In India, we associate the term ‘Jeep’ with the Mahindra Jeep, be it the Classic, the Thar, the MM540, etc. There are a lot of modified examples of the same that you can find. Here are 10 Jeeps, few strange and few beautifully modified.

Sarbloh

Sarbloh Motors is a company that does a lot of modifications on various SUVs. They also prepare vehicles for the Rain Forest Challenge and other such off-road events. This Jeep here has been severely modified.

The suspension has been changed and you can see the amount of articulation that the vehicle is now capable of going through. There is a snorkel and the rear fenders have been extended too. Looks pretty intimidating, don’t you think.

Hummer

SP Customs is a company that does a lot of weird mods, this being one of them. This Hummer look-a-like started off life as a Thar and a few months and Rs 11 lakhs later, this is the end result. The vehicle has been given a complete make over. The front end resembles that of the Hummer now, however it continues to be narrow. The rear now gets a slopping roofline to add some visual flare to the Jeep. Unlike the normal Thar which gets sideways facing seats at the back, this one gets 2 proper rows of seating, however it has only 2-doors.

Armada mod

The Armada is an old Mahindra that was on sale for a long time. It was offered as a luxurious and rugged off-road vehicle and came in various variants. Ths one here has been given a massive make over to make it look modern, and the make over really suits the vehicle. Its got a new paint shade, completely overhauled Peugeot XD3P engine, MT tyres, custom fenders and bull bars. On the inside, it has creature comforts like a radio and power steering and windows.

Wrangler look-a-like

The Mahindra Thar is India’s answer to the Wrangler. Since internationally, the Wrangler is a cheap no-nonsense SUV, the Thar does the same job in the Indian market. Since all Jeeps have some resemblence in terms of basic design, getting your Thar modified to make a Wrangler isn’t that tough, as you can see in this picture. The car now gets wider fenders, a new bumper, a new front end that makes it resemble the Wrangler. While from some angles, you can tell that this is a mod job, to an untrained eye, this will surely pass off as a Jeep.

Low rider

Most people buy SUVs due to the massive ground clearances they possess. This gives them a towering view of the surroundings and also gives them a chance to bully other road users into giving them space. Not many people lower their SUVs though. Here is an example of a lowered Jeep that looks really nice. With the lowered suspension and the massive wheels, this one is a treat to the eye.

Image source: 2, 3, 4,

Continued below: Beautiful and strange Jeeps from across the country

Here are some more modified Jeeps from around the country.

Tractor tyre

On the opposite end, the easiest way to lift your car without changing the suspension is to put on massive tyres. This also gives the SUV an imposing look. This owner here has done just that. He has fitted massive tyres to his vehicle, in a bid to make it look imposing. He has modified the fenders a little too. However, these tyres still stick out a lot.

Grey hound

The Grey Hound is another example of a Thar trying to look like a Jeep. The job has been done by Continental Automotive of Trivandrum and the mods include a matte grey paint shade, larger steel rims with wider tyres, a new soft top that is inspired by the Wrangler, a new front end with revised a new grill and bonnet, fenders up front and at the back too.

New tail lamps, and front and rear bumpers round off the total mods that have been done to this vehicle.

Rubicon

Since the most common visual mod that most people do to the Thar is to make it look like a Jeep, here is another example of it. This one has been finished in a milder looking white shade, however the overall aggression continues. It has flared fenders, larger tyres, new bumpers, the Jeep styled front end including the bonnet and grill. The soft top has been redone too.

Mean looker

There are a lot of visual mods for the Thar that will make it look aggressive and a lot meaner. This is one such mod. The vehicle has new LED headlamps, a new grill which has been designed in such a way that it looks like the lights have eyebrows. In addition to that, there is an off-road bumper with a winch, a wide body kit including wider fenders, a new roof top, a new bonnet and a light bar has been placed on the roof.

Open motoring

The best part about the initial Jeeps were the fact that it provided open top motoring. And by that we mean the driver and the passengers were exposed to all the elements. This included the option of removable roof, doors and windshield, something that cannot happen in modern day vehicles due to safety concerns. This one however reminds us of that. The vehicle has no roof, door and the windshield drops down, like on the older Jeeps. Other mods include a new look with new lights, grill, fenders, tyres and an updated interior.

Image source: 8, 9

Benelli is one of the fastest selling brands in the performance motorcycle segment in India. Their value for money products with great style quotient puts them on the radar of the youths of the country. Benelli is readying one more product for the Indian market and it will be very different from the current forms of two-wheelers available here. Let’s find out what TNT 135 is all about.

What is TNT 135?

The Benelli TNT 135 has been spied testing in India. The pocket bike will make its way to the Indian market by the middle of next year. The stylish motorcycle will be one of its kind and will target young riders and city commuters who want to travel in style. Targeting the youngsters, the TNT 135 comes with an irresistible design.

The pocket bike is built around a lattice frame, which gets lightweight steel tubes. The chassis is similar to the bigger Benelli TNT motorcycles. The TNT 135 looks very unorthodox. The headlamp unit is very aggressive with 4 LED lamps with a highly contoured front lens.

The short wheelbase motorcycle also gets stylish upside down forks. The 12-inch fat profile tyres at the front and rear look very funky with 220mm disc brake at front and a 190mm disc brake at the rear. The callipers are painted in red to add to the looks

The motorcycle also gets a mono-shock absorber at the rear with pre-load adjustment. The small motorcycle can put larger capacity motorcycles to shame when it comes to styling. The single-cylinder engine gets double-barrel, high-mounted exhaust muffler. It also comes with split seats. The exposed chassis that gets painted in red takes the looks to the next level.

The pocket bike draws power from an oil-cooled 135cc, single cylinder engine that generates a maximum of 12.8 BHP at 9,000 rpm and 10.8 Nm at 7,000 rpm. This is fairly good power for a motorcycle of this size. The TNT 135 gets a 5-speed manual gearbox.

What is a pocket bike?

A pocket bike or mini moto bike are miniature motorcycles. Earlier, such motorcycles were built by enthusiasts in the backyard of their garages by using spare or unused parts from the garage. Seeing the popularity, manufacturers started commercially producing such miniatures in the 1960s.

India first saw such commercially produced pocket bike in form of Rajdoot GTS a.k.a Bobby after it featured in the popular Bollywood flick, Bobby. The two-stroke motorcycle came to the Indian shore in 1980s and became very popular among the enthusiasts. Currently, there are many collectors who keep the GTS in their beloved garage collection. The miniature motorcycle came with 2-stroke, 173 cc, 7.5 Bhp engine. After the GTS disappeared from the market, there was no such motorcycle for a long time.

Earlier this year, Honda launched the Navi, a similar pocket bike but based on the Activa. The Navi does not get a manual gearbox and gets identical specification like the popular scooter Activa.

The Benelli TNT 135 will be first true pocket bike in a long time as and when it is launched in the country (sometime in 2017). The motorcycle will be also be quite affordable and is expected to carry a price tag close to Rs. 75,000.

The automotive sales in India are booming with lakhs of cars added to the roads every month. Accommodating the new cars with the limited space has become a major worry for the country. To tackle the situation, the central government is now planning to make car parking certificate before anyone get a new car.

An amendment to the Motor Vehicles Bill was introduced in August this year and if the bill gets passed, new buyers will have to obtain a parking space certificate from officials before buying a car. Addressing a conference, M Venkiah Naida, urban development minister said, “In future, I also want to share with you that no car or vehicle will be registered without an adequate parking space available certificate. I am very keen on this. I am holding a discussion with the surface transport minister and also sensitising the states. We would be moving in that direction,” Naidu.

“In future, it will be mandated. No permission will be given to any construction without a toilet,” Naidu, who was addressing a press conference on the launch of a toilet locator mobile application, added.

The bill that was introduced in 2016 has not yet passed in Lok Sabha but the government is said to be working on moving the bill forward as soon as possible. In 2015, Himachal Pradesh High Court made it mandatory for the people of the state to show proof of car park space before getting any new car registered in the Shimla municipal area.

The new bill will prove to be a major relief of the parking situation around the city areas as the most owners park their vehicles on the roads. If passed, the new bill also be decongested a lot of roads in the longer run. Indian automotive situation is moving towards better times with such reforms and by 2030, India also plans to be a major electric and hybrid vehicle market.

Very few companies in India have brought in vehicles to cater to the demand of enthusiasts. VW is one of them. They initially brought in the Polo 1.6 liter petrol and then followed it up with the Polo GT. True, they weren’t really hot hatchback according to international standards, but for India, they were considered hot enough. Keeping in line with that, VW introduced the daddy of all Polos, the GTi last month. Though it was priced at a massive Rs 26 lakhs, it continues to be a highly desirable hatch. Who wouldn’t want a 178 Bhp hatchback? Now VW is also planning to bring in the Polo GTis larger sibling, the Golf GTi to the Indian market.

In an interview to Autocar India, Michael Mayer, director of VW Passenger Cars India said that there are more GTis that are present in the VW family and that they could come our way in 2018 or 2019. The Golf GTi will be at the forefront of that line up.

Why are we interested?

VW recently introduced the all-new 7th generation Golf which also gave the GTi a facelift. With this facelift, you get a 2.0 liter TSi engine making 227 Bhp. The engine is mated to a newly developed 7-speed DSG, which will replace the older 6-speed unit. Now we know that Skoda will be brining in the Octavia vRS later next year and it will feature the same 2.0 liter TSi engine with the same power output. Internationally, there is a Golf GTi Performance version also on offer which produces 242 Bhp, if the 227 wasn’t enough for you. If VW gets the pricing right with the Golf GTi, it could certainly be a dream hot hatch for enthusiasts, who have deep pockets.

The all-new Golf is based on the MQB platform and shares its underpinningss with the new Octavia, Superb and Audi A3, to name a few vehicles. Like the Polo GTi, this too won’t really be a volumes seller for the company, however it will strengthen their brand line up and will certainly keep the enthusiasts happy.

Source: Link

The Indian captain for one-day international matches, Mahendra Singh Dhoni is a major aficionado of automobiles. Dhoni has a huge collection of various cars and motorcycles in his garage but the one that we get to see today is quite different. It is one of the most popular SUVs in India, the Scorpio.

What’s so special?

To start with, the Scorpio has been customised by Mahindra themselves. It was also the first ever custom car that Dhoni got in his garage and the car was gifted by Mahindra. It is based on the 2007 model of the SUV. The made-in-India custom SUV is known for its brawny looks but the customisation by the Indian captain made changes that make the Scorpio look way more striking. Dhoni’s Scorpio gets distinctive dual tone, black and red shade.The roof has been removed and the Scorpio

The roof has been removed from the vehicle and roll-bars have been installed instead. The doors have also been chopped and the window line gets a bump around the rear door handle. The hood has also been replaced with a custom all-black hood with faux air-intake. The SUV also gets an off-road spec bull-bar at front. There are also 4 auxiliary fog lamps with MS moniker

Mahindra has also added chrome alloy wheels to add to the bling factor. The headlamps get a body-coloured shroud. On the rear, the tyre holder has been modified to look much funkier. The car also gets a custom “MS” logo on the rear instead of the Scorpio badge. The rear also gets a custom dual-barrel exhaust muffler. The rear lamps are now smoked to give a more muscular look.

On the inside, the 7-seat layout of the vehicle has been updated with 4 captain seat layout. The seats themselves are shrouded with black leather with contrasting red stitches. Keeping up with the funky look, the door panels and the other plastic parts like the rear AC vent system also gets striking red colour.

Engine

There have been no changes done to the engine. In 2007, the Mahindra Scorpio was powered by 2.6-litre, in-line 4 cylinder, turbocharged diesel engine that produced a maximum of 113.5 BHP at 3,800 rpm and 278 Nm of maximum torque at 1700-2200 rpm.Currently, Mahindra Scorpio is powered by a range of engines like 2.2-litre mHawk diesel, 1.99-litre mHawk diesel and 2.2-litre mHawk diesel hybrid.

Click here to check out Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s garage: Cricketers and Their Cars – Mahendra Singh Dhoni

Image Source: TBHP

Snapshot – Indian cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni is a well known car and motorcycle aficionado. From the Confederate Hellcat to the vintage Yamaha RD350 to a Hummer H2, the man has an eclectic garage that would get any motor head drooling. Join us in our journey that explores the 10 cars that M.S. Dhoni owns. From daily run abouts to the alluringly exotic, we have everything covered.

Hummer H2

The Hummer H2 is big, brute American muscle. One of the most imposing SUVs ever built, the H2 is the second generation version of the legendary Hummer, marketed and sold by one of the world’s largest automakers – General Motors. The Hummer has military origins, with the SUV based on the HUMVEE, a military vehicle whose name stands for High Mobility Multi-Purpose Wheeled Vehicle. The Hummer H2 that MS Dhoni owns features a 6.2 liter V8 petrol engine that puts out 393 Bhp of peak power, enough to give the big, butch SUV a 0-100 Kph run of under 10 seconds. The Hummer H2 weighs a portly 3 tons, making it one of heaviest SUVs in this world.

Mahindra Scorpio

The Mahindra Scorpio is one of the most popular SUVs in the country, and is known for its hardy nature. Why, the made-in-India SUV was the current India Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s chosen ride when he was the Chief Minister of Gujarat. The Scorpio has been around since 2004, and has been sold with a slew of turbo diesel engine options, and even a petrol motor for a short while. In 2007, Mahindra built a custom, open top version of the Scorpio on special order from MS Dhoni. This version of the Scorpio featured a roll cage and four captain seats instead of the regular 7 seat layout.

Toyota Corolla

The Toyota Corolla that MS Dhoni uses is an ultra reliable daily beater, and this is the very reason why millions of car buyers around the globe have patronized this car. Notably, the Corolla has been around in India mainly as a luxury car, aimed at D-Segment sedan buyers. Highly refined, the Corolla is currently sold with petrol and turbo diesel engine options. The car is a best seller in its class, and this has been the status quo for years, in a sense reaffirming the executive sedan’s popularity among buyers. The Corolla is in its third generation in the Indian car market. High quality and low maintenance costs are two other notable traits of this car.

Maruti Suzuki SX4

The Maruti Suzuki SX4 C-Segment sedan was never the best seller in its segment. However, the car did have a unique appeal in terms of the ground clearance it offered its buyers. Armed with a 190 mm ground clearance, the SX4 sedan can easily hold its own among many SUVs and MUVs. Famed for its ability on less than perfect surfaces, the SX4 seemed nearly tailor made for Indian conditions. The car was sold with petrol, CNG-Petrol and diesel engine options, with both manual and automatic transmissions offered on the petrol variants. The SX4 has now been replaced by the Ciaz sedan, which is one of the top sellers in its segment, behind the Honda City of course.

Mitsubishi Outlander

The Mitsubishi Outlander was one of the few petrol SUVs that the Indian market saw in the early noughties. The crossover had rally bred genes, and combined sporty performance with high ground clearance. Also, the INVECS-III automatic transmission that used fuzzy logic to adapt to the driver’s gear shifting pattern was a one-of-its-kind feature on the car. For propulsion, the Outlander used a 2.4 liter MIVEC, naturally aspirated petrol motor that made 170 Bhp-226 Nm, which was enough to deliver sporty performance. An all wheel drive layout ensured good grip both on and off the road.

Mitsubishi Pajero SFX

The legendary Mitsubishi Pajero SFX was pulled off developed markets decades ago but continued to be sold in India. A rugged, utilitarian and high quality SUV, the Pajero SFX sold here used a 2.8 liter turbo diesel engine, initially with 120 Bhp-280 Nm outputs, and later with 108 Bhp-280 Nm outputs. A five speed manual gearbox powered the rear wheels of the ladder framed SUV, while an on-demand four wheel drive system with high and low ranges was offered as standard fare. The Pajero SFX is no longer assembled in India but the demand for this vehicle still continues to be strong in the used car market, mainly for the SUV’s bullet proof mechanicals that can delivers years and years of reliable performance.

Audi Q7

The Audi Q7 luxury crossover is a preferred ride of the swish set and it’s only fitting that the Indian cricket team captain MS Dhoni drives around in one. The Q7 used to be offered with a range topping V12 turbo diesel engine, known for its earth splitting 800 Nm of torque. Now though, Audi offers two turbo diesel engines on this SUV – 3 liter V6 and 4.2 liter V8 motors. The crossover can seat seven in luxury, and uses a monocoque chassis that offers a good balance between on and off road performance. The Q7 is loaded with safety features and creature comforts, and is assembled in India through the CKD kit route.

Ferrari 599 GTO

The Ferrari 599 GTO India edition is a supercar that has the Indian tricolour painted prominently on the hood. The car is a road going version of the Ferrari 599XX. A 6 liter V12, naturally aspirated petrol motor drives the rear wheels of the car. Since it’s a Ferrari we’re talking about here, superlative performance is a given. The car’s motor makes 661 Bhp at 8,250 rpm with a peak torque figure of 620 Nm generated at 6,500 rpm. A 6 speed manual comes standard. 0-100 Kph is dispatched in a blindingly quick 3.35 seconds, while top speed is rated at 335 Kph. The aural symphony that the 12 cylinders of the V12 motor generate is simply mindblowing. The Ferrari 599 GTO, a true petrol head fantasy this.

Land Rover Freelander2

The Land Rover Freelander2 is the brand’s entry level SUV and one that is handles on and off road performance quite well. Sold as a luxury SUV in the Indian car market, the Freelander2 will soon be replaced by the Discovery Sport. Notably, the Freelander2 was the first Land Rover SUV to be assembled in India, at Jaguar-Land Rover’s Chikali assembly unit, off Pune. The SUV seats five and is powered by a 2.2 liter-4 cylinder SD4 turbo diesel engine available in 148 Bhp-420 Nm and 187 Bhp-420 Nm states of tune. Six speed automatic transmissions power all four wheels of the SUV.

GMC Sierra

The GMC Sierra 3500HD pick up truck is an American icon. A ‘man thing’, MS Dhoni owns one of these, imported straight from the United States, CBU duties et al. This pick up truck is a brawler, out and out, in terms of the sheer torque it’s mammoth diesel motor churns out. 1,036 Nm, yes you’re reading right, is what the 6.6 liter V8 turbo diesel makes, apart from the 397 Bhp of peak power it delivers. Aimed mainly at the load carrying segment in the United States, the GMC Sierra owned by MS Dhoni is more of a pick up truck to satisfy his fetish for the outlandish than get any meaningful work down. MS Dhoni as a typical farmer transporting produce in this big pick up? Well, that could be a retirement option for the man whose preponderance to surprise is now synonymous with him.

Dartz is a Latvian based company which works on designing, manufacturing and selling armoured vehicles. Let us save you the trouble of googling to see where Latvia is. Latvia is located in Europe, in between Lithuania and Estonia. Now back to the company, Dartz or Division Automobile Ringa Tank Zavod. It is a company that builds a lot of outlandish vehicles that are mainly for the very rich and famous. Their Kombat SUV line was very popular and this one here, called the Prombon Black Alligator replaces it. We really love how the company names their products, the other being the soon to be launched Black Shark.

