For starters Aria is the most expensive and the most technologically advanced vehicle coming out of Tata’s stable apart from Land Rovers and the Jags. It has been on the logs for quite some time after its appearance at the Delhi auto expo. Few days back Aria was launched, in 3 variants, the lower-end Pleasure, the mid-end Prestige and the final act Pride. Prices start from north of 12lakhs for the pleasure, 14.5 for the prestige and 15.5 for the Pride. Click her for complete price list.

Moving on from the less interesting entity money to the things, which tinkle our petro head heads. Aria’s power source is a 2.2 Dicor variable turbine technology engine, which is same as the one in Safari except for one tiny detail, to make the engine more refined, a dual mass flywheel is used, which is basically two flywheels jointed together in a intricate way with springs inside which ultimately reduce the vibration. Check out this video for more on the dual mass flywheel.

If you wonder why Aria is priced in the range of 12 to 15 while the similar engined and pretty much similar sized Safari almost half its price range, then the below section laid out will enlighten you. For example Arias got lights everywhere, in the glove box, on the sun visor and one of the bottom of all doors so that you don’t step into a puddle when its dark and all these turn on automatically, even the headlights turn on upon darkness automatically. The entire design ideology behind Aria seems to reduce human effort, in other words Aria takes care of things for you.

When it rains the windshield wiper come to life with out you calling it, and if you take reverse in the rain, guess what happens? Yes the rear wiper does its job without your divine intervention. Another thing to be appreciated is that all the 3 rows are treated equally with no partiality. Dedicated A/C vents and mobile phone charging outlets are present in each row, The second and third row seats can be folded flat to increase luggage space and as the A/C vents in these two rows are fitted in the window pillars, the roof is unused and folks at Tata squeezed in a utility bin over your head right at your reach. All these makes even the last row feel like shotgun.

Other Merc like perks include a dashboard chiller for your high life, hydraulically lifted bonnet, a key with which you can turn the headlights on remotely. Now on to the land Roverish feature, the rear view camera, which comes on automatically to aid you in reversing. This display is neatly tucked in the dashboard, which again has a Rover feel to it. Dash includes another very useful feature the satellite navigation system with preloaded maps of Indian cities. It also displays inside/outside temperatures; distance the car can travel on available fuel, instant and average fuel consumption.

Onboard entertainment is provided by 6speakers, which can take input music from cds, mp3 and Ipods via aux., the speed sensing volume control system adjusts the volume according to vehicle speed and noise. Up to 5 phones can be connected to the speaker system via Bluetooth, best of all to control music and phone you don’t have to take your hand off the steering wheel as the steering wheel has all the buttons needed for the job.

On top of all these, Aria covers the mandatory things like the height adjustable drivers seat, tilt able steering column, automatic climate control, pre-tensioned seatbelts, keyless entry to name a few. If you make a checklist of all the features you would find in a car two segments above Aria, Aria would tick all the check boxes.

Boy we haven’t even touched the SUV part yet, Aria may not look like a SUV but it does have 4-wheel drive and it’s a special one indeed. Tata calls it Adapeterra, what Adapeterra does is it distributes power amount the 4 wheels depends of their adherence to the ground surface, that is the more grip a wheel has the more torque will be provided to that wheel to get the car out of any muddy puddle or rocky terrain.

Shortest braking distance is guaranteed by all wheel disk brakes with Anti-lock braking system (ABS) coupled with Electronic Brake Distribution (EBD). Another abbreviated system in the Aria is ESP (Electronic Stability Program), as the name suggests ESP acts when the car is unstable, it applies braking force to individual wheels depending on the dynamics of the instability and restores stability. Traction control is also present in the Aria, which prevents wheel spins for efficiency, too bad if you play on playing the occasional signal drifts. In spite of all these driving aids if you manage to crash, there are 6 airbags to save you from the shock.

