric. In actual, the Evoque is majorly bought by ladies, and demanding such a modification sound justified from those set of buyers. Spilled beans at the Geneva Motor show, company showed off the test images of Evoque convertible doing test rounds in the tunnels beneath London. As per their claims, engineers have worked tirelessly to sort out the rigidity clauses that major of the convertibles counter when transforming from hard-top to soft ones. Here, they have assured the car’s performance will not be hindered on the roads as well as off it. Production is reported to take place at the Halewood, England, alongside 5-door and coupe variants of Evoque.

Based on the facelift model, Evoque convertible will be seen sporting LED headlamps, revised tail gate and the most prominent rear lip spoiler along with other cosmetic changes. Under the bonnet, the new Ingenium family that made debut with XE will be playing their tunes here, especially that four-cylinder diesel unit.

Though, the Britain based carmaker has claimed Evoque convertible to go on sale in the international territories by 2016, ultimately with an increased price tag than the standard model. It cannot be assured using the stress of its ownership Tata Motors will also launch it in India. Feel free to pen down your thoughts in the comments section below…

May 3, 2013

Import of vehicles made before 1950 permitted

Here’s positive news for all the collectors as well as buffs of classic cars.

A recent declaration made by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade stated that the ban on the import of the vehicles produced prior to January 1, 1950 has been lifted.

The announcement dated April 18, this year stated, “Vehicles made before January 1, 1950 are free for import by actual users. But, such vehicles running on community roads will carry on being dependent on Central Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 and Regulations, 1989.”

The revision has been implemented with instant effect.

There is no clear expression yet about how the duty imposed on imports will be computed, even though a flat tariff arrangement could be viewed to keep away from under- charging of the car’s worth. The import prohibition had seriously confined the figure of traditional as well as typical vehicles in the nation, forwarding rates towards the sky over the past ten year period.

We could anticipate the rates of these cars to hit more sensible stages once accumulator begins importing them in substantial amounts.

Mr. Nitin Dossa, the president of the ‘Vintage and Classic Club of India’ accepted this move in a positive way and really praised the plan.

However, Mr. Nitin Dossa has worries about how the vehicles will be assessed for the sum of tariff they will possess.

In addition, it is not clear if left-hand-drive vehicles will be considered for import. If they get barred beneath the fresh regulation, buffs will be saddened as it will become impossible to import superior US vintage vehicles comprising Cadillacs as well as Studebakers.

On the whole, vintage vehicle accumulators and buffs are delighted as this has pioneered options, which weren’t achievable before. An arrival of traditional vehicles in the nation may also result in values of vintage and typical vehicles already accessible here reaching sensible levels.