The Black Alligator that we have here has been built from a lot of exquisitive materials. The vehicle is yet to be fully revealed, however a lot of information on the vehicle is already known. Brace yourself for the facts. To begin with, this is based on Mercedes’s flagship SUV, the GLS 63 AMG, which means power comes from the 5.5 liter twin-turbocharged V8 which allegedly produces a massive 1600 Bhp and 1492 Nm. Thst is in the full blown version, there are however smaller states of tune also on offer, like a 850 Bhp one and a 1100 Bhp one.

Level of customization depends upon the owner as the company has a Department of Opulence to deal with the vaguest of demands the customer can come up with. The body of this mammoth beast is made with a mix of Kevlar and carbon fiber, as standard. Those who want extra protection can also opt for the body which is made up Kevlar coated titanium.

dartz_promrbon_golden_eagle_chinese_rooster_year_edition_copy

On the request of a customer, the company has built a one-off car that features the most expensive steering wheel ever made. It featues ten 14K gold buttons, 18K gold lines, Mississippi alligator skin for the trim, a white gold badge in the middle with 292 diamonds and two rubies. This steering wheel itself costs $30,000.

Other options include interior upholstery ranging from stingrays to ostriches and even pythons. There is another very interesting option which people can opt for, the ‘Anti-Paparazzi Pack’. This, for those people who don’t want to be caught on the road. The pack includes sirens to scare people away, laser light bars, drone detection and videofeed hijack and destruction. A great way for any famous person to stay away from prying eyes of the public.

Prices for the vehicle haven’t been disclosed. What is known however is that it is far more expensive than most people can imagine.

For more than half a decade, the Mahindra Thar has been the first choice of off-road enthusiasts and people who wanted a lifestyle vehicle. The soft-top Thar is also a modders favourite. Times have changed. The Thar is now losing territory to the recently launched Isuzu D-Max V-Cross. Here are few reasons on why the Isuzu D-Max V-Cross is getting such a good response from the market.

Massive street presence

The Mahindra Thar is an off-beat vehicle and used to catch a lot of eyes on the road. The Thar gets the iconic Jeep design that people are much more used to see on the roads. The Isuzu D-Max V-Cross, on the other hand, is relatively new in the market and there are very few other cars with pick-up body style in India.

The V-Cross is also 1,375 mm longer and 134 mm wider than the Mahindra Thar. Even though the Thar is 90mm taller than the V-Cross, the muscular body panels of the V-Cross makes it look much bigger and intimidating on the road. Thar does not look very intimidating unless the car gets some very serious modifications.

Safety

The Isuzu D-Max V-Cross is a complete package. Unlike Thar, the V-Cross comes with safety features like standard dual front airbags, ABS with EBD and Brake Assist, ISOFIX approved anchors for child seats and engine immobiliser. The Mahindra Thar, on the other hand, does not get any of these.

Even though most people buy the Thar for off-roading, where ABS does not make any sense, it would have been a much better deal if Mahindra offered the option of ABS for people who also use the car on tarmac. The V-Cross again proves to be a much better package than the Mahindra Thar in terms of safety.

More Space

The Thar comes with front captain seats while the rear seats are side-facing bench seats. The V-Cross offers double cabin set-up where the rear passengers get a front-facing bench seat that are much more comfortable than the Thar. Not to forget, the V-Cross also comes with a loading deck that measures 1,485mm in length and 1,530mm in width.

Many owners modify the deck to put a hardcover for luggage. Also, many others have covered the space with hard top and have put extra seats for more passengers. Now that the vehicle has a pretty capable 4X4 system, the V-Cross with a hard cover on the rear can become a capable cross-country tourer.

Customisation options

Mahindra Thar has been around for a very long time in India. The desi modders have come up with pretty impressive customisation option for the car. Even Mahindra offers customisation from their factory. The Isuzu D-Max V-Cross is a global product and has been selling in customisation-happy markets like Thailand and Indonesia since a long time.

Now that the vehicle is finally here in India, the car is modification-ready with the international customisation options. Almost all the V-Cross selling in India get a lift kit from the foreign market among various other modifications like headlamps, tail lamps etc.

Comfort

About a year ago, Mahindra updated the Thar with some modern touches. The vehicle got better seats, a closed glove compartment among other things. Even with all the new features, the Thar is not a comfortable vehicle. The SUV does not get armrests, and many other such things that make life easier on the move.

The Isuzu D-Max V-Cross, on the other hand, is a fully loaded vehicle and feels way more premium than the Thar. The pick-up gets cubby holes, bottle holders, steering mounted controls, bucket seats to make the life much more comfortable.

The Thar is a very raw vehicle, while the V-Cross is designed to make the occupants comfortable over long journeys. Also, the Isuzu V-Cross gets a hard top, which makes it a way better choice than the Thar, which only comes in soft-top. Also, aftermarket hard tops for the Thar do not provide great fit and finish.

The Discovery has been a multifaceted vehicle for Land Rover. It provided practicality with the 7-seat option, has the off-road capability being a Land Rover and looks rugged, for those who don’t want the flashiness that comes attached with the Range Rover badge. Sadly, the Discovery (LR4 as it known in some markets) never sold in large numbers in our country due to this very reason that it wasn’t as flashy enough, given the high price tag. To change that, Land Rover will be introducing the all-new Discovery, which made its global debut a few months back.

This version, like the Discovery Sport has been inspired by the Range Rover side in the design department. It now looks a lot more flamboyant than the outgoing version, which was very understated. The SUV looks like a larger Discovery Sport. Sources close to us have told us all the model information and the engines that you can expect on the Indian version, when it is launched next year.

In the engines front, the Discovery will come with both a diesel and petrol engine offering. The diesel is the 3.0 liter TD6 version that produces 255 Bhp and a massive 600 Nm. The petrol is the 3.0 liter Si6 unit that makes 35 Bhp and 450 Nm. Both are 6-cylinder units. On the variants front, there will be a large number of variants on offer, both in petrol and in diesel. You will get the S. SE, HSE, HSE Luxury and a First Edition variant. Wondering what is the difference?

The basic S comes with normal halogen headlamps, touch screen system (8″) and no leather seats. The SE on the other hand adds rear parking aids, LED headlamps with LED signature DRLs, leather seats, 10 speaker system as opposed to a 5 speaker one on the S and navigation. These 2 variants come with 19″ alloys as standard. The HSE adds power folding mirrors, rear view camera, key less go, powered tail gate, a larger 10″ touch screen system and a Meridian sound system with subwoofer. The HSE luxury in addition to that comes with a sunroof, 14 speaker Meridian sound system, LED lights with auto high beam assist, 3-zone climate control, surround cameras and configurable ambient lighting. Both these variants come with 20″ alloys. The First Edition will most likely be a limited run variant offering 21″ alloys, heating and cooling seats, Terrain Response 2.

The pricing for the new Discovery will only be known by mid-next year, which is when we expect the company to launch the SUV. The current Discovery comes in only two variants, starting at Rs 1.1 crores which gives us the indication that the new vehicle will also start around the Rs 1 Crore price bracket.

Maruti Suzuki was India’s first manufacturer to incorporate the mild hybrid system in the mass production car – Ciaz. The car also received benefits under FAME scheme in India. Now according to Autocar, the company is planning to take their hybrid game to the next level. The company will launch a wider range of products in the future and eventually will bring in full-hybrid vehicles in India.

India is aiming to adopt cleaner, electric vehicles by 2030. The pollution norms are becoming stringent and to meet the future norms, the company will incorporate more budget cars with the hybrid systems.

Accord to C.V. Raman, executive director R&D, Maruti Suzuki India Limited, the mild hybrid technology that currently comes with the Ciaz and the Ertiga has received a positive feedback from the market. The company will use the technology as a stepping stone to bring in more hybrids in the future. Maruti is also studying the possibility of bringing the tech with the upcoming Maruti Swift that will be introduced in India by mid-2017.

Raman also said, even though the market is getting to know such hybrid tech, the market is still not familiar with such technology. A lot of work will be needed to be done to educate the market to adopt the cleaner cars in the future.

The Ignis, that will be one of the biggest launches for Maruti next year, the small car will come out to aim the young buyers of the country and will be sold through the Nexa dealership. According to the company, there are no near-future plans to put a mild-hybrid system in the Ignis. Interestingly, the current FAME scheme does not give benefits to the smaller hybrid vehicles that are below 4-metres.

In the future, we may see tax benefits on even smaller vehicles. SIAM has suggested giving 8% tax benefits to the vehicles powered by alternate technology like electric, hybrid and other alternative fuel. If the decision is implemented, we will see many more vehicles with hybrid or electric technology in the future.

Source: AutoCar

India saw a number of new launches in 2016. It was an eventful year for the car manufacturers. Maruti launched their first ever compact SUV in India, Tata replaced Honda from the 3rd spot of largest selling manufacturer in India, and a lot more happened. The next year is almost here, and before that, it’s time for the Indian car of the year 2016.

ICOTY – Maruti Vitara Brezza

The jury of the Indian Car of the Year or ICOTY announced that the Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza is this year’s winner. ICOTY is the most prestigious award given to cars sold in India. Various print publications like Car India, Auto Today, Overdrive, Evo, Motoring, autoX, Top Gear and Hindu Businessline choose one car after various tests, and reviews.

The Brezza was unveiled during the Auto Expo in January this year. The car was launched in March 2016 and since then, Maruti has sold over 83,000 units of the car. The Brezza is powered by 1.3-litre, 4-cylinder DDiS 200 diesel engine that churns out a maximum of 89 BHP and 200 Nm of torque. The Brezza returns a maximum of 24.3 km/l. The Brezza competes against the likes of Ford EcoSport and Mahindra TUV 300 in the market. Maruti also offers the option of customising the Brezza through iCreate.

The nominees in the ICOTY 2017 were:

Audi A4, BMW 7 series, BMW X1, Datsun Redi-Go, Ford Endeavour, Honda BR-V, Hyundai Elantra, Hyundai Tucson, Isuzu D-Max V-Cross, Jaguar XE, Mahindra KUV100, Mahindra Nuvosport, Mercedes Benz GLC, Skoda Superb, Tata Tiago, Toyota Innova Crysta, Volkswagen Ameo and Maruti Suzuki Brezza (the chosen winner).

Other awards

NDTV Car and Bike show award – Skoda Superb

NDTV Car and Bike show chose the Skoda Superb as their car of the year in 2017. The 2017 Superb is an all-new car built on a new platform. The premium looking sedan competes against the full-fledged hybrid cars like Toyota Camry and Honda Accord in the market and still managed to grab the top award.

Skoda powers the car with two engine choices. There is a turbocharged 1.8-litre turbocharged petrol engine that generates a maximum of 174.6 BHP and there is a 2.0-litre turbo diesel engine that generates a maximum of 177.5 BHP of maximum power. There is 6-speed manual transmission and a 7-speed DSG unit. The diesel engine does not get a choice of manual transmission.

Overdrive-CNBC car of the year – Maruti Vitara Brezza

The Vitara Brezza’s sales figure show how much the market loves the car. The first ever compact SUV from Maruti won another car of the year award from Overdrive-CNBC. Even though the vehicle is yet to get a petrol engine, it’s a very strong seller. Maruti will launch the petrol powered Vitara Brezza next year. The car will be powered by 1.0-liter turbo petrol engine with maximum 108 BHP of power.

Team-BHP car of the year award – Tata Tiago

Forumers at India’s biggest automotive forum chose Tata’s lucky charm as the car of the year. Tata launched the Tiago earlier this year and the small hatchback became an instant hit in the market. The small hatch is currently selling around 6,000 units per month and the car entered the top-10 selling cars in India.

Tata Tiago offers some first-in-class features like driving modes, cooled glove box, and smart infotainment system. The car is powered by 1.2-litre 3-cylinder petrol engine that generates a maximum of 83.8 BHP and 114 Nm of torque. The diesel engine is 1.05-litre, 3-cylinder turbocharged engine that generates a maximum of 69.04 BHP and 140 Nm of maximum torque.

No doubt that brand Royal Enfield enjoys an iconic status around the world – it’s been around since 1901. Motorcycle enthusiasts, however, are divided over the modernity of the Royal Enfield motorcycles. While some argue that the Royal Enfield motorcycles are classic motorcycles that have simply not evolved over the years, there are Royal Enfield lovers who say that the brand has come out of age now and is producing modern motorcycles. So, is Royal Enfield now modern? Here are some answers

What makes Royal Enfield motorcycles modern?

World class manufacturing

The Royal Enfield assembly plant has become ultra-modern in recent times. The manufacturing facility based in Chennai now gets modern machinery and equipment.

The modern Royal Enfield motorcycles are digitally designed in sophisticated Computer Aided Design (CAD) program and then manufactured through Computer Aided Manufacturing (CAM).

Unlike the older Royal Enfield motorcycles that used to be hand built, the modern ones go through a lot of automated processes. The modernity has also helped Royal Enfield to bring down the waiting period of motorcycles to a few months now.

OHC engine

Royal Enfield’s newest engine, the LS410, which features on the Royal Enfield Himalayan becomes the first RE engine to get the overhead cam. Even though all the other motorcycle manufacturers have moved to the OHC systems ages ago. Royal Enfield is slow but is surely incorporating new technology in its engine.

The LS410 engine uses the single-overhead-cam. There are many advantages of the OHC over the pushrod type engine utilised by the other RE models. The OHC engine performs way better than the pushrod type engine, but engine loses on the torque.

However, the OHC engines produce less vibration and are more efficient than the pushrod type engines. The Himalayan was showcases in the US market recently, and the motorcycle received fuel injection due to the stricter norm of emissions. The same will head to the Indian market in future.

UCE engine

Except for the Himalayan, all other Royal Enfield motorcycles are powered by Unit Construction Engines (UCE). Now the UCE engines are way more advanced than the older Cast Iron and AVL engines that were earlier used by Royal Enfield. The UCE received a number of updates, making it much more advanced than the ageing Cast Iron and the AVL engines. The current UCE engine first came with the Royal Enfield Thunderbird Twinspark.

To start with, the UCE comes with a rotary oil pump that ensures higher oil flow in the engine. The solid tappets were replaced with hydraulic tappets that mean less maintenance and more performance. The engine also gets unit construction, which means better connectivity with different components of the motorcycle like gearbox and engine. The engine also gets automatic decompressor, and automatic Cam Backlash prevention for easier start and consistent engine performance.

Less maintenance

The latest product from the Royal Enfield, the Himalayan gets the modern LS410 engine. The advanced engine makes sure that the maintenance woes go down for customers. The new Himalayan comes with a service period of 5,000 km, which is on the higher side when compared to the other motorcycles from the segment. The Himalayan also gets an oil change period of 10,000 km. The oil change period is pretty high for a motorcycle and makes the Himalayan less susceptible to the expensive maintenance cost.

Much more reliable

The modern UCE powered Royal Enfield motorcycles get a warranty of 24 months or 24,000 km, whichever comes first. The increased warranty shows the confidence of Royal Enfield in their products. The modern Royal Enfields break down way less than the older ones. Interestingly, the Royal Enfield motorcycles used to get only 10,000 km / 1-year warranty earlier.

Still, there are things that make the Royal Enfield motorcycles nearly outdated

No O2 sensor

Royal Enfield offers fuel injection with their 500cc Classic and the Royal Enfield Continental GT. The engine gets open loop fuel injection system that functions without feedback. The electronic fuel injection works fine during normal conditions and makes the engine smoother and more fuel efficient.

The absence of O2 sensor can be felt when the climate or the altitude changes.Without the O2 sensor, the motorcycle does not get to know the change and keeps on delivering the pre-set amount of fuel to the engine, causing knocking and power loss. The fuel ratio can be altered in the Royal Enfields equipped with carburetors can be changed by an experienced rider.

No ABS

None of the Royal Enfield motorcycles gets ABS. This is 2017 and ABS has become a necessity for safe riding. Royal Enfield motorcycles are mainly used by long-tourers who do a lot of highway riding. The RE bikes are heavy and need extra braking power for sure. The absence of ABS proves to be a safety hazard in the RE motorcycles.

Still marks territory

The modern Royal Enfield motorcycles still leak oil. Yes, even the modern Royal Enfield motorcycles like the Himalayan are not leak proof. There are many complaints about the new motorcycle that it still leaks oil. Royal Enfield still has to work on their sealants properly. Leaking engines are not signs of modernity.

Rusting

The modern Royal Enfield motorcycles are built using stainless steel, yet some customers complain about the rusting on their new RE motorcycles. Royal Enfield refrains from using any plastic or fibreglass in the body of the Royal Enfields. It sure makes the bikes more solid but the rust issues keep the owners on their toes all the time.

Verdict

The Royal Enfield motorcycles carry a vintage aura and that’s what many enthusiasts like about the brand. Even though the brand is trying to keep up with the time, it is slow to adapt. The motorcycles are slowly keeping up with the time but not fast enough. Royal Enfield is also not in a hurry as the customers are not looking for cutting edge technology from the Royal Enfield. Instead, they are looking for a solid vintage product, and Royal Enfield is making sure that they are delivering retro modern bikes that most customers want. The brand has come a long way from what it used to be and can be called reasonably modern, what with the new technology being used and the kind of motorcycles being built.

The British company, Jaguar Land Rover has launched the 2017 range of the Range Rover Evoque in India. The new Range Rover Evoque now starts at Rs. 49.1 lakh and goes up to Rs. 67.9 lakh for the top-of-the-line variant. With the new model, Land Rover also introduced the new Ingenium diesel engine for the first time with their brand in India. Before this, only Jaguar F-Pace came with the Ingenium engine.

The 2017 Range Rover Evoque carries very minimalistic design changes. The SUV now gets full LED adaptive headlights that give way better light output during night. The SUV aimed at the city dwellers gets a striking exterior design with muscular exteriors. On the inside, the 2017 Range Rover Evoque retains the luxurious cabin with superb detailing. The car now gets premium Oxford leather seats that come as standard with the HSE and HSE Dynamic models. The new model also gets InControl Touch Pro infotainment system that optimises in-car connectivity by providing faster responses and better experience. The lower variants of the SUV get an 8-inch display, while the higher-end ones get a 10-inch display.

The car is powered by a new breed of Jaguar Land Rover engines. The 2.0-litre Ingenium diesel engine produces a maximum of 177 BHP in the car. There is a 9-speed Automatic Transmission that sends power to all the four wheels of the vehicle. The Ingenium engine is lighter by 20 kg is and controlled by advanced computers that engage the cooling system only when required. The engine breathes through a variable geometry turbocharger that maximises the peak power and avoids turbo lag.

Land_Rover-Range_Rover_Evoque_Ember_Edition-2017-1280-0a

JLR has also launched an exclusive special edition known as ‘Ember’ edition. The special edition is based on the HSE Dynamic and comes with striking exterior colours. The special edition gets Firenze Red roof and Santorini Black body colour to make it stand out from the crowd.

Rohit Suri, President, Jaguar Land Rover India Ltd (JLRIL), said “Range Rover Evoque has gained immense popularity and success since its launch in the Indian market and today we are excited to introduce the 2017 Model Year New Range Rover Evoque to our customers. The fabulous design, coupled with class-leading technology and luxury features make the New Range Rover Evoque an unbeatable choice.”

A month or so back, Skoda had updated the Octavia. At that time however, it was only the normal Octavia that was updated and not the vRS. Now though, the company has launched the updated version of the vRS and the same will make its way to the Indian market later next year.