Last and the least is the looks of Aria, its not what one can call pretty and its not the reason one buys any Tata for that matter, but this Tata has made an effort to look good, if changing one piece of the Aria would make it look better it would have to be the front grill. if you think looks is one reason not to buy a car, then you have plenty of reason to buy an Aria.

Check out the Aria website for more pictures and specification of each variants.

live pictures courtesy : Vicky.in and IAB

Juhu’s flying club saw something extraordinary than it is used to, a Nissan’s 370Z. Nissan launched the 370Z in India yesterday, when I say launched, the 370Z was literally launched off a truck container on to the ramp and then on the tarmac where it did what Japanese cars do best, drifts and doughnuts. It was quite a surprise when Narain Karthikeyan walked out of the red hot Nissan.

With the launch of the 370Z Nissan has opened its supply of its sportier Z family to India. As most of us know Z is one of the iconic ranges of sports cars to have ever drifted on earth. If Americans have the muscle cars the Japanese have the Z. Read this to know how significant the 370Z launch in India is.

Apart from its pedigree the car is quite the sports coupe for the Tokyo drifting kind of persona. But in India it is going to be more of a car for the “look how deep my pocket is” kind of persona as it is priced at Rs. 53.50 lakh for the 6-speed manual variant and a lakh more for the 7-speed automatic both ex-showroom Delhi. Actual cost of the car in the US is $33k and up on adding the 110% tax as the 370Z arrives as a completely built unit (CBU), the cost comes to about 35lakhs max. So Nissan priced the370Z rather greedily. Other two cars on this segment in India, the Boxster and the Z4 are priced at 47lakhs and 59lakhs respectively both ex-showroom Delhi.

The number 370 refers to the cc of the 370Z’s engine which is 3700 (almost). This V6 engine with a Power output of 332 hp and 370 Nm of torque pushes it from 0 to 100 kmph in 5.1 seconds. The 370Z launched in India is the sports package variant and it hosts 8speaker Bose sound system and 19” wheels. But what is unique about the 370Z is its world’s first SynchroRev gear matching system which I will get to in detail later.

Image Gallery:

Photo courtesy: Team-bhp

Maruti launched its Versa van replacement Eeco (which is pretty much the same except for few details) a couple of days back during the ongoing Delhi Auto Expo. At first glance you won’t be able to differentiate Eeco from Versa, not even on the second glance and neither on the third. That’s because Versa was too much of a flop to have been seen on the road and stuck in our minds. What Eeco really is a Bharat Stage 4 emissions compliant Versa whose looks have been mercilessly compromised for pricing it at Rs. 2.59lakhs ex-showroom Delhi. Versa was prettier than the Eeco by mile but I would pick Eeco at 2.59lakhs any day over a Versa which was sold for more than 4lakhs.

The engine is smaller than the Versa’s by a 100cc at 1.2L and producing 73ps of power. The gear shift has been made smooth with a new first of its kind technology called DS. Eeco is trying to sound too environmental friendly for a boxy people carrier with its ELV compliant which stands for End of Life for Vehicles which means that Eeco sticks to the limit in usage of harmful elements like lead, cadmium, mercury and chromium. Maruti is so out of words with the Eeco they start taking chemistry class in the Press Release. If I were Maruti I would stop at just the price and people carrying capacity of Eeco.

Eeco being a people carrier is available in 5-seat and 7-seat configurations but only the 5-seater gets A/C and the 7-seater doesn’t. The reason for this is quite clear. To get cool air to the third row would mean an extra vent and rise in price. The A/C 5-seater costs Rs. 2.85lakhs and the non A/C 7-seater Rs 2.79lakhs.

Image Gallery:

Comparison between Eeco, Versa and Omni:

Eeco is bigger than the Omni in every way, except for the seating capacity. The only difference in dimension between Eeco and Versa is the height.

Press Release:

To been green in India doesn’t come cheap. Toyota just launched its world renouned Prius Hybrid at the Delhi expo 2010. It will be available for sale from March with a price tag of Rs. 26.55lakhs. Toyota’s Indian wing has ordered for 200 Prius from Japan which would arrive as CBUs causing the 110% increase in price. It would be the 3-Generation Prius which would be on sale in India.

Though there may be a million other hybrid fishes in the ocean, Prius still is the salmon everyone wants. It beats the second best Hybrid car sales with a huge difference and there is no Hollywood celebrity who doesn’t own a Prius. It is the first mass produced Hybrid and sales has crossed over 1.5 million.

Here are some technical details:

The Third-generation Prius:

A 1.8L, 2ZR FXE engine and 136PS Horsepower
Hybrid Synergy Drive
Electrically controlled CVT (Continuously Variable Transmission)
Electronically Controlled Shift Lever
Regenerative braking
Aerodynamic design of 0.25Cd (amongst the lowest in the world)
Head Up Display
Push start system and smart entry
Audio and Bluetooth controls with touch sensor on steering wheel
ABS, BA, EBD, VSC, Traction Control and 7 airbags

Brochure:

Press Release:

New Delhi, January 7, 2010:Toyota Kirloskar Motor Pvt. Ltd. (TKM) today launched the latest generation of the Prius in India at the Auto Expo 2010 that is underway in New Delhi. To further emphasise Toyota’s commitment to the environment, the Altis CNG was also launched, and the Innova CNG and Camry Hybrid were on display.
Speaking about the Prius launch in India, Mr. Sandeep Singh, DMD-Marketing, TKM said: “Through the launch of the Prius, Toyota is keen to demonstrate its commitment to offer the latest eco-friendly automotive technology to its customers in India. Since becoming the world’s first mass-produced hybrid vehicle in 1997, the Prius has received worldwide acclaim, and we will continue to popularize hybrid vehicles worldwide to further our efforts to help save the environment.”

Prius

Staying true to the meaning of its name, i.e. ‘to go before,’ in Latin, the Prius today is the most successful hybrid in the world with cumulative sales of nearly 1.5 million.

Equipped with the latest of its pioneering technology – the Toyota Hybrid System II (also called Hybrid Synergy Drive), and with one of the best aerodynamic performances, the Prius has achieved world-leading fuel efficiency. The Third-generation Prius comes with three driving modes – Power Mode, Eco Mode and EV (Electric Vehicle) Mode, as well as a host of dynamic features that combine to give improved driving pleasure with superior environmental performance.

The Prius will be available in limited numbers in two variants, priced at xxx and xxx, ex showroom, New Delhi. Toyota dealers will start taking bookings from the beginning of March 2010.

Recently Mercedes has been under steady firing from its home rival BMW. In India Mercs have been the car of the riches from the 90s and has been dominating sales in this segment for more than a decade. Then came the BMW which inched closer and closer to Merc and finaly sold more than the Merc during december 2009.

Ending 2009 in a bitter loss to Bimmer, Merc is trying to bounch back right up with the Introduction of its 7-seater SUV GL-Class. This might fare good for Merc as there is no shortage in demand for big SUVs in India and Merc has been laggin behind in this particular segment. A 7-seater GL would be great for Merc than the 5-seater M-class ever was. Priced at 67lakh rupees Ex-showroom Delhi it is a bit costlier than Audi’s Q7 but is also more. Read about it more from the Brochure and official Press Release.

QUOTES: Dr. Wilfried Aulbur, Managing Director & CEO of Mercedes-Benz India Limited

Product focus for 2010: Our cars embody passion, perfection and cutting-edge technology- values that will be reflected through a fascinating array of products that Mercedes-Benz will unleash in 2010.

About the GL-Class: The new GL-Class combines freedom with luxury, power with elegance and size with a sense of responsibility. This makes the GL-Class a symbol of good style in every respect. Its low emission engine underlines its strong character. The high quality materials and the high sheen chrome trim adorn a vehicle that is difficult to beat where size and flexibility are concerned. The GL-Class is a vehicle that takes luxury to a new dimension.