Changes

Like the facelifted Octavia, the vRS too gets the new dual LED headlamp treatment, something that reminds us of the previous generation Mercedes E Class. At the bottom of the light, there is a LED DRL, which continues on both the lights. Like in the pre-facelift vRS, the DRLs are a part of the headlamps and not in the bumper (something that the Laura/Octavia MK2 vRS had). The grill too has become larger now and so have the airvents in the bumper that house the foglamps. The design has become more aggressive, however we aren’t too sure we like the new split headlamp cluster though. At the back, the tail lamp cluster has received a minor change internally, the external shape remains the same however. 18″ rims are offered as standard with the option to upgrade to 19″ ones.

The vehicle now gets a larger infotainment system on the inside with a 9.2″ screen and supports navigation, WLAN hotspot and a LTE module. The interior trim now has an option of Alcantara. Ambient lighting has been been added as standard to improve the ambience inside the car.

Technical

The vRS has received a technical update as well, not just a visual make over. The car is now lower by 15 mm and the rear track is wider 30 mm. The car comes with Dynamic driving modes which lets you chose between Sport, Normal and Comfort. Under the hood, there is an option of either a 2.0 liter TSi or a 2.0 liter TDi unit. While the TSi now makes 230 Bhp and 350 Nm (earlier only the RS 230 came in 230 Bhp where as the normal vRS had 220 Bhp), the Tdi makes 184 Bhp and 380 Nm.

The petrol can be had with either a 6-speed manual or a 6-speed DSG while the diesel could also be had with a 6-speed manual and 6-speed DSG. The diesel vRS can be had in front wheel drive and AWD formats, however the AWD will only come mated to the DSG. The petrol gets no option of the AWD sadly.

The vRS is going to make its way to India next year. We hope it is the full blown 230 Bhp petrol variant that makes it here.

The all-new Fortuner has made its way to India and in the first month of being launched, managed to sell over 1900 units, the most that this SUV has ever sold in the country. Since the vehicle is popular all over the world and not just in India, there are a lot of crazily modified Fortuners. Here are 10 such vehicles:

Dubshop Pro

This Fortuner that has been done up by a company called Dubshop Pro for the Manila Auto Salon that took place a few months ago. The vehicle looks kickass and ready to take on all sort of terrain. The first thing you notice is how high the vehicle is. This is courtesy a lift kit which has been added and the ground clearance has been raised by a lot now.

This has been complemented by the larger rims and tyres. Since the vehicle has been built to go off-road, the front bumper has been replaced by a metal off-road one which has a winch and auxiliary lights.

The roof now gets a roof rack with a LED light bar. At the back too, there is a new metal bumper that has been added to protect the body work from damage in the case of severe off-roading.

The Lexus look

Lexus is owned by Toyota, and a lot of their vehicles share parts. For instance, Lexus’s flagship SUV the LX shares most of its parts with Toyota’s flagship, the LC. This, however is restricted to the higher end vehicles only. If you’d like your Fortuner to look like a Lexus, there is a company that can make that transition for you.

The company, called LX Mode is based out of Thailand and offers a kit that can transform your Fortuner to make it look like a Lexus. The changes include a new grill, with horizontal slats, something that is distinctly Lexus. The grill now extends into the bumper and there is skirting which has been added to the bumper as well.

TRD

Toyota’s Racing department, or TRD as it is called came up with this Fortuner for the Philippines Motorshow. Unlike the normal TRD kit that is available, this one has technical mods as well. For starters, it looks more aggressive with the new grill and the red TRD skid plate.

All the chrome has been blacked out, something that we liked. TRD has changed the suspension and has lifted the vehicle now, which can be seen in the image. The vehicle now sits on 18″ wheels and a side step has been added to aid getting in and out of the car. At the back too, there is an updated bumper.

Lowered

Who said that the Fortuner cannot be made to look sporty? This one pictured here has been done up very well. The owner has opted to lower the SUV, something that not many people opt to do. So now, with the lowered suspension and the large rims, it has the stanced look.

The front end has also been given an update and now gets a revised grill and bumper which give the Fortuner an aggressive look overall. The rear bumper has also been given a make over with a more aggressive look and a diffuser.

Audio

For those who want to make their ride sweet sounding, on the inside, this one has to be an inspiration. Yes, there is a body kit on the outside as well with a changed bumper and a splitter and side skirts, but it is the mods on the inside that supercede the mods on the outside. The interiors have been given a complete makeover as well, in addition to the audio system, there is new lighting which has been added which changes colour as per the beats of the song.

Image source: 1,4, 2, 3, 5

Continued below: 10 Badass Fortuners from across the globe

Here are 5 more modified Fortuners.

Lifted

This one here doesn’t feature any major visual update, expect the larger rims which have been blacked out. But the reason why this car is on this list is due to the subtle lift kit that gives this SUV a more imposing look. People who like sleeper cars will surely appreciate how this one, with the raised suspension looks.

Fiar design

Fiar design is a company that has been building body kits for various vehicles, the Fortuner being one such. There are multiple kits that they offer for the new Fortuner, this being one of them.

This one here consists of a new bumper, both at the front and the back. This gives the car a more sporty avatar. If you want one for your Fortuner, you can get it here: Link.

Offroad spec

Plan to take your Fortuner off-road but don’t want to get a lift kit? This bumper shall surely come in handy then to improve your approach angle. Not only that, it does make the SUV look a lot bolder. This can also help in hustling in daily traffic. Since the bumper is so high, it will surely keep those pesky bikers and auto rickshawalas from coming in the way. This one is built by: Link

Sporty

The Fortuner has been built to look imposing and butch, not sporty. There are kits that can add a touch of sportiness to your Fortuner, if that is what you want though. This is one such kit which includes a new look bumper, both at the front and the rear and new side step as well.

The front bumper gets a red strip, which looks nice in our opinion. At the back, the bumper features quad exhaust tips and the same red highlight from the front has been replicated at the back too.

Blue

In India, the Fortuner doesn’t come in any vibrant colour, what we get is the usual black, white, silver and dark maroon shade. Internationally though, there is a vibrant blue shade that is offered on the Fortuner, which on its own looks really nice.

This one here however has a body kit in addition to that, which gives the Fortuner a unique look. The new bumper has cut out on the sides to give it a sporty appearance and a lip that has been finished in black to give it a more rugged look. The foglamp cluster has been reworked, and LEDs have been added to them.

Image source: 6, 9, 10

In the past, car companies have tried to experiment with their product line-up for India. They have come up various different types of cars in order to build their brands. Since most of them didn’t succeed, they can be had for cheap in the used car market. Moreover, they’re super rare, guaranteeing you a kind of exclusivity that even Mercs and Bimmers can’t buy. Here are 10 such cars:

Mahindra Classic 4X4

The Classic was a lifestyle vehicle to which the Thar is the spiritual successor. When it was introduced, it was powered by a 2.1 liter diesel engine and came fitted with 4wd. There are many people who have put a 2.5 liter Bolero engine in it as well, however that is not the engine which the car came with originally. This one was a soft/open top vehicle.

We found one example here at Rs 2.15 lakhs Link

San Storm

The Storm is India’s only covertible. The vehicle was built in a Goa, a place where a convertible makes a lot of sense. The Storm was never successful in the Indian market and hence makes it a rare sight. That coupled with the fact that it is a no-nonsense cheap convertible makes for a good buy. Power came from a 1.2 liter engine making 60 Bhp and 94 Nm. This is certainly a rare catch.

We found one example here for a bloated Rs 6.0 lakhs here: Link

VW Touareg

The Touareg is the flagship VW SUV. No, that is not the reason why its on the list. The reason behind that is because the Touareg shares it underpinnings with both the Audi Q7 and the Porsche Cayenne. Though it has got a VW badge, this one is pretty premium. Because not many people bought it, you can find one for really cheap rates. This particular one is powered by a 3.0 liter V6 diesel that is commonly used across the Audi/Porsche group. Also, this one is the facelifted version.

We found one example here for Rs 11.99 lakhs : Link

Maruti Kizashi

The Kizashi was introduced as a flagship Maruti. It was priced in the price range of the Elantra, Laura and Cruze but was built as a more luxurious offering. The company sadly couldn’t sell enough of them, due to people not wanting premium Maruti’s. This is however good for those who want to pick up this premium product in the used car market. The Kizashi is powered by a 2.4 liter engine making 175 Bhp and 230 Nm. It was offered in both manual and automatic transmission options.

We found one here priced at Rs 7.0 lakhs : Link

Skoda Octavia Combi

In the earlier part of the previous decade, Skoda was on a roll when it came to offering customers a wide range of cars. Having just introduced the Octavia sedan, in both petrol, diesel and vRS avatars, they wanted to expand their portfolio by bringing in the Octavia Combi, the estate version of the Octavia.

Though estates aren’t very popular in India, we do find them to be very practical. Though we’d have preffered an Octavia vRS combi, we could only find a L&K variant for sale. If you do find a vRS, it should be a sure shot buy. A 150 Bhp highly tune-able car with seating for 5 and enough space for luggage, what else could you want in a car.

We found one here priced at Rs 2.99 lakhs : Link

Continued below: TEN rare and exclusive used cars for the tasteful gentleman!

Here are some more exclusive, rare used cars.

Maruti Grand Vitara

Like we mentioned, companies were experimenting with a lot of products in the last decade. The Grand Vitara was one such experiment from Maruti, which was sold in multiple generations here. If you are looking for a cheap SUV that has good amount of mod potential and off-road capability, this is a good option. The GV came in both 2.0 and 2.4 forms. We found a 2.0 example which produces 120 Bhp and 170 Nm.

We found one here for Rs 6.65 lakhs: Link

Renault Fluence

The Fluence is a luxury sedan from Renault which continues to sell in the market. The main USP of the Fluence is the ride quality it offers. If you want a sedan in that segment and are looking for rear seat comfort, there is nothing that beats the Fluence. Since the car didn’t sell very well, you can find a lot of examples for cheap. It came in both petrol and diesel, however it was the diesel that was more common. The diesel engine is the same 1.5 liter K9k unit which makes 108 Bhp and 240 Nm.

We found one example for Rs 4.49 lakhs here: Link

Chevrolet SRV

The Optra SRV was a little early for its time. Back when it was introduced, spending close to Rs 7 lakh on a hatchback was unheard of and people preffered to go in for a larger vehicle, like a sedan or SUV instead. However, the SRV was a funky looking hatchback that had good amounts of space, features and drove well too. Power came from the 1.6 liter engine on the Optra and it made 100 Bhp. It was also good to look at and if you are looking for a fun little hatch that is spacious and rare, look no further.

We found one priced at Rs 2.66 lakhs here: Link

Volkswagen Phaeton

Volkswagen entered India with some high-end cars, like the Passat, Touareg and the big daddy of them all – the Phaeton. Commissioned by Ferdinand Piech as a car that could provide Rolls Royce comfort in a reliable, everyday package, the Phaeton lived up to the promise. However, it was a global dud in terms of sales.

In India, very few actually know that Volkswagen sold the Phaeton here. The India-spec car was a CBU import, and was Volkswagen’s flagship, priced at over 80 lakh rupees. If you can manage to find a used one, you’ll pay less than one fourth the price now. We’ve done the searching for you. Super rare stuff this!

Here is an example priced at Rs 18.00 lakhs Link

Maruti Zen Carbon

The previous generation Zen, and by that we mean the one before the Estilo was launched was a car that was loved by enthusiasts. It was fun to drive, yet economical and nice to look at. Maruti introduced a 2-door version of the same, called the Carbon and Steel. This 2-door version was powered by a 1.0 liter engine making 55 Bhp and 79 Nm which made for a really fun drive. This coupled with the fact that the car looked cool and unique makes it a highly desirable.

We found one here: Link

Phaeton image courtesy CarbonOctane

Delhi has just been beaten! The tiny state of Goa is now India’s car capital. There’s one car for every two Goans, and this means Goa now has the highest car penetration of the country. Sorry Delhi, you’re not even 2nd now. You’re third.

What’s car penetration all about?

Car penetration refers to the number of cars for every 1,000 people of a state/city. There are 551 cars for every 1,000 people in Goa. Another small state, Puducherry (previously known as Pondicherry), ranks second, with 488 cars for every 1,000 people. Delhi comes in third place, with 424 cars/1000 people.

What does a high car penetration tell us?

Car penetration generally is indicative of how prosperous a particular place is. So, a high cars penetration means that the place in question is quite prosperous. But statistics don’t always tell us the whole story. Here is why.

Delhi is a city state, quite unlike Goa or Pondicherry (union territory). It’s much smaller than Goa (1,484 sq km vs 3,702 sq km) but has a higher population. If Delhi is compared to other cities such as Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Chennai, the figures will indicate that the nation’s capital has the highest car penetration in the country.
Low road tax. Despite being small in terms of area, both Pondicherry and Goa have an abnormally high car penetration due to low taxation. In case of Goa, the state adjoins Maharashtra and Karnataka. Many residents of border towns in Karnataka and Maharashtra choose to register their vehicles in Goa, in order to take advantage of the lower road tax. The same is the case with Pondicherry, which sees a lot of car owners from Chennai, Tamil Nadu and even Kerala registering their vehicles.
Tourism. A large proportion of cars in Goa are bought by the tourism industry – a mainstay of the state’s economy. This is another reason for Goa having a large number of cars, many of which aren’t for personal use.

Meanwhile, Chandigarh (another union territory) has a car penetration of 388/1000 people. Chandigarh is quite a wealthy area with many choosing to retire there. Also, the tax rate for cars is relatively low. When it comes to large states, Tamilnadu leads in car penetration, with 326 cars/1,000 people. If car penetration is considered as a symbol of prosperity, Tamilnadu ranks as one of the most prosperous states of the country.

Infographic via TheTimesofIndia

Image courtesy TravellerStories

Bajaj just launched the Dominar 400 at an enticing price of Rs. 1.36 lakh. And the Indian company has received an overwhelming response for the pricing. Even as Bajaj is yet to hand out motorcycles to the media, their showrooms across the country have started showcasing the latest bike. Here are a bunch of enthusiast videos of the Dominar 400 that gives you an idea on how the bike looks, and feels on the road.

Dealer-level launch of the Dominar 400 and gives first impression here:

We get to know that the riding position of the Dominar 400 is really relaxed. Jasminder, who is 5’11” says that seating posture is relaxed and will be helpful during long rides.. The video also shows the smooth humming sound of the Bajaj Dominar 400. Also, the all-LED headlamps are showed in the video.

The brilliant set-up of LED lamps always stay on with the Always Headlamp On (AHO) feature and they are really super bright. Bajaj claims that the headlamp of Dominar 400 can be seen from a distance of 1.5 km during night. The video also shows the TFT console that gets flat colours.

Video Source

Complete walk around video

In the video, you will get a very explanatory walk around of the Dominar 400 and first impression of the motorcycle.

Video Source

Long Highway Ride

Here is another video where the motorcycle has been taken on long highway ride. The person says that the exhaust note of the motorcycle is really good and has a good bass to it. It sounds like a premium motorcycle and has a heavy exhaust note in low and mid range. The person also talks about the braking and says that the rear brakes are not as good.

The person further says that the motorcycle feels very light and can be ridden very comfortably within the city limits too. As per the reviewer, the quality of the Dominar 400 is excellent and plastic used is very good. About the engine, the Dominar 400 delivers very linear power. The seats are optimally comfortable while the reviewer faced no heating issues from the engine.

Video Source

Top Speed – 167 km/h

Here is a video where the person takes the Dominar to the top speed of 167 km/h. The speed has not been measured on the GPS and there may be some speedo error. As per the video, it was the maximum limit of the motorcycle, and it did not feel like the motorcycle will cross that speed.

Video Source

KTM 390 Duke Vs Bajaj Dominar 400

As you know the engine of Bajaj Dominar 400 is derived from the KTM 390 Duke. Both the motorcycles are powered by the 373.3cc, single-cylinder, liquid-cooled engine. In the KTM 390 Duke, the engine produces a maximum of 43 BHP while the power has been retuned to 34.5 BHP in the Dominar. Here is how the motorcycles fare against each other in the real world.

Video Source

Lamborghini has unveiled a mid-life facelift of its flagship model, the Aventador. The new variant, christened the Aventador S has received a make over, both technically and visually.

Visual

There have been a few changes that have been done to the looks of the car to improve the aerodynamics of the vehicle. The main changes include a new front bumper which has been more aggressively designed, something that not many people are a fan of though. At the back, there is a new air vent and diffuser, that have been inspired by the Aventador SV. The rear wing is an active one and is movable in three positions, based on the speed being done and the drive mode selected by the driver. The overall design change has helped improve the downforce up front by 130%.

On the inside, there is a new TFT digital dashboard which has been improved and can now be customized by the driver, as per his preference. Apple Car Play is also offered as standard now.

Techincal

Under the hood, the flagship bull continues to be powered by the same 6.5 liter V12 that powered the older one, but now it makes 40 Bhp more, taking the total to 740 Bhp and 690 Nm. This has been done by improving the variable valve timing and by adjusting the variable intake system. 0-100 comes up in 2.9 seconds and the top speed is 350 kmph. In addition to the power, Lamborghini has also come up with 4 wheel steering, a first for any Lamborghini road car. At lower speeds, the front and rear wheels turn in the opposite direction, something that makes the car more agile where as at higher speeds, they turn in the same direction making the vehicle more stable.

A new driving mode, called ‘EGO’ has also been added to the option of driving modes. The car now comes with the Strada, Sport, Corsa and the Ego mode. The Ego mode is a customizable one where in the driver can chose the parameters he wants to setup based on what is offered on the other driving modes, acting as a sort of individual driving mode.

An all new set of Pirelli P Zero tyres have been developed for this bull and has been designed to improve traction as well as braking efficiency.

International deliveries for the car will begin early next year and we can expect the same to make its way to the Indian market by late next year.

Last month, an Indian business man from Dubai was in the news for having bought a license plate for 33 million Dirham (currency of UAE), which equates to Rs 60.90 crores. This however is not the end of it though. Last year around, he spent 25 million Dirham on another number plate which had the number 09. To sum up, Balwinder Sahni has paid a total of Rs 106 crores just to get two license plates for his cars.

The reason?

9 is a lucky number for the businessman and he thus wanted his number plates to read the same. Thus D5 (D, being the fourth alphabet) adds up to 9. Personal number plates are very expensive in Dubai, especially those that contain single digits. In order to get this ‘D 5’ number plate, he had to outbid 300 other bidders. According to sources, the sale at Rs 60 crores happens to be among the biggest amounts spent in the history of RTA number auctioning, which happens to make it one of the most expensive number plates bought in the world. The record for that is held by a business man who bought a number plate bearing the number 1 for a massive 52 million Dirham, back in 2008.

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Personalized plates have always been in demand for a long time, even in India. There are instances where people have paid lakhs and lakhs of money for a number plate in India as well, especially for the 0001 number.

The cars?

When you have that kind of money to spend on number plates, they surely won’t be on small cars now, will they. Mr. Sahni owns a lot of high-end vehicles, however these 2 number plates were chosen for his fleet of Rolls Royce Phantoms. He has 2 of them, one being the all new Series-II Phantom and the other being the older first generation vehicle. The Phantom is the most luxurious vehicle on sale across the world. In India, the Phantom happens to be the most expensive car on sale as well.