Brochure:

Press Release:

Mercedes-Benz sets new benchmark for Luxury Motoring in India: Launches S 500L and GL 350CDI

* S500L is the most premium ‘made-in-India’ limosine
* GL350CDI is the largest and most premium off-roader in Indian market

New Delhi – Setting off a high-octane start to 2010, Mercedes-Benz India today launched two category-leading products- the S 500L and the GL 350CDI. The S 500L flaunts the new design ideology of the S-Class range and enjoys the distinction of being the most premium car to be made in India. The GL 350CDI on the other hand carries the tag of being the biggest and the most exclusive SUV on the Indian roads today.

The new GL 350CDI
The GL-Class takes its position as the most premium SUV in the Indian market. Demonstrating excellent off-road capabilities and environmental compatibility the new GL is a seven-seater that offers excellent handling both on and off-road and pampers occupants with its extremely spacious accommodation and the comfort of a luxury saloon.
The GL-Class makes full use of the advantages of its unitized body, combining optimum strength with intelligent lightweight steel design. The result is excellent passive safety. The GL 350 CDI accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 9.5 seconds, reaches a top speed of 210 km/h and consumes a mere 9.7 l per 100 km.

With PRE-SAFE® preventive occupant protection system, a world first in this market segment, Mercedes-Benz has raised safety to an even higher level. PRE-SAFE® utilises the sensors in the dynamic handling control systems and optimises the protective function of the passive safety components in potential accident situations. 4MATIC – the permanent four-wheel drive from Mercedes-Benz – provides the GL-Class with superior handling whatever the conditions. A fixed panoramic sunroof over the third-row seats, which is equipped with a sunblind, provides additional comfort and enhances the sense of spaciousness. Crash-responsive head restraints for driver and front passenger which support the head sooner in a rear-end impact, thus reducing the risk of injury. Two individual third-row seats offer plenty of room in all directions. They can also be folded at the press of a button to create a flat loading surface.

Thus with its poised, assured presence, the GL-Class meets all the requirements of a state-of-the-art, luxury SUV and even redefines them on a higher level without compromising on its quintessential off-roader genes such as superlative robustness, ruggedness and long-term durability.

Most of us are familiar with the S-class sedan, it is widely recognize as the technological peak into the future of car luxury & safety. S-class has been the ultimate luxury saloon in India except for the rollers and bentles that is, The new S-Class is priced at 95lakh rupees ex-showroom delhi and it would be the costliest car ever to be produced in India.

The new S is cramped up with technology which pamper the occupants in ways we can only imagine. At any given time 70 parameters are monitored and various actuators are effected based on the variable, in plain english, the seats hug you in corners, if the driver feels drowsy the car wakes him up and it does a lot more things based on the conditions. Read about the cars specification and features in the press release and the brochure

QUOTES: Dr. Wilfried Aulbur, Managing Director & CEO of Mercedes-Benz India Limited

Product focus for 2010: Our cars embody passion, perfection and cutting-edge technology- values that will be reflected through a fascinating array of products that Mercedes-Benz will unleash in 2010.

About the new S-Class: Being the finest automobile in the world the S-Class has always set new benchmarks. The uncompromising standards have made it the preferred choice of the world’s most powerful and influential people. Outstanding comfort, innovative technology and comprehensive safety have been characteristic traits of this luxury salon; they all began life in the S-Class before finding their way into many other models and vehicle categories and therefore into people’s minds. The S 500L is the flagship product of this lineage.”

Brochure:

Press Release:

Mercedes-Benz sets new benchmark for Luxury Motoring in India: Launches S 500L and GL 350CDI

* S500L is the most premium ‘made-in-India’ limosine
* GL350CDI is the largest and most premium off-roader in Indian market

New Delhi – Setting off a high-octane start to 2010, Mercedes-Benz India today launched two category-leading products- the S 500L and the GL 350CDI. The S 500L flaunts the new design ideology of the S-Class range and enjoys the distinction of being the most premium car to be made in India. The GL 350CDI on the other hand carries the tag of being the biggest and the most exclusive SUV on the Indian roads today.