What does he do?

Mr. Sahni is a major realtor who has been developing parts of UAE and operates in the international market as well. He is also the owner of RSG international, a property management company that operates across the globe, specializing in UAE, Kuwait, India and the US.

Source: Link

India is a country filled with moronic drivers. Getting a license isn’t very tough and most people aren’t even aware of the road rules and regulations before they begin to drive. This makes driving in India a very daunting task, especially if you have powerful vehicles (bikes or cars).

Just yesterday, an accident occured in Kollam, Kerala where in 2 high-end superbikes were involved in an incident with a Maruti Alto 800. From what is known, the car was trying to pull a u-turn in front of the bikes. The bikes in question were the Kawasaki Versys and the Triumph Daytona.

In a bid to avoid the car, the rider of the Kawasaki, who was in front went off the road and crashed on the side. This resulted in his bike splitting from the front and getting badly damaged, as you can see from the pictures. The Triumph that was following couldn’t avoid the car and went into it.

From the looks of it, the car is badly damaged. The whole fender has been sheared off, door has been ripped apart and the A-pillar and roof have sustained damage. The Daytona on the other hand had its front fairing ripped off and sustainted a blow to the front handle bar and suspension unit up front.

Sadly, the rider of the Kawasaki Versys 650 ended up losing his life on the way to the hospital while both the Daytona rider and the driver of the car have sustained injuries. Here are more pictures from the incident:

Now there is no information on who’s at fault here and the cause is also not clear so we wouldn’t like to point fingers. What we can however do is to say that one should always be very attentive and aware of your surroundings while on the road, especially in our country.

The Versys is a sport tourer from Kawasaki which is powered by a 649 cc parallel twin engine that is liquid cooled and fuel injected. It produces 68 Bhp and 64 Nm. The Daytona on the other hand is more of a sporty track bike. It comes in two variants, the normal and the R. Both are powered by the same 675 cc engine that produces 115 Bhp and 70 Nm.

Source: Link

Toyota Motor company, one of the biggest manufacturers of passenger cars around the world announced that it would form a new internal company with its fully owned subsidiary, Daihatsu. The new internal company will be responsible for the vehicles in the emerging markets around the world, and it will include the Indian market. The new venture will be known as “Emerging-market Compact Car Company”.

The president of Daihatsu, Masonari Mitsui will be appointed the chairman of the new venture while Toyota Managing Officer Shinya Kotera will be appointed the president of the new internal company. The new internal company will target developing market and will not follow conventional practices to introduce highly competitive and better cars. The process will involve Daihatsu’s approach of manufacturing affordable and high-quality products with Toyota’s expertise.

The new company will get three divisions, the Emerging-market Compact Car Product & Business Planning Division, the Emerging-market Compact Car Product Product Division and the Emerging-market Compact Car Quality Planning Division. Also, the Toyota Motor Asia Pacific Engineering and Manufacturing will be renamed to Toyota Daihatsu Engineering and Manufacturing, and the new internal company will control it.

Interestingly, Daihatsu is exploring the Indian market to launch new budget products. The company is quite active in the other Asian countries like Indonesia but is yet to make an entrance to the Indian market. The new venture will be announced on 1st January 2017 and will be responsible for product planning and business operations for the Toyota-brand vehicles too. We may see a slew of budget cars coming out from the Daihatsu and Toyota brand in the future.

The new venture will bring in a lot of new products in India. Daihatsu is also planning to set-up a new base in India to manufacture their products. We will get a clearer picture when the brand becomes official in 2017.

2016 has been a relatively good year for Volvo India. They have introduced a few new products across the spectrum, from the rugged S60 Cross Country to the green XC90 hybrid. Now, they have introduced the facelift of their smallest offering, the V40 and the V40 Cross Country hatchback. The new vehicles were introduced at the company’s newly opened dealership at Kerala.

What’s new?

First and foremost, the thing that you will notice the most is the fact that the new vehicle has the ‘Thor hammer’ shaped headlamps which is a new design theme that Volvo is following. These headlamps are full LED. In addition to that, the grill has received a minor update and there are now new set of wheels on offer.

Range

The V40 range comes in 4 variants, the V40 R-Design priced at Rs 28.53 lakhs, the V40 Kinetic priced at Rs 25.49 lakhs, the V40 Cross Country Inscription priced at Rs 29.40 lakhs and the V40 Cross Country Momentum priced at Rs 27.20 lakhs.

Engines

While the V40 is offered in the D3 diesel format only, the V40 Cross Country can be had in both diesel (Inscription trim) and petrol (Momentum trim). The D3 is powered by a 2.0 liter engine making 148 Bhp and 320 Nm where as the T4 is powered by a 1.6 liter turbo petrol unit making 177 Bhp and 240 Nm. Both the engines are mated to a 6 speed automatic gearbox.

Features

Volvo offers a lot of kit, especially safety features on all their products. This one comes with pedestrian and driver knee airbag, in addition to the front and side airbags that are usually offered. The top-of-the line variant also gets a fixed panoramic roof, ambient lighting with changable colour options, rear parking camera, park assist and a digital instrument cluster.

The V40 has been the smallest offering from volvo in the country and it takes on the Mercedes A Class and the BMW 1 Series.

The iconic Jeep brand has finally landed in India and what better way to celebrate the arrival than to have an off-road drive. Jeep organized India’s first ever Jeep camp for us media folk and prospective customers to experience the Jeeps in their natural terrain, the wilderness. Here are our thoughts:

The location and trail

The event was to happen in Delhi NCR. Since Delhi has no open area where an off-road even could have been created, a place in Gurgaon was chosen. The location for this event was a private farm in Bandhwari Village, a few kms off the Faridabad-Gurgaon road. Professional off-roaders from across the country had come and setup the track and were the driving instructors for the event.

They had a small location where they had setup artificial steps, to show the ease with which the Jeep climbs and descends and it also showed their ground clearance. The trail was a natural one with no man made obstacles. The various obstacles included mutliple ascent and decents, rock climbing, articulation, maneuverability test and a sand pit. So how did the SUVs perform?

The Grand Cherokee

First up, we took the Grand Cherokee for a spin. Now the GC is more of a luxurious off-road vehicle, so we thought we’d experience the off-road course in the lap of luxury first. The GC which is on sale in India comes in two variants, the Limited priced at Rs 93.64 lakhs and the Summit priced at Rs 1.03 crores, ex-showroom Delhi. Power comes from a 3.0 liter V6 making 240 Bhp and 570 Nm. We drove the top-of-the line Summit version.

The GC comes with permenant 4wd system and has various modes which can be switched between, based on the terrain upfront. The modes on offer are sand, auto, snow, mud and rock. There is a separate 4wd lock mode and hill descent control. For the first incline on sand, we chose the sand mode and put the SUV into 4wd low mode. This requires you to come to a halt and shift the gear lever into neutral before you can shift into 4wd low. The low mode is not meant to go fast in and is meant more for low end torque. This makes it easy to plough through the rough stuff. For the rock climb, we shifted to rock mode and the SUV gobbled up all the rocks that were thrown at it. The rest of the course was completed in ease.

One thing you realize in the GC after driving and being at the back is how comfy the SUV is. Even though we were going through rough patches, not once did we feel anything on the inside. This one will manage both the urban jungle and mild off-roading that most owners will put it through in complete ease.

The Wrangler

The Wrangler on the other hand is a more hardcore and purpose built vehicle for off-roading. Sit inside and you immdiately feel it to be more rugged as opposed to the luxurious feel on the Grand Cherokee. The Wrangler sold here is the Trail-rated version, which means this Wrangler has been setup after having completed a series of gruelling tests which prove its off-roading capability. The Wrangler has an old school charm to it, which is what makes true off-roaders attracted to it. Another advantage of the Wrangler is that all the body panels can be removed to give the the occupants exposure to the outdoors. At Rs 71.59 lakhs ex-showroom Delhi, it is also the cheapest Jeep that you can buy in India currently.

The Wrangler is powered by a 2.8 liter diesel engine making 197 Bhp and 347 Nm. Now the Wrangler comes with the old-school 4wd gear lever, instead of the new electronic one. You can choose between 2wd, 4wd and 4wd low. That’s about it, there are no different modes, all you need to do is to put it into 4wd and it’ll go through whatever you have in store for it. After having driven the Cherokee, this one feels a lot more at home in the wilderness. The low-end torque on offer is immense and even a gradual dab on the accelerator is enough to keep this massive beast moving. Another good thing is that it has hill assist, which works on any terrain. Stop while climbing on a steep sandly slope and you can just continue moving forward without worrying about rolling behind. The course was a little challenging, but the Wrangler just gobbled it up with ease. This doesn’t feel as comfortable as the Cherokee, but that’s the charm of this vehicle that true off-road enthusiasts will understand.

Verdict?

Both the Jeeps are capable, in their different ways. While most people would rather choose the Cherokee given how luxurious it is and can tackle most of the off-roading (urban jungle and highway trips) that most customers will put it through, the enthusiast would still opt for the Wrangler given its old school ruggedness and charm.

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Mercedes has been on a model offense in 2016. Though the year has been a slow one in terms of sheer volumes, especially for the luxury segment given the diesel ban in the initial part of the year and the demonetization towards the end. This hasn’t stopped Mercedes from launching 12 new products in the year, till now. Mercedes has now launched its 13th product, the C43 AMG and we were at the coveted Buddh International Circuit to drive it.

What is the C43 AMG?

The C43 was initially unveiled as the C450 AMG globally, but the 450 line was later shut and all the 450 AMGs were rebadged as 43 AMG. So this, the C43 AMG is the smaller sibling of the mighty C63S and bridges the gap betweem the C200 petrol and the C63S in India.

Looks?

In the looks department, being an AMG, there is an AMG kit which has been added to the C43, however it isn’t as hardcore as the one on the C63S. The C43 gets a smaller air vent in the bumper as opposed to the joined figure-8 type air vent that comes on the C63S. This one has a lip finished in silver and sports a new grill with the AMG badge. On the side, the car has side skirts and the Bi-turbo badging on the front fender. The rear has the normal AMG bumper with quad exhaust tips, rear diffuser and the AMG badging. The C43 is shod with 18″ 5-spoke AMG rims. This one is a more mild version of the hardcore C63S and echos the same in the looks department.

The insides too feel like an AMG, with the flat-bottom steering wheel and red stitching, red seatbelts, the sport seats with a mix of Alcantara and leather. It offers a good blend of luxury and sportiness.

The heart

Now let’s get to the heart of the matter, this being an AMG. The C43 is powered by a 3.0 liter V6 Bi-turbo engine that makes 367 Bhp and 520 Nm. The engine is mated to the new 9-speed automatic transmission. All this power is transmitted to all 4 wheels, courtesy Mercedes’s performance 4MATIC system. Though it is an AWD on paper, this one is more rearward biased, for those who prefer sideways action. The power split is 69% to the rear and 31% to the front. The car comes with various driving modes, Eco, Comfort, Sport, Sport + and Individual. While we were on the track, we stuck to the Sport + mode.

We were given 2 laps of the track, including the in and out lap. The track, for those who haven’t been to it, has a good mix of twisty sections in sector 2 and 3 and fast straights in sector 1. The first time we got to put the 367 horeses to test was on the back straight, where we touched a top speed of 230 kmph. The car could have surely gone a little faster, if we were on proper hot laps. The car accelerates well and due to it being an AWD, it puts the power done well. Braking from 230 kmph showed how effective the ventilated discs on this 1690 kgs weighing beast are. The 9-speed autobox downshifts automatically while braking, adding to the experience. However if you feel the need to downshift, you can use the paddles on the steering wheel. In the twisty sections, we found the car very agile with minimal hint of understeer in Sport + mode. The steering feels very precise and we were extremely impressed by how much grip the car has. The steering wheel is a flat-bottom one and weighs up well. The AMGs are known to be sweet sounding, and this one, though not very loud, continues to have the crackles and bangs on up and downshifts.

Overall, we came away impressed with the whole driving experience. It isn’t as wild as the C63S, but it certainly is a good stepping stone before heading to the bonkers C63S.

Pricing:

The C43 AMG is priced at Rs 74.35 lakhs ex-showroom Delhi. This positions the C43 just above the CLA 45 AMG. While the CLA 45 AMG has a 4-pot motor, it makes 381 Bhp.

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The Swift has been an extremely successful product for Suzuki, across the world. It put Suzuki on the radar for enthusiasts. In India as well, the Swift has been very well received by people from all works of life. Come 2017, the all-new Swift is expected to make its global debut and following that, it’ll make its Indian debut later in the year. Though the year hasn’t yet begun, this one is already the most anticipated launch of the 2017.

Last week, the first image of the Swift was leaked on a global site, showing the new design theme of the car. Today, a Japanese spec brochure has been leaked which sheds more information on the vehicle. Now this is the Japanese spec car and we aren’t sure how much of it will make it to the Indian version.

According to the new information sourced, the vehicle will come with a RS variant, something similar to what is available in the Ciaz in India. The RS model is what has been leaked and it features skirting all over (front bumper, side and rear). Since the Ciaz has gotten the RS variant in India, the Swift could also get the RS variant here, though there is no clarity on it yet. There will be a total of 5 colour options on offer, a red, a new blue shade, a black, a grey and a white.

Under the hood, details continue to be sparse. What is known is that the Swift will be offered with SHVS in Japan. This, however may not make it to the Indian version. Maruti is currently studying the feasibility of manufacturing the SHVS system in India, something that is currently imported. It is gathering feedback from existing customers regarding the system and will then make the decision as to whether their future models will have the SHVS or not. The 1.2 liter K Series unit on the new Swift will make 90 Bhp now. The turbo petrol engine (most likely the 1.0 liter Boosterjet) makes 100 Bhp. The RS will come with 3 transmission options, a 5-speed manual, a CVT and a 6-speed autobox. The CVT will come mated to the mild hybrid variant. Since the new Swift is based on the Baleno platform, it is expected to shed a lot of weight. This one ranges from 830-930 kgs, depending upon the variant. Since the variant we are talking about comes with curtain air bags and radar based braking system, the Indian version could end up weighing lesser than that.

Just to clarify, this isn’t the Swift Sport, just a sportier looking variant of the normal Swift.

Image source: Link

India’s largest automobile maker, Maruti Suzuki has already started bracing up for the launches next year. This year Maruti launched the Vitara Brezza, which received a huge response from the market. For 2017, the company has as many as 8 cars lined-up in form of all-new cars, facelifts and new variants. Let’s take a look at Maruti’s upcoming cars.

Ignis

Launch: January 2017

The Ignis is one of the most awaited launches from Maruti Suzuki. The bookings for the Ignis will be started in the first week of January itself and the launch will happen on 13th January 2017. The Ignis is an all-new car from Maruti and will be sold through the premium Nexa dealership network of the company.

The Ignis will be powered by both 1.2-litre petrol engine and 1.3-litre diesel engine. It will get 5-speed manual gearbox as well as AMT with both the engine options. Safety wise, the Ignis will get standard ABS and dual airbags across all the variants. It will also become the first car from Maruti to feature Android Auto while Apple CarPlay will also feature on the 7-inch touch sensitive infotainment system.

Baleno RS

Launch: Early 2017

The Baleno is an all-new product for Maruti in India launched last year. The premium hatchback sells through Nexa outlet and has received a huge response from the market. The lightweight car will become the first hot hatch from Maruti next year.

Maruti unveiled the Baleno RS concept earlier this year during the Auto Expo. The new car will be launched somewhere in February next year. The Baleno RS will be the first car to be powered turbocharged petrol engine from Maruti. The 1.0-litre, 3-cylinder engine will produce a maximum power of 108 BHP along with 170 Nm of torque. It will also get lowered and stiffer suspensions for better handling capabilities.

Vitara Brezza petrol

Launch: Mid 2017

Maruti launched the Vitara Brezza at a time when diesel was the preferred choice of fuel in the market. Currently, the Vitara Brezza gets only one engine option in form of 1.3-litre DDiS diesel engine that generates a maximum of 89 BHP and 200 Nm of torque. Now that market has seen a drastic shift from diesel to petrol vehicles, Maruti is working on a petrol variant of the Vitara Brezza.

The Vitara Brezza will be powered by the similar engine that will do the duty in the Baleno RS. The 1.0-litre 3-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine will churn out a massive 108 BHP of maximum power along with 170 Nm of maximum torque.

Brezza AMT

Launch: Mid 2017

Maruti currently boasts of the highest AMT model line-up in India with the Celerio, Alto K10 and Swift DZire. Their next launch, Ignis will also get the AMT. Their one of the highest selling model and segment leader Brezza currently does not get any automatic transmission option. The company is currently working to plonk the transmission in the Brezza next year.

The Maruti Suzuki Brezza AMT was showcased at the Indonesia Auto Show earlier this year. Just like the Ignis, the Brezza will get the AMT option with both petrol and diesel engines.

Continued Below: 8 new Maruti Cars & SUVs for 2017

Here are 8 cars and SUVs from Maruti for 2017

Ciaz facelift

Launch: April 2017

The Maruti Ciaz became one popular model in India soon after its launch. The sedan also became the first car in the budget segment to receive mild-hybrid technology in the country. Many customers have complained about the sedan being very underpowered. Now Maruti is preparing the facelift of the car that is scheduled to be launched in April 2017.

The new car will get a bigger 1.6-litre diesel engine that also powers the S-Cross 320. The 4-cylinder turbocharged diesel engine produces a maximum of 118 BHP along with 320 Nm of maximum power in the S-Cross. With the facelift, the sale of Ciaz will be shifted to the premium dealership network of Maruti known as Nexa.

S-Cross facelift

Launch: late 2017

The most expensive car from Maruti will receive a facelift late next year. The facelift model was unveiled during the Paris Motor Show earlier this year. One of the major changes in the facelift model is the all-new vertical grille at the front. The car also gets a more rugged look with redesigned bumpers that gets a larger radiator grille. The new S-Cross also gets new projector headlamps.

On the inside, the new S-cross will get an updated instrument cluster with new MID. The interiors trim also gets updated trim colours and new seat upholstery with contrasting stitching. The dashboard also comes new updated trims.

Swift

Launch: October 2017

The Swift has been long due for an update. The 2017 Swift is an all-new car and comes with many new updates. The new Swift gets a larger grille that is split into two. The headlamps look inspired from the Baleno, especially the LED DRLs that are placed on the bottom. The bumper is more muscular and has a lip spoiler.

On the inside, the all-new Swift will get an all-new dashboard with a new large touch screen infotainment system that will get connectivity through Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The new Swift has shed a lot of weight and is based on the new Baleno platform. The new car will be powered by 1.2-litre K Series, 1.3-litre DDiS unit but the power has not been revealed yet.

Swift DZire

Launch: November 2017

The Swift DZire is a very important vehicle for the company when it comes to sales. The Swift DZire will be based on the new Swift and the car will get similar features like the new Swift. The car has been spied testing in India and also gets LED DRLs in the headlamp. The top-end variant of the car will also get projector headlamps.

The car will get a new dashboard with new touchscreen infotainment system. The car will also feature Apple CarPlay and the Android Auto like the Swift. Engine options will also remain similar to the Swift with 1.2-litre petrol engine and 1.3-litre diesel engine.

DC Design is one of India’s most popular design houses. The outfit has done some commendable jobs in the past including the the launch of India’s first sport car known as the Avanti. Also, there are a few cars from the DC Design that are relatively obscure, and unseen. We bring you 10 of such unseen cars designed by DC.

Toyota Fortuner

The butch looking car from Toyota has been first choice of many SUV buyers in India. The first generation of the Toyota Fortuner quickly gained popularity in the market and climbed to the top spot in the segment in no time. Here is what DC Design did to the macho SUV.

First of all, the brute chrome grille carrying the Toyota logo was replaced with a plastic one. The projector headlamps were replaced to sleek LEDs. The bumper was also replaced. The car also received extra set of fog lamps. So now, there are not two but four of them.

Hyundai Santro

The first generation of the Hyundai Santro was not a good looking car as many would suggest. The toothy grille of the hatchback did not go down well many onlookers. DC took the popular car and transformed it into something very different.

The yellow coloured body of the modified car makes it really stand out. After that, the body kit of the vehicle is another design element that will get people talking. Also, the car becomes two-door with a sharply angled window line. All in all, it’s more of a two seater.

Toyota Land Cruiser VXR

DC Design is not limited to the Indian boundaries but also has its network in the international markets like Dubai. This Land Cruiser from Dubai has been modified by DC. The grille has been replaced with vertical stripes. The biggest change that you will notice are the headlamps. The stock headlamps have been replaced with all-black set-up and there are also two barrel LEDs on top of it. The whole car has been wrapped in matte black.

Rolls Royce Silver Spirit meets Ambassador

When a Rolls Royce Spirit meets an Ambassador, something like this happens. The inspiration has been taken from DC’s own Ambierod design.

The only resemblance to the Rolls Royce here is the front grille. The front bumper that flows to become the front wheel arch was really futuristic at the time when it was designed.

Mahindra Reva

The Reva was the first fully electric car of India. We all agree to the fact the car carried a very odd shape. Then DC added another layer of oddness. Meet the Reva based spaceship car. The pod gets headlamps inspired from the Audi R18 sports car.

The tyres get a full cover with design plates outside that mimics the drive shaft. It sure is a creative design but we’re not sure how many people will actually like it.

Continued Below: 10 Weird & Wacky cars from DC Design

Here are some more cars from DC that most of you have never seen.

Toyota Qualis

The Toyota Qualis was the car that ruled the Indian road before the arrival of the Innova. The people mover carried a simple boxy design that did the job of looking plain-Jane yet friendly to the people. DC Design’s aspiration to do a makeover on the Qualis resulted in this.

The front of the Qualis was completely changed with black grille and smoked headlamps. Even the bonnet was reshaped as well as the bumper. The car gets a side-step and deep dish rims on the side, something that no one would have thought about on a Qualis. The tail lamps mimics the smoked headlamps and there is a tail gate mounted tyre too!

Honda Accord

The Accord has always been linked to class. The good looking sedan was termed as a gentlemen’s car. DC transformed the car into a low slung sports car with scissor doors!

That’s not all. There are fake side air vents as well. At the rear, the car gets a huge spoiler. The flat rear gets the signature exhaust system of DC that comes out of the body of the car.

Tata Indica

The Indica was one of the first passenger cars from Tata. The car looks nothing like the Indica now. It has been painted in yellow-green paint. The front grille has been replaced with a plastic one with DC logo replacing the Tata logo. The headlamp units have been updated with projector headlamps with black outlining.

The alloy wheels have been updated too. The rear of the car receives a new tail lamp unit that has a beam running through it. To finish it all, there is a proud DC logo sitting on the tail gate.

Maruti WagonR

Almost all the manufacturers now have a cross version of their hatchbacks in India except Maruti. DC did the job for them with this WagonR. The car gets thick plastic cladding all around. The cladding material has been also used for the front grille. There headlamp unit has been replaced with multiple lamps that are used for indicator, fog lamp and head lamp.

DC Tornado

The Tornado is based on the Imperator Concept car that was also designed by DC. The Tornado was developed as an SUV. The mid-engined layout car gets a 6-litre Audi V12 engine that has been retuned to produce more power.

The car itself rides on enormous 325/25 profile 28-inch tyres. To prove the SUV capability, the car gets all-wheel drive system. No one has ever seen this car outside the showroom. We have no idea how capable this thing can be in real life.

And after a long interval, we are back with another story on India’s best modified cars and SUVs. Here are another 10 cars that make it to the XVI edition:

Ford Endeavour

Motormind is a company that has been doing a lot of body kits for various cars. Now, they have come up with one for the all-new Ford Endeavour, a SUV that has been fairly popular in the Indian market. This one featured here is the 3.2 liter version and has been finished in white from the factory itself.

The mod list on this is only to help improve the aesthetics of the SUV, not that it really needed it though. The car has now gotten a Motormind body kit which includes a new front bumper chin with LEDs, new wheel arches a, new grill and smoked out headlamps, an extention to the rear bumper and larger rims and tyres. This one looks a lot more imposing than the stock vehicle.

Isuzu V Cross

The V Cross is a lifestyle vehicle that has gotten a lot of people interested. At the Rs 12.5 price tag, the car makes a lot of sense for those looking for an imposing vehicle which could be used daily and used on trips as well. It is a dual cab, which means there is space for 5 and has a huge loading area. The only downside to driving this daily is the massive size. There are people who have however modified their V Cross to make it look completely bad ass.

This is one such example. Under the hood, everything remains the same, however most of the other parts have been changed. So the bumper has been replaced with an ARB off-road one which has an inbuilt bull bar. An ARB underbody protection has also been added, incase the going gets too tough. The suspension too has been upgraded and now sits on Oldman Emu suspension. To improve the wading depth, a snorkel has been added and Infinity off-road tyres have been added as well.

Skoda Octavia vRS

The Skoda Octavia is a car that is frequently modified and is one that you will see featuring on our site pretty often. This one is very different though. What sets this apart from the normal modified cars is the fact that the owner has decided to change the layout of the car. While the Octavia has been a front-engined front-wheel drive car, this one has been changed to a mid-engined layout. The vehicle now produces a massive 400 Bhp and has been built to compete in drags. The whole rear end of the car has been custom built and is now made up of fibre, to keep weight low. The power upgrade has been done with the help of a new Garrett turbo and has been tuned by Race Dynamics.

Honda City

This Honda City featured here has been done by Race Concept and has been made specifically for to drag. It produces a massive 445 Bhp on the wheels. This car is now turbocharged and runs on 20 psi. This accounts to 550 Bhp on the crank, which is massive. The whole body has been redone to keep weight low. It now does 0-200 in 9.8 seconds.

Fiat Punto Abarth

The Punto Abarth is a car that had us massively impressed by how it drove. The only thing we felt that the car could have had a better suspension setup. Since the Abarth already makes 145 Bhp, it is one of the fastest hot hatchbacks in India, given the price point. This owner here decided that he wanted more power from his car and he opted to get a Superchip remap. With more power, you also need a better exhaust system and that has been taken care off by a Magnaflow catback system. In addition to that, the owner has added a Forge intercooler and Forge BOV. Most importantly, the car has been lowered with the help of a KW suspension and the car looks really nice now, with the reduced ride height.

Image source: 1, 4, 5

Continued below: India’s best modified- Part XVI

Here we have part 2 of the story of India’s best modified cars.

Nissan Micra

The Micra isn’t a car you would consider fun or mod-friendly. It is a good car, however it is one that people opt for if they want a practical and spacious hatch, also, it is one that is chosen mostly by the fairer sex since it is more cute. This one here however makes us think otherwise. The owner has gone in for a custom paint job which makes the car look really nice.

The headlamps have been smoked and the bumper now has a lip spoiler. In addition to that, the vehicle has a custom exhaust system with dual pipes on either side of the car. The rims have also been upgraded and all the chrome has been blacked out, something that adds a lot of character to this otherwise dull looking vehicle.

Honda Accord

While the Honda Accord is mainly bought for the rear seat comfort, there are a few enthsusiasts out there who hae actually picked up Accords in order to modify them. This one here is a rare 3.5 liter V6, a car that the company sold very few units of. Since an enthusiast always wants more power, this owner has opted for a Red Rooster exhaust system and a K&N air intake, which will surely give the car a little bit more oomph. As you can see, this Accord has been extensively lowered, with the help of BC Racing suspension. The headlamps and tail lamps have been changed as well and the car now sits on massive 19″ alloys.

VW Polo

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The Polo is a very commonly modded hatchback, after the Swift. Being a European car, there are a lot of parts available for the Polo that makes it such a mod friendly car. This one however has been done in India itself.

This one features a custom widebody kit which includes new fenders, both up front and the back, a new bumper, lowering springs courtesy Vogtland, 17″ rims, a custom grille and aftermarket projector headlamps. This is certainly one of the better looking Polos we have seen.

Honda Jazz

The Jazz is also a hatchback that didn’t really click well in the Indian market. Though the old one was a fabulous product, it was priced on the higher side and hence didn’t see many takers. Being a very common vehicle across the world, there are a lot of parts for the Jazz to make it ‘Jazzier’. This one here shows just that.

The bumper and grille have been replaced by the Mugen one . The bumper includes a lip spoiler as well. The headlamps have been coloured, something that is a very personal choice. The car now sits on larger multi-spoke rims. At the back, the tail lamps have been smoked out and the Mugen rear bumper is also present, with the diffuser and LED lamp at the center.

Tata Xenon

Like the V Cross, there are a few people who picked up the Xenon as well, since at that time, it was one of the very few pick up trucks that people could register on a white plate. There are a lot of modified Xenons in the country, especially those who have been bought by private buyers. This one here features a hard-top cover for the rear cargo area, making it look more like a proper SUV rather than a pick-up truck.

In addition to that, the whole front end has been changed and now looks a lot more butch and rugged. The headlamps have a protective covering to make sure they don’t break under severe off-roading, there is a new off-road bumper and flared fenders. A roof-box has also been added. The last and the most important update has been done to the suspension. This one now gets an aftermarket Oldman Emu Suspension and coupled with the massive off-road tyres, certainly looks menacing.

Image source: 6,7,10, 8, 9,

Given how bad the road conditions in our country are, all car makers design India specific suspension to give their vehicles adequate ride height to clear the craters and the massive speed-breakers that our roads possess. So which cars have the highest ground clearance? We tell you.

Entry level hatchback

Datsun Redi-Go

Datsun’s cheapest offering, the Redi-Go has been marketed as an urban-crossover ever since it has been introduced. The main reason behind that was the fact that it had a massive 185 mm ground clearance. The reason behind this is that Nissan engineers wanted the Redi-Go to tackle all the rough roads

India could throw at it and at the same time have a high enough seating position to prepare for what is coming ahead. All other hatchbacks in this segment have a slightly lower ground clearance of close to 180 mm.

Compact hatchback

Tata Tiago

The latest kid on the block from Tata Motors makes its entry into this list by being the one with the highest ground clearance. At 170 mm, it is more than that on both the Wagon R and Celerio, cars that the Tiago takes on. The Tiago is a very well rounded product and one that has raised the bar when it comes to entry level hatchbacks. The Tiago is aimed at the youth and everything about it screams just that.

Upper compact

Ford Figo

In the upper compact segment, the position goes to the all new Ford Figo, with a ground clearance of 174 mm. Not only is the ground clearance good enough, but the dynamics of the car continue to be spot on, like we have come to expect from all Ford vehicles.

Premium compact

Fiat Avventura

This position here has to go to Fiat, be it the Punto or the Avventura. While the Avventura isn’t exactly a hatchback, it isn’t a compact SUV either and hence we thought it’d be better off here. The Avventura is the raised version of the Punto and has a ground clearance of 205 mm, which is more than some of the SUVs on sale in India as well. The normal Punto on the other hand has a ground clearance of 185 mm, making that the highest in case you want to omit the raised hatchs.

Compact sedan

Ford Aspire

Like its hatch sibling, the Aspire too makes it to this list for being the car with the highest ground clearance in the segment at 174 mm. It beats the Etios and the Swift Dzire, which both have a similar ground clearance of 170 mm. The Aspire is a well rounded compact sedan that offers a good mix of performance and driving dynamics.

Continued below: Ground clearance Champion cars & SUVs of India

Midsize sedan

Fiat Linea

What Fiat has done is raised all their vehicles that are sold in India. Though they have some really good looking and elegant vehicles in their respective segments, they have the most wheel gap courtesy the high ground clearance. The Linea, at 185 mm is the highest midsize sedan that you can buy in the country today.

Compact SUV

Renault Duster AWD

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The Duster AWD is the only AWD vehicle in the compact SUV segment currently. It is this AWD version that has the highest ground clearance in the segment, at 210 mm. The Duster AWD comes with a shift-on-the fly AWD system where you can switch between 2wd, 4wd and 4wd low depedning upon the terrain up front.

MPV

Honda Mobilio

The Mobilio hasn’t really been in the news for a long time now. The main reason behind that was the way Honda had priced the vehicle. Being more expensive than the Ertiga and being not so special, not a lot of people bought it. However if ground clearance is what you are looking for, the Mobilio has the highest, at 189 mm.

Premium sedan

Volvo S60 Cross Country

The Volvo S60 Cross Country is the only raised sedan we get in the Indian market. At 201 mm, the S60 is higher than the GLA and X1, cars which have been categorized as SUVs. The car is interesting since it feels and drives like a sedan, yet has the rugged looks and the ground clearance of a proper SUV. Unlike other crossovers, this one actually has an AWD system as well.

Premium SUV

Chevrolet Trailblazer

The Trailblazer has been a highly under-rated SUV. Though it is pretty capable, people still continue to opt for either the Endeavour or the Fortuner and those not opting for them opt for the Pajero Sport. However, it is the Trailblazer that has the highest ground clearance, at 241 mm.

The burning of fossil fuel releases a lot of byproducts and many of them are harmful and toxic to the environment as well as humans. One such silent assassin coming out of the car exhaust is Carbon Monoxide. It is a colourless, odourless gas which can kill an adult human instantly, and is way more harmful to children. Recently, there has been a string of events reported where the car occupants died because of the Carbon Monoxide poisoning. Let’s see how it can poison people and how it can happen in a car.

How does Carbon Monoxide kill?

Carbon Monoxide is a dangerous gas that is colourless, odourless and tasteless. The gas does not survive for long in the atmosphere and breaks down to form a part of ground-level ozone. Carbon Monoxide can affect any vertebrate living being and is highly toxic. If inhaled, carbon monoxide combines with haemoglobin (which carries the oxygen from lungs and carbon dioxide to the lungs) and makes it ineffective to do its normal function. The inhalation of carbon monoxide results in the formation of carboxyhemoglobin, which reduces the flow of oxygen to the body parts and causes severe seizure and eventually, death can occur.

Recent incidents

World over, many people die from carbon monoxide poisoning. The latest one happened in the UK where a couple were driving in a modified Ford Fiesta. The carbon monoxide leaked inside the car’s cabin and the young couple died unaware. In India, there was an incident reported in 2014 when 3 businessmen died of carbon monoxide poisoning.Around the world, there are many instances of carbon monoxide poisoning that happens due to various reasons.

Around the world, there are many instances of carbon monoxide poisoning that happens due to various reasons. An incident was reported where the occupants of the car died because the exhaust pipe was blocked due to snow and the occupants stopped breathing after some time.

How does it happen in a car?

The internal combustion engine produces a lot of toxic gases which is disposed of through the exhaust system of the vehicle. The most common way of carbon monoxide poisoning is when the car’s AC is on and it is parked in a garage or a space with very limited air movement. The car’s intake pulls in the air which is mixed with the exhaust gases. The carbon monoxide is odourless, so it goes undetected by the humans and slowly kills the occupants of the car.

The recent incident involving a modified Ford Fiesta had faulty exhaust system which leaked fumes inside the cabin of the car. The unaware couple inside the car were caught in the carbon monoxide which killed them instantly. There are many instances where the car’s exhaust may get blocked and it can’t throw out the fumes properly. The exhaust gases start to leak inside the cabin killing the occupants.

Also, if the car is old, it develops a lot of tiny holes on the floor of the vehicle due to rust. Such holes can be very dangerous as exhaust gases may enter inside the car from these holes and can kill the occupants of the car.

What are the symptoms?

Carbon monoxide inhalation can show an early symptom of nausea, headache, vomiting, dizziness and fatigue. The human body also starts to feel weak due to lack of oxygen in the body. Prolonged inhalation can cause seizure, confusion, disorientation, visual disturbance and fainting. The carbon monoxide can also cause retinal haemorrhages that cause blood vessels in the eyes to burst open.

Prevention

Carbon monoxide poising can catch you unaware. There are few steps that you can do to ensure that are not affected by the dangerous gas.

Don’t keep a vehicle running in an enclosed environment like a garage.
Do not sleep in a car with the engine switched on if the surrounding has limited air flow, like near a wall boundary.
Make sure that the exhaust is not buried in snow or sand when you go exploring.
During off-roading, the exhaust may get dipped in slush and mud and can block it. Always check the exhaust.
Get your car modified by a professional and get it checked duly for any leaking hole or anomaly that can throw exhaust fumes inside the cabin.
If you drive an old car, which is more than 5 years old, get the exhaust system and the floor of the vehicle checked regularly for any holes.

It really took Bajaj a long time to turn the concept model of Pulsar CS 400 into a reality. Now that the motorcycle is finally here in the form of the Dominar 400, and with an attractive price tag, it has opened up the competition quite a bit. There has been a lot of talk about the Dominar 400 and its competitors in the market but there is no clear indication about the motorcycle’s segment. Let’s find out what kind of motorcycle the latest Bajaj is.

What is it? A Sports Cruiser

The Bajaj Dominar is not the sleekest looking motorcycle. It comes with a bulky body, low-slung seat, single-piece handlebar which provides upright seating posture. All these characteristics make it a long distance tourer. On the other hand, there are few other characteristics like aggressive design elements on the tank, headlamp casing, and stylish alloy wheels, which put the motorcycle in the naked street motorcycle segment.

Bajaj has designed the motorcycle for people who want to go for the occasional long rides and wants to do daily commute on the same motorcycle. The Dominar gets the characteristics of a pure cruiser motorcycle while the design elements of the motorcycle make it feel like a sporty naked street motorcycle. The Dominar 400 is the best of both the world and we can all it a Sports Cruiser.

What are the other motorcycles in the same price segment?

The Dominar gets a highly attractive price tag of Rs. 1.36 lakh for the non-ABS version and Rs. 1.5 lakh for the ABS version. The Indian 2-wheeler market is slowly coming out of its age now and there are many motorcycles that are present in the same price segment in India regardless of the segment they belong from.

To start with, there is Bajaj RS200 priced at Rs. 1.16 lakh, while the KTM Duke 200 is priced at Rs. 1.44 lakh. From Royal Enfield, there are Classic 350 that comes with a sticker price of Rs. 1.31 lakh and the mighty Himalayan that is priced at Rs. 1.56 lakh. All said, the Dominar’s arch rival will be the Mahindra Mojo, which is priced at a whopping Rs. 1.70 lakh. All prices are ex-showroom Delhi.