The new S 500L
With its innovative technology, best-in-class comfort and trailblazing safety systems, the flagship model from Mercedes-Benz is seen as a pioneer in automotive development. Featuring innovations aimed at enhancing comfort, safety and environmental compatibility, it has become a role model and a showcase car for the entire automotive industry. Numerous sensors and intelligent electronic systems set milestones in terms of occupant protection, driving assistance and entertainment; the S 500L showcases innovative technologies super-efficient fuel systems, ultra modern assistance and protection systems, state-of-the-art multimedia technology coupled with an even more dynamic design. Like its forbearers the latest S-Class leaves no doubt: when it comes to mobility it is the one true icon.

The modified design of the S-Class reflects the effortless superiority and power of the S-Class Saloon. It is characterised by the more pronounced arrow-shape of the radiator grille, plus a new front bumper with a discreet light-catching contour and a chrome strip below the cooling air intakes. The headlamps have bi-xenon technology as standard.

As a world first, Mercedes-Benz has equipped its flagship model with the new SPLITVIEW technology for the COMAND control and display system centrally located in the centre console. Other new features include a an SD memory card slot, Bluetooth® interface, which wirelessly connects a mobile phone to the standard onboard hands-free system, and a USB interface and media interface in the glove compartment for mobile audio devices like an iPod® and USB stick also with AUX input. An even more dynamic look is ensured by the LED Light package with its striking LED arrays while the drowsiness detection system ATTENTION ASSIST continuously monitors more than 70 different parameters.

The Beat has been around us for more than a couple of months now and the blogger friendly CEO of GM India Karl Slym hasn’t kept this mini warrior from GM a secret. The car which is launched today comes with a petrol engine of capacity 1.2 cc and 80ps of power. To read more about the car and its features and check out 360 degree video of the car you can check out our earlier post here. we have kept the beat going on and on and finally it is ready for booking from this evening.

Karl confirmed during the launch event that a diesel engine will be launched by the end of this year. Right now the car comes in 3 levels of trims, the base model PS which costs 3.34lakhs ex-showroom Delhi, the mid-level LS for 3.54lakhs and the top end LT for 3.99lakhs. ABS and Airbags are an optional extra for the LT variant which would bring the total to 4.34lakhs. click here to check out the features of various variants.

The updated 2010 smaller Land Cruiser, the Prado arrives in India at an ex-showroom Delhi price of Rs. 52.4 lakhs. It comes with an in-line 4 cylinder diesel engine with a capacity of 3litres, which along with the turbocharger gives a power output of 174.2bhp. It comes with all the mandatory safety, luxury and off-road assist features you would expect from a 50lakh SUV. Toyota has clearly laid out its ability here at the Toyota India website.

Sure the car fulfills everything you would expect from a premium SUV. It is safe as a tank, does off-roading well and can take you from metros to metros. In fact it does its job better than any other SUV in the market and the make quality, well its a is Toyota, but at a price of 52lakhs it is still twice its worth. I for one wouldn’t mind paying twice the worth of a car if it’s a fiat 500 or a Jaguar xj or anything which is that iconic but for a dull looking Prado, I don’t think so.

Brochure:

Image gallery:

Tata launched the second more refined installment of its Sumo Grande MUV. The original Grande paved way for this with its endless flaws highly-lighted over its stunning exterior looks. Tata claims that it has addressed these issues and from the first impressions it makes us feel that it should have been the Mark1 Grande.

The MK2 is in nutshell is a car with a bit of chrome job on the outside plus a fabric tone job on the inside and a bit of refining on the ride all based on customer feedbacks. This is the impression we get when we look at the stats but as the saying goes “the devil is in the details” the MK2 is much more.