Dominar’s target audience: Not Royal Enfield buyers

Even though Bajaj’s management has targeted the Royal Enfield brand with their latest launch. The Dominar belongs to a very different segment from Royal Enfield. The Dominar is a modern looking advanced motorcycle that is powered by a new-age engine. The Royal Enfield motorcycles, on the other hand, have a very vintage look to them. The engine themselves are of high capacity but are not efficient enough to churn out high power.

Clearly, people who want to buy a Royal Enfield Classic 350 will go for the motorcycle even without considering other brands or motorcycles. That being said, there are few people who planned to buy the Royal Enfield but will change the decision post the launch of the Dominar. The number, however, will be pretty small.

Seeing the placement of the Dominar according to the price, we think that the new Bajaj will eat into the sales of other models in the market. The Dominar 400 is expected to kill the Mahindra Mojo. This will be one motorcycle that will be affected very adversely. The Dominar 400 could also eat into the sales of KTM Duke 200 and Bajaj RS 200 because the customers will get a lot more power and equipment than these two motorcycles.

The Dominar also gets some high-tech features like the dual-channel ABS and slipper clutch. The same may attract few KTM 390 Duke buyers till the company launches the 2017 update of the 390 Duke.

Know all about the Bajaj Dominar here: Bajaj Dominar launched

Well everyone has seen movies and showcars that spit flames through their exhaust system. There are a lot of supercars, like the Lamborghini Aventador that easily spit flames. But is it possible on a normal car?

Why/how do cars emit flames?

The main cause of flames shooting out of the exhaust is unburnt fuel that has made its way into the exhaust and ignites due to the hot temperature of the exhaust while revving really hard. This could also mean that your engine is running very rich, which means that more fuel is being dumped into the combustion chamber than required.

This excess fuel is unused and hence ignites in the exhaust and causes flames. In case of high end sports cars, a small amount of fuel is sprayed in the exhaust to create the crackle and noise, which can also cause the flame.

How to make your car spit flames?

If your car runs rich or has been re-tuned to do so, the easy way to shoot out flames is to change the exhaust system. Since each car has a catalytic converter which cleans the exhaust gas, it is not possible for the fuel to pass it and ignite. Getting a straight pipe which has no mufflers or catalytic converter will help you throw flames if your car has the tendency to run rich.

If not, there are a few kits available that can be installed on every car, as you can see below in the video.

This works in a trick way. What it does is that the kit contains an additional spark plug which is mounted in the exhaust pipe of your vehicle. For this too you will have to change the exhaust system to make it a free flowing one. Additionally, removing the catalytic converter will help since all the unburnt fuel would otherwise be consumed inside it.

The system comprises of a button that is placed inside the vehicle that controls the flames. This switch on the inside is connected to the ignition system and the spark plug that is fitted in the exhaust system. When you click the button, the ignition coil inside the engine is turned off, which means that all the fuel that is present in the engine compartment isn’t getting burnt there. This air-fuel mixture which is ready to ignite is then removed via the exhaust and when it reaches the spark plug in the exhaust, it ignites and causes the flame.

The use?

The only thing this is useful in doing is to make people notice and be amazed by how a car is shooting flames. If you get it installed, make sure to use it in areas where no one else will get hurt.

Is it legal?

Absolutely not. Modifying any part of the exhaust on the car is not legally allowed, since it will affect the performance as well as the emissions and fuel consumption of the car. So, flame throwers are illegal, and if you get one installed in your car, you’ve just been warned of the consequences.

Image courtesy MarcelLech

Indian highways are full of chaos at any part of the day. All the major highways report dozen of accidents daily from the length and breadth of the country. The number of accidents swells exponentially when the highway passes through a city or a crowded area. And many accidents are caused due to drunk drivers. In a bid to curb this menace, Supreme Court of India today announced that all the liquor shops that are along the highway will be closed down after 1st April 2017.

Why the decision?

A bench led by Chief Justice of India T.S. Thakur directed the Central and state governments to “cease and desist” from renewing or issuing liquor licenses for wine shops along the along the highways in India. The bench set a deadline date of April 1, 2017, to expire all the existing licenses.

The step has been taken to improve the road safety. Also, the court says that removing such shops will keep drunk drivers at the bay. The removal of such shops will also make sure that there are no unnecessary bunch of cars on the highways who stop to buy liquor. The move is aimed to make the highways less chaotic.

What is the new rule?

As per the order, any liquor shop should not be visible or accessible from the national or state highways. There should be a distance of at least 500 metres between the liquor shop and the highway. The police chiefs and state secretaries of all the states have been asked to crack down illegal liquor vendors along the highway to maintain the discipline.

The new ruling will make highways less distractive, which in turn will cause less number of accidents. Also, according to the Supreme Court, the fatalities due to drunken driving will come down drastically.

Accidents in India

The government of India released a data of accident statistics on 2015. The data suggested that every hour at least 17 people died every hour on the Indian roads every hour in 2015, which translates into a death every 3.5 minutes. Delhi is considered as the most dangerous city of the drive with 1,622 road deaths in 2015.

The data also shares details on the most severe accidents or most deaths per 100 accidents. The city of Amritsar turns out to be on the top list of the most severe accidents in India with 66 deaths per 100 accidents. In India, there were 5,01,423 reported accidents in India during which 1,46,133 lives were lost. The move sure will improve the situation but there need to be more steps to make the highways a safer place to drive in India.

More on accident data in 2015: India’s most dangerous cities for road users

The Ignis was first showcased during the Auto Expo 2016. Since the first showcase, the Ignis became of the most awaited vehicles in India. Maruti revealed the production model of the Ignis for the first time yesterday and here is all we know about it,

Exteriors

The Ignis will be built on an all-new platform. It will sell through the premium Nexa network of the Maruti India. The car is targeted at the millennials and is designed to woo the young generation. At the front, Ignis gets large headlamps integrated into the grille of the car. The grille itself gets a mesh design and the headlamps get bright Daytime Running Lamps (DRLs).From the side, the Ignis mimics the look of large SUVs. There are big wheel arches with cladding and the car gets 175/65 R15 wheels around well-designed alloy wheels.

From the side, the Ignis mimics the look of large SUVs. There are big wheel arches with cladding and the car gets 175/65 R15 wheels around well-designed alloy wheels. The window line of the Ignis is very sharp and the C-Pillar gets the Suzuki-Triad marking. From the rear, the Ignis gets an angular boot lit design with split tail lamps. The Ignis will come in dual tone body colours, similar to the Brezza and the car will also get many customisable options through iCreate.

Interiors

The car looks tiny from the outside but the tall boy design makes sure that space inside is very well managed. The car gets dual-tone interiors and the trim levels can be customised to up to 3 colours. There is a big 7-inch floating screen in the middle of the dashboard that gets Apple CarPlay and Google Auto. It also gets navigation and the system looks similar to the Baleno.

The seats are very comfortable and the car can fit up to 5 people in total but only 4 can sit comfortably. The car also gets nice boot space that can fit two travel bags but space has not been mentioned officially yet.

Safety

The Ignis complies to the upcoming Indian car safety law that mandates the new cars to be compliant with side-impact and offset impact. The car will also get ABS and dual airbags across all its variants. The car is built with high-tensile steel and is also very lightweight yet strong. The hatchback will also get ISOFIX approved child seats.

Engine and drivetrain

The Ignis will be powered by 1.3-litre diesel and 1.2-litre petrol engines. The power and torque figures are not out yet but the car will get a choice of the manual as well as AMT transmission when launched. The Ignis with all-wheel drive system will be launched in the European markets but as per Maruti, the Indian market is not ready for it yet.

Launch

The bookings for the Maruti Ignis will start during the first week of January. It will become the first car of Maruti that will be available through online bookings. The launch and price announcement will happen on 13th January.

At the 2016 Auto Expo, BMW India had revealed plans of launching only one new Mini model in the country this year, the Clubman. After making us wait for 10 months, the company finally launched the vehicle in our market yesterday, at a price of Rs 37.90 lakhs ex-showroom.

What is it?

The Clubman is the flagship model of the Mini brand and is the largest Mini vehicle to be sold in India. This thus happens to be the most spacious Mini on sale as well. It will be available as a CBU model. While the previous generation Clubman wasn’t really popular due to its quirky design which had 2 doors on one side of the car and only one on the other side, this one is more practical. The hallmark of the car though still remains the twin boot which is vertically split, unlike other vehicles where the split is horizontal. The vehicle features LED headlamps and tail-lamps to enhance the looks.

On the inside, like all Minis, there is a 6.5″ round screen that controls all the car functions via the iDrive knob found below. For the first time, Mini is offering eletrically adjustable seats as an option on the Clubman. Customers also have the choice of chosing between 9 upholstery colour options.

Under the hood?

The Clubman which is on sale in India is the petrol S variant which means it is powered by the 2.0 liter turbo petrol unit from the Mini Cooper S. The engine produces 192 Bhp and 280 Nm. The engine is mated to an 8 speed automatic transmission with the option of opting for the sport transmission with paddle shifters as well. Being the S variant, the Clubman gets the Mini drive modes as standard, which means you have the option to chose between the Sport, Mid and Green mode.

Options

Mini has always offered a whole host of options for their vehicles, be it exterior colours, interior colours or features and this is no different. You have the option of opting for a panoramic roof, heads-up display, a larger 8.8 inch touch screen system with touchpad controller, navigation and an internal storage space of 20 gb.

India is a country where a massive amount of money is splurged on for marriages. Yes, across the world people spend quite some money on weddings, but here in India it is like a status symbol, to have spent more money than your neighbour. For this reason, there are some fancy cars that have been used as wedding chariots. Here are 10 such cars.

Mercedes G63 6×6

This one has to be the most bad-ass vehicle to have been used in a wedding in India. The G63 6×6 is a massive machine and this one here was brought on CARNET, since it was only availble in LHD configuration. It is based on the military version of the G320 CDi. Power comes from a 5.5 liter twin-turbo V8 producing 536 Bhp. The engine is mated to a 7 speed autobox and it powers all 6 wheels in a 30:40:30 split. This thing here weighs a massive 3.7 tonnes and can only seat 4 people.

Rolls Royce Phantom

The Phantom is right there on top of the luxury car bandwagon. If you are in the market for the ultimate luxury sedan and money is of no concern, this one has to be your pick. So it is not surprising to see this car being used as a wedding chariot.

The Phantom is the most expensive car sold in India currently and is offered in short and long wheel base options, in addition to the coupe and convertible option. Power comes from a 6.75 liter V12 petrol engine that makes 453 Bhp and 720 Nm.

Porsche Cayman S

The Cayman is the hard top version of the Boxter. It is a light weight, mid-engined sports car that is loved due to how dynamically involving the car is. This vehicle that has been spotted is the first generation Cayman S which is powered by a 3.4 liter 6 cylinder engine making 291 Bhp and 340 Nm. We must say, it is a bold choice to use this vehicle as your wedding ride.

Rolls Royce Ghost

The Ghost is also known as the baby roller. For those who can’t afford the Phantom yet want to make a statement in style, the Ghost is the second best option out there, especially since the Rolls Royce brand name has a different charm to it. The Ghost, though based on the BMW 7 series platform has been built as a more dynamic Rolls. Not that we expect people to be pushing this Rolls, it certainly can handle well though. This one here was spotted at a wedding in Kerala.

Hummer H3

Since we are talking about big and fat cars, how can the Hummer be left behind. The Hummer has a snob value about it, especially since the vehicle wasn’t officially sold in India and the fact that many famous stars (Dhoni, etc) have had Hummers. We found this particular H3 which can be used rented for weddings. In addition to that, the same company also has the 300C which can be seen in the image as well.

Image source: Link, Link 2

Continued below: 10 INSANE ‘big fat Indian wedding’ cars

Here are some more exotic cars that BIG fat Indian weddings use.

Ferrari California

The California is the cheapest Ferrari one can buy. It is a 2+2 seat hard-top convertible and based on the Maserati Gran Turismo platform. Powering it is a 4.3 liter V8 making 453 Bhp and 485 Nm. This also happens to be the first coupe cabrio that has been introduced by the Italian brand.

Bentley Mulsanne and Flying Spur

These Bentley’s were spotted at a marriage in Kerala. While the Mulsanne is the flagship Bentley sedan, the Flying Spur sits below it in terms of positioning. The Mulsanne is powered by a 6.75 liter V8 that makes 506 Bhp and 1020 Nm.

The Flying Spur on the other hand is powered by a 6.0 liter W12 engine that makes 551 Bhp and 649 Nm. The Flying Spur in question is the previous generation version and not the current one that is on sale in the country.

Toyota Land Cruiser

The Land Cruiser that you see pictured here is here on CARNET and hence the number plate. The LC is Toyota’s flagship SUV and is priced at Rs 1.34 crores ex showroom Delhi. The one pictured here isn’t the current generation vehicle either, it is however the previous generation one. It came with the option of 2 diesel engines and a petrol engine. This, given that the car is from the Middle East would be the 4.7 liter V8 petrol making 284 Bhp and 445 Nm.

Chevrolet Camaro

The Camaro which became pretty famous across the world post the Transformer’s movie never officially made it to India. Since it was only in LHD form, the company didn’t bring the car here. However, there are a few that have come down, some have even been converted into RHD format. This one here is on CARNET from Dubai, as can be seen from the plates.

Range Rover Vogue

Range Rover is a brand that is known for being the best at providing a luxurious SUV that is capable off-road as well. This one is known as the S Class of SUVs. The USP of this is that it can go anywhere and yet keep you in complete comfort. The vehicle in question is the previous generation vehicle and not the current gen one.

Image source: Link

The long wait for an all-new performance motorcycle from Bajaj has finally ended today, with the launch of Dominar 400. The motorcycle has replaced the current Pulsar RS 200 as the flagship model for Bajaj in India. The motorcycle is priced at Rs. 1.36 lakh for the non-ABS version and Rs. 1.5 lakh for the disc brake and ABS version. Here is all that you need to know about the motorcycle.

What does it look like?

The overall design of the Dominar 400 stays very close to the Pulsar CS400 concept model showcased during the 2014 Auto Expo. The motorcycle gets a muscular body with a curvaceous fuel tank and micro fairing on the side. The 3D moniker of Dominar gets an aggressive font style. Interestingly, the 13-litre fuel tank also gets a cluster of warning lamps that will tell the rider about the status of the motorcycle.

The motorcycle does not look sleek, it is inspired by the stance of lion’s stance. It is built around massive perimeter frame that helps during cornering. It has a bulky design which is accentuated with the micro fairing on the tank. The motorcycle gets split seats and Pulsar 220 styled grab rails.

The alloy wheels of the motorcycle are also very similar to the concept model and give a floating effect to the onlookers. The headlamp unit is nicely shaped with dual colours and gets a small windscreen. The body also gets dual colours and will come in 3 colours, midnight blue, moon white and twilight plum.

The motorcycle gets a low-seating that will make it very easy to ride over a long distance. The single-piece handlebar is quite high and will provide an upright seating posture that proves to be more comfortable over long duration rides. The Dominar 400 also gets futuristic headlamp set-up with as many 7 LED lamps in the headlamp unit along with 1 halogen lamp. When the full beam is used during the night, the motorcycle can be seen from a distance 1.5 km. The tail lamp set-up gets 2 LED lamps. The motorcycle will get 41mm telescopic forks at the front and an adjustable rear mono shock, which gets a spring inside it for better damping.

The motorcycle also gets a fully digital instrument cluster, making it a first Bajaj motorcycle to feature such a feature. The blue backlit instrument console shows various information like engine RPM, speed, distance travelled, total distance, and clock. The switchgear of the motorcycle remains similar to the ones we see on the Pulsar range. The illuminated switchgear also gets engine kill switch on the right-hand side. The Dominar 400 also gets dual channel ABS system and disc brake system at both front and rear.

What about the engine?

The Dominar 400 is powered by the KTM 390 Duke’s derived engine. The liquid cooled, 4-valve, fuel-injected, single cylinder 373.3 cc engine also gets the Bajaj’s patent triple spark technology. The engine churns out a maximum of 34.5 BHP and 35 Nm of torque. The engine will be mated with a 6-speed manual transmission.The engine is quite efficient and returns a maximum of 35 km/l. The motorcycle also features slipper clutch, making it the first in the segment to get the feature.

The motorcycle also features slipper clutch, making it the first in the segment to get the feature. Bajaj also claims that the motorcycle can operate at an altitude up to 18,380 feet above sea level without much power loss.

The motorcycle can do 0-100 km/h in just 8.23 seconds while it can stop from 100 km/h in 46.19 metres. The motorcycle can reach a top speed of 148 km/h. Bajaj has already started taking bookings for the Dominar 400 and the deliveries will start from mid-January 2017. The motorcycle will be available at dealerships from tomorrow and can be booked at Rs. 9,000.

Interestingly, the Dominar 400 is priced at Rs. 1.36 lakh for the non-ABS version and Rs. 1.5 lakh for the disc brake and ABS version. The Bajaj Pulsar RS 200 is priced at Rs. 1.2 lakh while the KTM Duke 200 is priced at Rs. 1.43 lakh. The lower end variant of the Dominar is just Rs. 16,000 expensive from the Pulsar RS200 while the ABS equipped version is just Rs. 7,000 more expensive than the KTM 200 Duke. You get a 373.3cc motorcycle with added features. It truly shows how value for money the Dominar will be in the market.

There are more than a few modified examples of the hugely popular Toyota Fortuner on Indian roads, but a limousine based on the T-Fort? Well, that’s something very unique. And guess what, the limousine was found tucked away in far-off Arunachal Pradesh, India’s land of the rising sun.

How was it built?

A first generation Fortuner was split into two, and the wheelbase extended by a few feet to give it the stance of a limousine. The body of the vehicle was also extended in order to support the longer wheelbase. Considering that the SUV sits on a ladder frame chassis, such wheelbase extensions aren’t very difficult to carry out.

On the inside, in true limousine style, the Fortuner is the lap of luxury. Two sets of leather-clad captain seats, facing each other have been fitted in the cabin. These seats come with extensive electric adjustment options, making them quite versatile.

The driver’s cabin has been partitioned from that of the passengers’, and features an LCD screen for entertainment. Other features in the passenger cabin include storage compartments, a car phone, air conditioning vents, a USB port and a cigarette lighter.

Exterior modifications

On the outside too, the Fortuner limousine sees a fair share of tweaks. The bumpers at the front and rear are new. The front end also receives projector headlamps with LED DRLs, a new grille, a massive hood scoop, butch body cladding and modified wheel arches.

At the rear, reflector strips line the tail gate while the tail lamps get the LED treatment. The 2.5 liter/3 liter D-4D turbo diesel motors were offered as standard on the first-gen Fortuner sold in India. The Fortuner limousine could feature one of these engines without major changes.

How much?

A cool 40 lakh rupees. And that’s apart from the cost of the donor Fortuner, which used to sell for about 30 lakh rupees. So, the total cost of this limousine comes up to about 70 lakh rupees, which makes this modified Fortuner one of the most expensive ones on Indian roads.

Legal?

Not exactly. In the past, RTOs have cracked down on limousine modifications as such mods alter the structure of the vehicle. Altering the structure of a vehicle is illegal as per the Central Motor Vehicle Rule (CMVR). To get such a modification endorsed by the RTO, the modifier first needs approval from the Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI).

This procedure is cumbersome, complex and frightfully expensive, which means that most limousine modifications end up as illegal vehicles on the road. Such vehicles can be impounded by the RTO. Coming to this Fortuner, it remains unclear whether the modifier has the necessary approvals for the limousine job.

Via Motoroids & GaadiWaadi

BMW India revealed the all new 7 Series earlier this year at the Delhi Auto Expo. At the time of the launch, the 7 was only available with 2 engine options, a petrol 750 Li and a diesel 730 Ld. Now it seems that BMW has silently added the 740 Li to the model portfolio as well. The vehicle is priced at Rs 1.26 crores ex-showroom Delhi, just Rs 3 lakh more than the diesel version of similar spec.

The 7 Series has been the flagship BMW luxury sedan on sale in the country for some time now. This 740 Li is powered by a 3.0 liter petrol straight six-engine making 326 Bhp and 450 Nm. The engine is mated to an 8-speed automatic gearbox. This vehicle comes only in one trim level, the DPE Signature trim. Sadly, there is no Msport trim available with this particular engine configuration. This vehicle comes with DPE package which includes the exterior styling kit, the LED laser lights, ventilated seats at the front and the back, the digital fey fob, massage seats up front as well as the rear seats, panoramic sun roof, BMWs new gesture control and the welcome carpet. Coupled with the digital key, the new 7 Series also offers remote parking, which enables you to park your car without being in it, one cool feature that can certainly be boasted about. The vehicle is fitted with 19″ rims as standard.

This isn’t the first time that the company has introduced the 740 model line in India. Initially, BMW had offered a whole host of engines ranging from the 730-760 in petrol avatar. The previous generation 7 series also had the 740, albeit in Active Hybrid form. This one that has been launched currently though is the normal petrol version and doesn’t have the additional hybrid motor on offer. Mercedes too has introduced the S400 petrol recently and that too is powered by a 3.0 liter petrol engine and this one has been introduced to give direct competition to the S400.

Mercedes-Benz already launched 12 models this year in the Indian market. To end the year on a high-note, Mercedes-Benz launched the new AMG C43 in India priced at Rs. 74.34 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi). The performance model based on the C-Class fills the gap between Mercedes-Benz C200 petrol and the tremendously powered C63 AMG.

The Mercedes-AMG C43 is powered by a 3.0-litre V6 engine that inhales through twin-turbo. The engine produces a maximum of 357 BHP and 520 Nm of maximum torque. The power goes to all the 4 wheels through a 9G-TRONIC gearbox. The car can sprint from 0-100 km/h in just 4.7 seconds. The C43 AMG also gets additional aids like AMG ride control which gets AMG developed springs and sports suspension set-up along with a 3 stage variable damper. The car also gets a performance exhaust as a standard that makes sure that the engine’s breathing is heard just right to the bystanders.

On the outside, the car gets larger air intakes in the front bumpers and a more aggressive stance that comes from the 18-inch 5-spoke AMG-Spec wheels. The rear bumper gets an inbuilt diffuser and there is also a subtle lip spoiler on the spoiler. The rear of the car boasts of quad exhaust set-up, similar to all the other AMG models.

On the inside, the car gets optional red accents on the door panels and aluminium accents on the dashboard. The instrument cluster comes with typical AMG dials and chequered flag design. The steering wheel gets top notch nappa leather with red top stitching and a flat bottom. There is also 5.5-inch multifunction display that gets AMG spec design. It also gets RACE TIMER which can show lap times.

Michael Jopp, Vice President, Sales and Marketing, Mercedes-Benz India said, “The introduction of the AMG C43 follows our successful product strategy, which emphasizes on gradually building up the ‘AMG 43’ portfolio in India. With this sportscar, Mercedes-Benz India now extends the AMG brand promise of ‘Driving Performance’ and the typical AMG character traits, to an even broader target group. The new AMG C 43 4MATIC expands the product range of the performance and sports car brand of Mercedes-Benz with yet another new 43 AMG model. With the launch of this performance saloon, Mercedes-Benz India continues to offer the widest range of performance and specialty cars in the luxury car segment.”

Mr. Jopp further added, “The Mercedes-AMG C 43 4MATIC is fascination of motor racing in everyday life. Its exterior beauty is further amplified by the immersive and sporty interiors. In 2016, we have already introduced a diverse range of never seen before cars for the Indian market, which has been fascinating and delighting our customers. The Mercedes-AMG C 43 4MATIC is the 6 th car launched in India this year without a predecessor. This further underscores our strategy of continuously innovating and indulging our patronswith world-class products and services.”

There is no doubt in the fact that modern SUVs are growing bigger and meaner looking machines. Even though modern 4X4 SUVs are pretty capable of reaching toughest spots in the world, an extra set of wheels does make a world of difference in the way they look and behave on the terrain. Here are 20 such vehicles from India and around the world which have been converted to 6X6 vehicles!

Kahn Design Defender

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The Land Rover Defender is an iconic SUV with a timeless design. Kahn Design, a very reputed custom house took the Defender and produced a unique ‘Flying huntsman 6X6’. The Defender has been extended by 400mm from the bonnet and 800mm from the rear. The SUV also becomes wider by 150mm. Kahn Design added a third axle which draws power from the rear axle.

Other upgrades include chassis strengthening, upgraded suspensions and better brakes. The off-road capability of the vehicle has also been upgraded with the high-low drive system and lockable differentials that ensure that the car can climb any challenge thrown at it. Also, the SUV gets an upgraded V8 engine that churns out a maximum of 300 BHP.

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Hennessey VelociRaptor 6X6

The Ford Raptor is no ordinary vehicle. The huge truck was taken by Hennessey Performance and is transformed into something mental. Named as VelociRaptor 6X6, Hennessey made an absolute beast out of the Raptor.

Thr pick-up truck gets 6X6 locking axles, which have been replaced with the stock ones. The vehicle also receives upgraded Fox Racing suspension, 20-inch wheels and super-wide tyres. The bumpers have been changed with custom ones and there is also a bed mounted roll-bar. The custom house also provides LED lighting. The engine power has been bumped to 600 BHP from the 450 BHP stock.

Toyota Hilux Arctic Truck

The Hilux is a world renowned vehicle for its value for money and insane capabilities. It also forms the base of Toyota Fortuner. The Hilux has been transformed by an Icelandic company known as Arctic Truck, who have built badass custom SUVs in the past.

The Hilux Arctic Truck custom receives 3 new axles that are powered from the transmission unit. The truck has also been modified heavily to go into extreme conditions. The fuel tank capacity has been increased to massive 550 litres. The loading bay gets a hardcover and can store up to 2000 kg of freight. The top of the storage can be expanded and turned into a comfortable bed. The vehicle also receives a heavy duty winch and fat off-road spec tyres to tackle any surface known to humans.

G.Patton Wrangler

Chinese customisation house, G.Patton recently showed off their latest creation. They took a Jeep Wrangler and transformed it into an off-road conquerer. The Wrangler gets extended body and the soft-top has been replaced with a sturdy hard cover. The vehicle also gets heavily flared wheel arches that intensify the whole look.

Beneath, the Wrangler gets a 6X6 driving system that powers the 35-inch massive 6 wheels of the SUV. The military green paint accentuates the whole look while subtle modifications to the front grille, headlamps and tail lamps make sure that the car shows off its ruggedness wherever it goes.

Duster 6X6

In the international market, the Duster also sells through the budget brand called Dacia. The modification has been officially done by Dacia, Rome. The car gets a flatbed in the rear with a double cabin for up tp 5 passengers. The wheels have not been increased exorbitantly in size but are upgraded to much more capable off-road spec tyres. The Duster gets the 1,5-litre dCi engine under the hood that also powers the Indian Renault Duster.

Continued Below: Twenty 6 wheeled SUVs of India & the world

Here are 20 6X6 SUVs from India and around the world

Spectre Performance Dually

It has to be one of the best-looking custom 6X6. The truck based on 2004 GM Silverado dually and has been customised by Spectre Performance. The SUV gets slammed and gets very closer to the ground. It has been developed for the Bonneville land speed racers and gets as many as 8 wheels in the rear. In total, the truck boasts of 10 wheels.

The power is drawn from 8.2-litre Cadillac engine that gets compressed air from two Garrett turbochargers. The engine generates a massive 1,425 BHP of power. The vehicle also gets hydraulic powered rear flatbed which can be lifted when needed. It sure is a monster truck on small wheels.

Hummer H2 SUT Luxury

The Hummer is the official US Military vehicle and is known around the world for its badass looks. Here is the Desert Ops edition of the Hummer H2 SUT. The car was modified by a limousine company in the USA. The SUV has been stretched significantly to fit the extra axle. Also, the body receives a cream colour and gets contrasting black coloured 18-inch alloy wheels. The interiors also get very carefully upgrades one the line of the military theme.

Dodge T-Rex 6X6

The Dodge T-Rex is called so because of its amusing length, breadth and height in stock form. This T-Rex looks like it has been given pretty strong steroids. The green coloured SUV rides on six 42-inch Swamper tyres. The vehicle also gets anti-roll bars, skid plates and stronger suspensions.

The axles are military grade Rockwell and work in sync with each other to make the vehicle one of the most capable SUVs in the world. The car also gets an exterior roll cage, customised bumpers, and a remapped engine. The owner of this vehicle wants to reach Arctic on this vehicle.

Chevrolet Silverado

The Chevrolet Silverado is a heavy-duty pick-up truck. The Silverado name is quite popular in the SUV circle. This Silverado truck has been customised by a customisation house in the USA. It gets a huge lift kit and massive tyres that make other vehicles go dwarf in front of it. The SUV gets a fully functional third axle with locking differential. The engine has been modified to put out the extra power that makes the whole package a much aggressive and attractive deal.

Toyota Hilux 6X6

This one is rather subtle looking truck among all of the 6X6 we have seen till now. The truck has been customised by the renowned Arctic Truck customs. The red coloured Hilux gets a third axle drawing power from the transmission. Also, the tyres have been upgraded to 36-inches with off-road sped wheels. The engine has not been touched with this one. This Hilux sure looks subtle but is capable enough to reach the toughest parts of the planet.

Continued Below: Twenty 6 wheeled SUVs of India & the world

6 wheeled vehicles mainly been used by the armed forces to reach areas where accessibility is less. However Mercedes made a 6 wheeled road legal version of the G63 AMG and had it on sale too. But there are other such vehicles which have been modified to have 6 wheels. Here are ten more such cars.

Red MM540

The MM540 is one of the oldest SUVs of India. The car was a basic true blue offroader with minimal creature comforts. The current Thar which is on sale in the country takes inspiration from the MM540. So the first 6 wheeled SUV is based on the MM540. The car, built by SD Offroaders Nakodar looks like an ordinary jeep with a metal bumper & winch up front. It is on the side that things start to get interesting.

For starters, you now have rear doors & a small pick-up styled loading area. On the inside, there are plush leather seats that have got a black & red colour combination. The car seats 4 people. We are not sure on the mechanical changes that the car has undergone, but the chassis has certainly been made longer to incorporate the additional two wheels.

Yellow Fox

Modifying a car takes a lot of passion & effort. Such was the passion possessed by Mr. Julian, who’s passion for bikes & jeeps started way back when he was just 14 years old. He then created Julian Motor Club. So why did he create the 6 wheel machine? Well he needed a utility vehicle that could transport damaged bikes if they broke down. Thus this car was born. 2 M540’s were sacrificed to build this one.

This one is broader & longer than than the MM540. It features power steering as well as a roll cage to give the chassis come structural rigidity. Under the hood is a Bolero engine that only powers 4 wheels (not like the Mercedes 6×6). The wheels have been borrowed from an Endeavour. The whole modification took 11 months and a not so expensive Rs 3.25 lakhs. He hopes to make the Yellow Fox a 6×6 machine in the future.

Mercedes G63 AMG 6X6

The Mercedes G63 AMG 6X6 was introduced in limited numbers. The car was based on the 6 wheeled version that does duty for the armed forces. The car was never on sale in India, however that didn’t stop an Indian living abroad from buying one. The car was then brought to India on carnet for a limited period of time. It is powered by a twin turbo charged 5.5 liter V8 making 536 Bhp & 727 Nm. The car has a massive 460 mm ground clearance and a wading depth of 1000 mm.

Land Rover 6×6

Viveck Goenka, the Chairman & MD of Indian Express is a Jeep enthusiast. He is a purist when it comes to restoring Jeeps. He has a wonderful collection of Land Rovers. He made himself a 6 wheeled Land Rover which was based on the Defender 127. He designed the car himself and the purpose behind building it was to take him & his family on safaris where they could be closer to nature.

Willy’s Jeep

A Willy’s Jeep has been modified in India to now have 6 wheels. The vehicle was on sale sometime back at Rs 7.0 lakhs which doesn’t seem much given the effort that has gone into making this. The vehicle has a soft top roof arrangement without any doors. There is a small loading area at the back.

Image source: SD, Julian Motor Club, Autocar

Continued below: Twenty 6 wheeled SUVs of India & the world

We have seen what he Indian market has to offer when it comes to 6 wheeled monsters. Here’s what the rest of the world has to offer.

Toyota Hilux 6×6

The Toyota Hilux is a hugely successful pickup truck which shares it underpinnings with the Fortuner. This 6×6 is based on a 2014 Hilux. It has been built by a Bulgarian off-road specialist ‘Vromos’. He has extended the truck’s frame to generate more space for the additional axle & the extra set of tyres. The vehicle has been modified to improve the off-road capabilities as well. There is a lift kit, LED light bars, a snorkel & a winch.

Hummer

The Hummer is one vehicle that everyone associates with toughness & go-anywhere capability. So it should come as no shock that people have modified Hummers to have 6 wheels. This one has been given the all black treatment. The headlamps have been changed and there are additional auxiliary lamps in the front. The vehicle still only has 4 doors though.

Defender

Kahn design has designed a 6 wheeled version of the Defender. They are planning to build 25 to take on the Mercedes G63 6X6. It has 5 seats and can be had with various engine options, ranging from a 2.2 liter diesel to a huge 6.2 liter V8.

Nissan Patrol

There is a company in Australia that will convert any 4×4 vehicle into a 6×6 vehicle. The person behind it, Mr. Bob James has built this version of the Nissan Patrol pick up. It is powered by a 4.8 liter straight six engine making 276 Bhp & 400 Nm.

Land Cruiser

This is the Toyota Land Cruiser 6 wheeled pick up. It has been built by a Dubai based company called NSV Auto. It is powered by a 4.0 liter V6 making 398 Bhp & 494 Nm. It is mated to a 5 speed manual box which powers all 3 axles.

Image source: NSV, kahn, Hilux

The Royal Enfield Himalayan has opened an all-new segment of affordable and low-capacity adventure motorcycles in India. The motorcycle has received a great response from the market and many long-distance touring customers have gone for the off-beat motorcycle. Meanwhile, rival brands have also started working on their own models to tap the segment. In the next few months, we will see a slew of motorcycles that will be launched in the country to counter the Royal Enfield Himalayan. Here are 5 such hot, new ADV bikes.

KTM 390 Adventure

The Austrian manufacturer is working on an adventure version of the 390 Duke. The all-new motorcycle will be based on the new generation of KTM 390 Duke that will be launched early next year in India. The motorcycle will be a proper dual purpose adventure bike and the design will be inspired from the KTM Enduro R range of motorcycles. The upcoming motorcycle has just been spied with most clear pictures yet.

The 390 Adventure will get a tall windscreen that is integrated to the semi-fairing panel. The motorcycle also gets a large mudguard in the front. Other off-road friendly features include engine bash plates, high-mounted exhaust muffler, which is similar to the all-new 390 Duke, knuckle guard and off-road spec tyres. The engine will be derived from the 390 Duke’s 373cc, liquid-cooled, single cylinder unit that will generate around 43 BHP of maximum power and 35 Nm of maximum torque. It will also get different size tyres with 19-inch front tyres and 17-inch rear tyres.

BMW G 310GS

BMW is well-known in the adventure motorcycle segment with their popular GS series. The German manufacturer is very well established in the premium segment of the motorcycle. Now for the first time, the company will launch an affordable ADV motorcycle – the G310R. This bike was developed in collaboration with TVS.

Based on the G310R, BMW unveiled the adventure tourer at EICMA earlier this year. The G 310 GS gets the distinctive beak at front reminiscent to the BMW Adventure motorcycles. The motorcycle gets an upswept exhaust and a high-seating position. There will be 41 mm inverted forks at the front and an adjustable mono-shock at the rear.

The motorcycle will also get a luggage mounting option, 12V charging socket and optional heated grips. The G 310GS will be powered by the same 313 cc, liquid-cooled DOHC 4V single-cylinder engine, which gets mounted in reverse position. The engine will generate around 34 BHP of maximum power and 27.92 Nm of maximum torque.

Kawasaki Versys X-300

The smallest Versys yet to be developed by the Japanese motorcycle giant is said to be the most practical of all the upcoming budget adventure tourers. The motorcycle is based on the Kawasaki Ninja 300, which is already available in India. The all-new motorcycle gets distinctive Versys styling but the heart of mighty Ninja 300.

Look-wise, the motorcycle gets a semi-body fairing which is very angular. The motorcycle also gets a windshield for protection from wind blasts. The engine gets protected by bash plate while other off-road and long-distance touring equipment include hand guard, top box and panniers.

There will be two variants of the motorcycle – Urban and Adventure. Kawasaki says that the motorcycle is capable enough to deliver 386 km from a full tank of fuel with the eco-mode on. The parallel twin cylinder, liquid cooled engine will produce as much as 38 BHP, with the motorcycle weighing about 170 kg.

Suzuki DL250 V-Strom

Suzuki announced the smallest V-Strom yet in the form of DL250. The small capacity motorcycle is heavily inspired by the V-Strom 1000. Even though the motorcycle has been designed for the European market, Suzuki is expected to soon launch the bike in India. The motorcycle is based on the Suzuki Inazuma and gets powered by a parallel twin 248cc engine that produces 24.7 bhp of maximum power.

The motorcycle is designed for long distance touring and gets a 17-litre fuel tank that can give the motorcycle a range of 500 km. It also gets a big windscreen, high handle bar for upright seating posture, and a wide comfortable seat for riding comfort during long distance. There is also a large LCD instrument console making readouts very easy during the touring.

Benelli TRK 502

Benelli is one of the fastest selling premium brands in India. The Italian manufacturer showcased the TRK 502 adventure motorcycle during the Auto Expo 2016. The newly developed motorcycle is powered by a 500cc, parallel-twin engine that is mated to a 6-speed transmission.

The fuel injected engine produces a maximum of 47 BHP and 45 Nm of torque. The premium looking TRK 502 gets a distinctive beak at the front which is formed with the extended fairing of the motorcycle. It also gets split seats, with a low seat height and an adjustable windscreen.

At the front, the motorcycle gets 320mm disc at the front while the rear tyre gets a single disc set-up of 260 mm. The motorcycle comes with 17-inch alloy wheels and it is not designed for extreme off-roading.

The current generation Polo (fifth generation) has been on sale for a really long time, after having completed close to 7 years in the current avatar. Though there have been minor updates that the car has seen since then, VW is now working on an all-new Polo which will be unveiled sometime later next year. Auto-moto has come up with a render of what they think the all-new Polo would look like.