Changes on the outside:

Changes on the inside:

Changes under the hood:

Tata Sumo Grande MkII Colors:

• Walnut Gold (one on the pictures)
• Quartz Black
• Mineral Red
• Castle Grey
• Artic Silver
• Platinum Biege
• Artic White

Sumo Grande MK2 Variants:

LX – 6.43 lakh

EX – 6.83 lakh

GX – 7.50 lakh
(all prices ex-showroom Delhi)

Seat Arrangements:

7 seater – Front Facing
7 Seater – Side Facing
8 Seater – Front Facing
9 Seater – Side Facing

Specifications:

Image Gallery:

Photo Courtesy: Team-BHP

Press Release:

<strong>Tata Motors launches the Sumo Grande MK II

The Grande MK II will be available in 3 variants – top of the line Gx, Ex and Lx with a seating capacity ranging between 7 and 9 seats in front and side facing configurations. The vehicle will be available in three new colours, Walnut Gold, Platinum Beige and Castle Grey. The Grande MK II is priced in the range of Rs. 6.43 lakhs to Rs. 7.50 lakhs (ex-showroom, Delhi). It comes with a warranty of 2 years or 75,000 kms (whichever is earlier). An additional 2 years’ warranty can be availed through the extended warranty option. Customers would be able to accessorise the Grande MK II with a host of accessories available at dealerships across the country.

VW today launched its fashion icon Beetle and its first SUV for India, Touareg in Mumbai. The coming of the Beetle has been emphasized with biblical significance for quite some time now and frankly I can’t see why. We already knew it is going to be a CBU and prices well over 15lakh mark but still we couldn’t help get excited about its coming. Now that it has come and at an ex-showroom Delhi price of Rs.20.45 Lakhs what do we reckon?

Now this segment that the Beetle is entering has only one player the Fiat Cinquecento (love Italian, even 500 sounds so soulful) which is 6lakhs cheaper than the beetle and hell of a lot better looking. Since these two are considered to be in the same segment the 500 sure seems the winner but wait a minute before you get all judgmental. The 500 offered for 6lakhs cheaper than the beetle is a 1.2litre and is sold in UK for an equivalent of Rs. 6lakhs the beetle on the other hand has a bigger 2liter engine and is sold in UK for an equivalent of Rs. 12lakhs. Add the 110% import tax on both and clearly the Beetle wins out but again you have to wait a minute more to figure this one out. 20 odd lakhs for a car which is this small and minimal on interior luxuries seems a bit too much for my Indian brain, I feel VW has missed this one by not launching the cheaper 1.4litre variant which would have made a better price perspective with the 500. After all it’s the beetle body that sells who cares about the engine.

Beetle Specifications:

The Touareg on the other hand sits sensible in the Indian market. Sure it wouldn’t be easy for VW to sell it with ease either as this segment is ruled my Q7s and X5s both of which are quite the tool need for a going off-road. But at a price of Rs. 51.85Lakhs Touareg does have a selling point.

Touareg Specifications:

Image Gallery:

Press Release:

Photo courtesy: Team-BHP

Volkswagen New Beetle: -Return of a Legend
Volkswagen also introduces the Touareg – Road Dominating
Mumbai, December 4, 2009: Volkswagen, Europe’s largest car maker today announced the launch of the iconic – New Beetle, and its road
dominating sports utility vehicle – The Touareg in India The New Beetle will be priced at Rs 20.45 Lakhs and the Touareg at Rs.51.85 Lakhs (all prices ex-Showroom Delhi) Speaking at the launch, Mr. Neeraj Garg, Member of Board and Director, Volkswagen Passenger Cars said, “We are excited to bring this iconic Beetle, to India after its success across the world for decades.” “The Beetle is the very first Volkswagen car people remember about; with its unique shape and reliability, it wrote motoring history. People’s fascination for this lovable bug shaped car has made the Beetle one of the world’s most popular cars across decades and Volkswagen is proud to bring its legend into India,” he said. He further added, “The launch of the Touareg is our marketing debut in the SUV segment. India has a great demand for SUV. The Touareg has been successful across countries and the entry will further enhance our presence in the market.” India is a key market for our overall strategic growth plans and we are sure that the launch of two of our best products will affirm our commitment to provide the latest technology and high value to our Indian customers”.