The sixth generation Polo will be based on VWs MQB platform, thus making it the smallest VW to be underpinned by the MQB platform. The same platform will be shared by the new Fabia, Audi A1 and Seat Ibiza. This new platform will make the Polo atleast 20 cm longer and about 70 kgs lighter. There is no clarity if the same will make it to India or not due to the fact that the new Polo will be more expensive to build and will be larger than the outgoing version.

Though these are just renders of the car, we expect the all-new Polo to have a much sharper design theme, in-line with what we are seeing from the other VW models on sale currently. Due to the lack of sales volumes, the new version will only be available in 5-door format, the 3-door will be skipped on. On the engines front, there will be a whole host of engines on offer from the small 1.0 liter TSi to the larger 1.4 liter TSi. There is no details on whether the all new GTi will have the 1.8 liter TSi or will shift to the smaller 1.4 liter unit.

Unlike previous reports suggesting that the Polo will make its global debut at the 2017 Geneva Motorshow, it is now expected to be delayed and will only be unveiled at the Frankfurt Motorshow, which will be held in September 2017. For the Indian market though, the current Polo will continue till atleast 2018, before VW decides to bring this one into our market.

Source: Link

Mahindra has been in the Indian market for a long time now. Being one of the few SUV and UV focussed companies in the country, M&M has been fairly successful with their new products. But there are many such vehicles from the company that most people don’t know about. Here are 10 of them:

Legend

The Legend is not as well known as the other Mahindra SUVs are. The Legend is based on the MM-540/550 platform, which in-turn is based on the Willys Jeep. This is the SUV that the Thar replaced.

Power came from a 2.5 liter turbo diesel engine that produced a tiny 58 Bhp. Since the vehicle was priced at a hefty Rs. 6.0 lakhs back when it was launched, it didn’t find much takers and thus finds itself on our list.

Armada Grand

The Armada came in two forms, one being the normal rugged version and one being the more luxurios Grand version which was meant for people looking at comfort and yet wanted a rugged machine.

The vehicle came with round headlamps as opposed to the square ones on the normal Armada. It also came with the option of 4wd. This was not very well known since the vehicle didn’t realy sell in large numbers.

Voyager

Back in the early 90’s, Mahindra tied up with Mitsubishi and came up with what they called a luxurious people mover. The Voyager was huge and offered a lot of features, something that the Indian market wasn’t used to. Power came from a 2.1 liter turbo-diesel engine courtesy Peugeot. Sadly, the customers at that time weren’t ready for a massive people mover like this and the car was eventually discontinued having not sold many units.

Commander

The Commander came as a soft top Jeep and was offered in multiple layouts, depending upon the number of seats opted for. The vehicle didn’t have any doors either. It was offered in multiple engine forms, from the 650 Di to the 750 Dp. The 650 was powered by a 2.5 liter engine that produced 50 Bhp and 147 Nm. It was mated to a 4-speed manual gearbox and came with both 2wd and 4wd versions.

Invader

The Invader was the cool version of the Bolero, that featured only 2 doors and a soft-top roof at the back, something like what is offered on the Gypsy. It was priced around Rs 5.5 lakhs. Power came from a 2.5 liter engine making 63 Bhp and 177 Nm. There are a lot of special editions of the Invader that Mahindra customized for various celebrities.

Image source: Link

Continued below: 10 Mahindra vehicles you have forgotten about

Here is part-2 of the story featuring 10 Mahindra vehicles most of you don’t know about.

Axe

The Axe was built as a military offering for the Indian army. The Axe was to be the Desi Hummer, however no civilian version came up, sadly. The vehicle was showcased at multiple auto expos across the country and the world. Power comes from a 2.7 liter diesel or a 4.0 liter petrol option and came mated to either a 5-speed manual or a 4-speed auto box.

Mahindra boats

Did you know that Mahindra had expanded their portfolio and also makes boats now? No? They have setup an all new vertical where in they build various types of boats to cater to all needs. They have recreational boats on offer, like the Odyssea 23, 33 and 35 which vary in sizes.

They also offer commercial boats for patrolling, defense purposes and for passengers as well. The company also gives you the freedom to custom build the boat you desire. Power output for the recreational boats range from 150 Bhp to 315 Bhp, based on the setup chosen.

ATVs

Mahindra also has a company called mPACT that builds ATVs to take on Polaris, something that not many people know about. This too is only offered in US and not in India. The company has a large range of ATVs on offer. They are either powered by a 750 cc engine or a 1000 cc engine. There are a total of 11 models to chose from, based on the configuration needed.

Mahindra MGP30

Mahindra had showcased their Moto3 race bike, the MGP30 at the 2016 Delhi Auto Expo. The bike was supplied to a few teams by Mahindra and is powered by a 250 cc single-cylinder liquid-cooled engine making around 50 Bhp of max power. It was developed at Mahindra’s European racing headquarters at Besozzo in Italy.

Genze

Genze is a company that produces electric scooters. It is a company that is backed by the Mahindra group and hence you find it here on the list. The company makes e-bikes and scooters. Currently, the brand is only selling products in the US. The e-scooter has a top speed of 48 kmph and charges from 0-100 % in 2.5 hours. It comes with the option of both sport and easy riding modes. It has a range of upto 48 kms on a single charge.

Bajaj Auto has established itself very well in the Indian market. The company kick-started the era of budget performance motorcycles in India with the Pulsar brand. Now the company is prepping for the launch of much-awaited “Dominar”, which will be launched in the country in next few days. The Dominar 400, as it will be known as is the coolest Bajaj motorcycle yet, here is why.

All-new performance product

Bajaj launched the Pulsar brand in India in 2001. It has been 15 years since Bajaj launched an all-new performance product. The company did launch many iterations of its performance motorcycle but all of them came under the Pulsar brand. The Dominar is designed on a blank sheet of paper without taking inspiration from the currently available products.

Will take the flagship position

The Dominar will replace the Pulsar RS200 to become the most powerful and fastest Bajaj motorcycle. The new brand will take on the flagship position of the company after the launch. The Dominar 400 will also become the most expensive offering from Bajaj but the price will remain well under Rs. 2 lakh mark.

The name ‘Dominar’

The motorcycle has been christened multiple times since its first appearance at the Auto Expo 2014. From CS 400 to Kratos, the motorcycle has come a long way. The production name, Dominar is a Spanish word that means to ‘to excel’ or ‘exceed power’. With such a powerful name, the Dominar is here to dominate the segment, nothing less.

Split instrument console

The Dominar will be the first motorcycle to feature a dual-screen instrument console in the segment or even in segments above it. There will be two different consoles, one mounted on the handlebar and a second one on the tank itself. One of the most popular motorcycles to feature the same console layout is the Ducati Diavel.

The LCD mounted on the tank will give information about the fuel level related information of the motorcycle. The main instrument cluster will be all-digital and will get a speedometer, tachometer, odometer among other things like clock and trip meters.

LED lamps

The Bajaj Dominar 400 will get LED headlamp set-up. Unlike any other motorcycle in the segment, the LED lamps will be used in support to the regular halogen lamp. The LED lamps have a better life and are highly energy efficient when compared to the regular halogens.

Following up with the new law which makes it mandatory to have an always-on headlamp on two-wheelers, the LED lamp will prove to be much more practical. There will be as many has 7 LED lamps in the headlamp unit along with one main halogen bulb.

Continued Below: 10 things that make the Dominar 400 the coolest Bajaj, ever!

Here are some more things that make the Dominar 400 the coolest Bajaj ever.

All-women assembly line

The Dominar has started rolling off the assembly line and has also reached many dealerships across India. Talking about women empowerment, the bike is being rolled out from an assembly that is completely handled and operated by women workforce of Bajaj. It also makes it the first ever motorcycle in India that will be rolled out from such a special assembly line.

Powered by the KTM Duke 390

The Bajaj Dominar will draw power from an engine that has been derived from the KTM Duke 390. The high-performance engine will be retuned to fit the long-distance touring characteristics of the Dominar. It will also get the Bajaj’s patent triple-spark technology that will increase the fuel efficiency.

The engine will get a stronger low-end, which in turn will make the motorcycle cruising friendly.The maximum power will be limited to around 38 BHP as against the 43 BHP of the KTM 390 Duke but the fuel efficiency will go up incredibly.

The 373.27 cc engine will produce around 34 BHP of maximum power, against the 43 Bhp it produces on the 390 Duke. The torque output will be more than the KTM 390 Duke though. Also, the motorcycle will be much more fuel efficient than the 390 Duke.

Built similar to the concept

Seen above: Bajaj Pulsar 400 Concept at Auto Expo

The production version of the Dominar will be very close to the Pulsar CS400 concept model that Bajaj showcased during the 2014 Auto Expo. Bajaj was very clear about the target audience from the start and did very minute changes to the production of the motorcycle. Only a few differences from the concept model are the replacement of telescopic forks instead of the upside down forks shown in the concept. Also, the instrument console has been updated to be more informative.

First Bajaj motorcycle directly targeted at Royal Enfield

Bajaj made it clear that the company is preparing a motorcycle to take on the Royal Enfield Himalayan. It will be first-ever Bajaj motorcycle that will be launched directly to counter the Royal Enfield motorcycle. The motorcycle will be classified as a touring motorcycle that will also make it the first motorcycle from Bajaj to be launched in this particular segment. Even though the Dominar will miss out on the “adventure” design, it will be capable enough to take on the long rides with ease.

Clean and green motorcycle

The Dominar will get BS IV compliant engine making it one of the first motorcycles in the market to follow the stricter emission norms that come to effect from April 2017. The bike will also get standard ABS, and am always-on headlamp feature as a part of the upcoming standard norms for the two-wheelers in India.

Winters are here and temperatures across the country have begun to dip. Fog and chilly winds have already kicked in, and are creating havoc on the roads due to low visibility. So how exactly should you prepare your car for winter? We tell you.

Engine care

As the temperatures get colder, the oil within the engine starts to thicken. As the oil thickens, its ability to flow reduces, which means that it will take more time for the engine to be properly lubricated. So to keep your engine safe, you shouldn’t rev hard upon start up, especially in the cold.

Also make sure you don’t lug or load the engine excessively till for the first few minutes till everything settles down. Even if the engine is up to temperature, it doesn’t mean that the engine oil has reached optimum temperature, so give it a few minutes extra after the engine has come up to temperature.

If you are covering short distances, then it is advisable to make sure your engine heats up before you shut it down. Driving small distances and then shutting the engine is not very good for the life of the engine. Also make sure that the radiator has enough coolant as it is the coolant that helps the liquid in the radiator from freezing.

Battery check

Since the batteries have to make sure that the engine cranks, winters are tougher on batteries. Why? We just mentioned that the oil in the engine thickens, which means turning the engine over becomes tougher and more effort is needed to crank the car. Also, the reactions that take place inside the battery occur at a slower rate. Hence, if your battery is weak, now is a good time to change it before it dies on you this winter.

Windshield washer fluid and wipers

Since when the weather is cold, chances of water and other dirt accumulating on the windscreen increases while driving since there is a lot of moisture in the air. Thus keeping your windshield washer fluid filled and the wiper blades in good shape will certainly make your life behind the wheel a lot easier.

Defogging

During winters, the windows get fogged up very easily. This mainly happens due to the difference in temperature between the inside and outside of the car. Now to prevent fogging, you need to make sure that your car’s defogger is in proper working condition. There is also a home remedy to prevent fogging from happening, and that is to clean the windows using toothpaste. You can find a video of the same here:

Link

Tyres

Unlike what most people think, underinflated tyres are more dangerous than overinflated ones, especially if driving over longer distances. In winter, tyre pressures reduce with a drop in external temperatures. This means that you should get your tyre pressure checked more often to make sure you aren’t running on under inflated tyres.

Lights

Make sure all your lights (low beam, fog lamps, brake lights, indicators) are functional. As during winters, visibility drops, it is very important to make sure all lights are working properly, both to improve your visibility and to make sure you are visible to other road users. One more thing to keep in mind is that you shouldn’t drive on high beam in the fog. Instead use low beam and fog lamps.

Driving style

In winters, especially in the northern region of the country, visibility drops due to fog. When the visibility drops, you should drive at a slower speed. It is better to reach your destination a few minutes later rather than not reaching it at all. If you find the visibility too low to drive, pull over to the side of the road and wait till it clears up. Also, put on your hazard lamps only if stationary.

Heading to a snowy place?

If you are planning to head to the hills to experience the snow, one thing you should invest in is snow chains. They provide better traction and grip on the slippery surface, thus allowing you to stay in control of your vehicle. Make sure you don’t go too fast though or accelerate and brake suddenly.

Also, depending on what layout your vehicle is, you will need snow chains accordingly for the number of driving wheels (2wd/4wd). Sizes of snow chains also vary so keep that in mind while purchasing one and make sure to try putting them on before you head out to the mountains.

The rainy season has arrived. Not only do you have to face issues with water logged streets and traffic, but you will also have to contend with fogging of the windows on your car. But it’s a very easy problem to solve. But before that let’s understand why fogging happens in the first place.

Why do car windows get fogged?

Since the rain water cools down the surface, the temperature inside the vehicle becomes higher than that outside the vehicle. Since the outside is colder and the inside is hotter, when moisture from inside comes in contact with the glass area, it condenses and becomes foggy.

So fogging has happened, now what?

Each car has a defogger for the front windscreen and most of them have it for the rear as well. When the fogging starts, put on your defoggers to clear the windows. The defogger sucks out the moisture from the surface. But this cannot take car of the side windows. One way to make sure the side windows don’t fog is to shut the side AC vents.

Long term solution?

Fogging can be prevented by forming a layer on top of the glass such that the moisture doesn’t stick to it. This can either be done by getting an anti-fog liquid or by using items found in most households. Chris Fix has posted a video on things you can find at home that will prevent your windows from fogging up in this rainy season.

To summarize, tooth paste is the best item to prevent your windows from fogging.

How to apply?

Clean all the windows, apply toothpaste gently to the window area and spread it. Once it is spread, clean it off with a cloth. As you can see in the video, this is a very effective way of preventing your windows from fogging up. So spend a couple of minutes to do this exercise and you will be rewarded by windows that don’t fog up.

Tata Motors climbed to the 3rd spot from the sale point of view recently. The success of Tiago has enabled the company to secure the position. Now that Tata is preparing for the launch of the Hexa in January, the company has announced a second price hike across its vehicle range in India. In October, Tata announced that the price will be hiked across its range by up to Rs. 12,000. Now the Indian automotive giant has announced that the prices will be revised by up to Rs. 25,000 across the line-up.

The company has cited macroeconomic factors in the country that forced the company to increase the prices from Rs. 5,000 to up to Rs. 25,000 depending on the model. This will be the third price hike for the Tiago since its launch earlier this year. The most successful car from Tata has already received a price revision of Rs. 6,000 in August and then again in October.

According to Mr. Mayank Pareek, President, Passenger Vehicle Business, Tata Motors, “The increase in prices of raw material commodities like steel, aluminium, copper and rubber over a period of time has put a lot of pressure on us and as a resultant we are forced to hike prices of our passenger vehicles.”

The price rise should not come as a surprise as many manufacturers try to push the slowing sales in December. The market tends to wait for the new year to get a new car. Interestingly, the car market is going through a slump post demonetization, which has affected a lot of vehicles. The price hike will also set a base for Tata Hexa, which will be launched in January.

Tata has some big launches scheduled for the next year. After the Hexa, the company will launch the compact SUV, Nexon and the Tiago based sedan, Kite V. The company is also working on the AMT version of the Tiago as well as a sport version of the hatchback soon.

The Swift Dzire has been an important vehicle for Maruti Suzuki, when it comes to sales. Though the compact sedan segment was started by Tata Motors (with the e-CS), it is Maruti that made the segment popular by slapping on a boot to the Swift. Over the years, the Dzire has built up a pretty strong brand name for itself. Now, Maruti is planning to launch the all new Dzire before the launch of the all-new Swift in India. The launch is expected to take place by May 2017.

A month back we brought you exclusive spy shots of the all new vehicle testing in the country for the first time. Ever since then, spotting the Dzire test mule has become a common affair. The new vehicle will feature the updated styling borrowed from the all-new Swift which will make its debut at the 2017 Geneva Motorshow. The vehicle, as seen from the spy shots will get LED DRLs in the headlamp and will most likely get projector lamps as well. At the back, the vehicle will feature LED tail lamps as well.

On the inside, we expect an all-new dash which will house a new touchscreen infotainment system. The system will most likely feature Apple Car play, which is something we have been seeing Maruti do. The engines are expected to be the same 1.2 liter K-Series unit which currently does duty on the Swift and Dzire siblings and the diesel one is also going to be the same 1.3 liter unit. Now the person who sent us the spy shots said that he was having a tough time keeping up with the Dzire in his diesel Swift, which goes to show that Maruti could put in the 90 Bhp state of tune in the Dzire to take on both the more powerful Ameo and Aspire sedans.

Maruti however has declined to comment on when the vehicle will be exactly launched. What is surely known is that the Dzire will launch before the Swift hatchback and it will be manufactured at Suzuki’s new plant in Gujarat. This will also be sold through regular Maruti outlets and not through the premium Nexa outlets.

Friday, 23 December 2016

Beautiful and strange Jeeps from across the country

Sarbloh

Hummer

Armada mod

Wrangler look-a-like

Low rider

Continued below: Beautiful and strange Jeeps from across the country

Tractor tyre

Grey hound

Rubicon

Mean looker

Open motoring

What is TNT 135?

What is a pocket bike?

What’s so special?

Engine

Hummer H2

Mahindra Scorpio

Toyota Corolla

Maruti Suzuki SX4

Mitsubishi Outlander

Mitsubishi Pajero SFX

Audi Q7

Ferrari 599 GTO

Land Rover Freelander2

GMC Sierra

Massive street presence

Safety

More Space

Customisation options

Comfort

ICOTY – Maruti Vitara Brezza

Other awards

NDTV Car and Bike show award – Skoda Superb

Overdrive-CNBC car of the year – Maruti Vitara Brezza

Team-BHP car of the year award – Tata Tiago

What makes Royal Enfield motorcycles modern?

Still, there are things that make the Royal Enfield motorcycles nearly outdated

Verdict

Dubshop Pro

The Lexus look

TRD

Lowered

Audio

Continued below: 10 Badass Fortuners from across the globe

Lifted

Fiar design

Offroad spec

Sporty

Blue

Mahindra Classic 4X4

San Storm

VW Touareg

Maruti Kizashi

Skoda Octavia Combi

Continued below: TEN rare and exclusive used cars for the tasteful gentleman!

Maruti Grand Vitara

Renault Fluence

Chevrolet SRV

Volkswagen Phaeton

Maruti Zen Carbon

What’s car penetration all about?

What does a high car penetration tell us?

Ignis

Baleno RS

Vitara Brezza petrol

Brezza AMT

Continued Below: 8 new Maruti Cars & SUVs for 2017

Ciaz facelift

S-Cross facelift

Swift

Swift DZire

Toyota Fortuner

Hyundai Santro

Toyota Land Cruiser VXR

Rolls Royce Silver Spirit meets Ambassador

Mahindra Reva

Continued Below: 10 Weird & Wacky cars from DC Design

Toyota Qualis