Lamborghini launches a special edition Gallardo for India

Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A of Italy, the tractor-maker turned super car-maker, is celebrating its 50th anniversary with events spread around the year. There were promotional drive events, an uber-exclusive exotic supercar christened the Veneno was launched at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show and special editions of existing Lamborghini models are being rolled out from Sant'Agata where the Italian brand's factory is located.

The Gallardo “India Serie Speciale”, one such special edition limited to just 6 units and priced at INR 3.06 Crores ex-showroom Maharashtra each, was launched earlier today. Though Lamborghini claims that this model was designed and developed exclusively for India, the India Serie Speciale is actually the regular Gallardo LP 550-2 adorned with a few India-specific cosmetic touches inside and out.

To start with, this special edition Gallardo comes with three exterior colour options depicting the three colours of the Indian flag. In Lambo’s lingo, they are Arancio Borealis (Pearl Orange), Bianco Monocerus (White) and Verde Ithaca (Pearl Green). Just 2 cars will come painted in each of these colours. Additionally, an Indian tricolor strip runs along the length of the car, starting from the hood and extending up to the engine cover. The quarter glass in the driver’s side gets a “India Serie Speciale’" plate too. The black interiors of this special edition Gallardo features contrasting stitching, again in the colours of the Indian flag.

Mechanically, nothing has changed from the regular Gallardo LP 550-2. With a monstrous 5.2-liter V10 engine generating 550 HP of power and 540 Nm of torque, the Gallardo can accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in just 3.9 seconds and reach a top speed of 320 km/h. If these figures doesn't get you excited enough, the Gallardo’s gorgeous design that still looks fresh and stunning a decade after launch, definitely will. Currently at the end of its production run, the Gallardo will soon be replaced by an all-new model that is still kept under wraps.

Well, if you are smitten by this special edition like us and have pockets deep enough to buy one unlike us, go ahead and book yours immediately in one of the three colours. Mark our words, admiration and exclusivity are guaranteed for the next few decades!

Image Source: www.MotorBeam.com

Mitsubishi Lancer hits the end of the road in India

The media is abuzz with reports that the Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X, launched just a couple of years back to the sheer excitement of automotive enthusiasts across the country, has been discontinued. A quick look at Mitsubishi India's website also reveals that the Evo is not listed in the portfolio anymore. With this, we Indians can not buy a car badged 'Lancer' from the showrooms anymore. Honestly, we don't know if the Cedia is still being sold and even if it is, it is devoid of Lancer badging anywhere on its body.

Looking at
the double-digit sales figures that the Evo X managed over the last two
years, it isn't surprising that Hindustan Motors took this decision. It
just isn't viable to keep a model ticking with such dismal sales. What's really frustrating though is the way in which the once-cult "Lancer" brand was treated and allowed to die a slow death in India.

It was less than a decade since the Central Government's economic reforms opened up the Indian automobile industry. It was just a couple of years since international marques started entering our market. Those were the days when Indians went gaga over cars like the Honda City, Opel Astra, Daewoo Cielo and Ford Escort. As the market embraced the then-new "foreign" cars that were descending in, the 800, Esteem and Omni suddenly started to look insignificant and the Ambassador and Premier Padmini were given cold shoulders. That's when the Mitsubishi Lancer came in through an official licensing agreement that allowed the erstwhile Hindustan Motors to make and sell the car in India.

That the Lancer met with an arousing reception would be an understatement. With an absolutely gorgeous design, a never-before-seen build quality courtesy the completely knocked down kits that came in from Japan, frugal and reliable engine options and superb ride and handling, the Mitsubishi Lancer captured the heads and hearts of the Indian public all at once. Critics swore by the Lancer, customers loved the car, sales peaked and the Lancer became "the dream car" for every other individual in the country. For a car that enjoyed such roaring popularity and success on our roads in its initial years, the last few years has been quite a disaster.

Hindustan Motors was way too slow in responding to changing market conditions and new models from the Mitsubishi stable took ages to reach our market. The Cedia, for instance, was launched here when it was on the verge of replacement in the international markets. To add to that, none of the Mitsubishi models in India have had a proper sustained marketing campaign to reach out to the public. To compound the miseries further, dealers were far and few in between and even the few that existed weren't known for providing good after-sales support. They can't be totally blamed either, as they had to wait for weeks together for even simple spares to arrive.

A combination of all the above factors meant that the Lancer fell off the car-buyer's radar and was left to fend off for itself. As the competition grew stronger, it became a laughing stock and eventually met an inglorious end in India. Evo or no Evo, nothing could save the model and bring it back to life. It is quite an irony given the Lancer's rich legacy and popularity. Well, all we can do is swallow the bitter pill and let the Lancer rest in peace!

Volvo launches V40 Cross Country in India

Brand Volvo might be synonymous with luxury buses in India, but the Swedish auto-maker is gradually establishing itself in the luxury car market. After slipping in silently with the huge XC90 SUV a few years back, Volvo has slowly but steadily expanded its Indian portfolio that now includes the S60 and S80 sedans apart from the XC60 SUV. 'Why do we see so few Volvo cars in Indian roads compared to the German trio then,' you might think. The awfully small dealer network is what we would point to as the reason. Having expanded its presence to 12 cities across the country now, Volvo has moved a step closer to becoming a mainstream luxury brand.

With the compact luxury segment being the hotspot of activity of late, Volvo launched the V40 Cross Country in India yesterday. Priced at INR 28.5 Lakhs ex-showroom Delhi, the V40 Cross Country is available in just a single variant powered by a 2.0-liter, 5-cylinder common rail turbo diesel engine that's good for 148 bhp of maximum power and 350 Nm of peak torque. This is a detuned version of the engine found under the hoods of the S60 and the XC60. Mated to this engine is a 6-speed automatic gearbox.

Though the V40 Cross Country looks like a proper crossover, it is actually a decked-up variant of the V40 hatchback. Thanks to a multitude of smart touches like the raised ground clearance, matte-black plastic cladding all around, fake scuff plates at the front and rear, roof rails and the 17-inch alloy wheels, the V40 Cross Country easily passes off as an aggressive and sporty-looking crossover. We would even say that this Volvo would end up turning more heads than proper crossover designs such as the X1 and Q3.

If you do not know already, Volvos are considered to be amongst the safest cars in the world with the company itself being a pioneer in inventing and bringing in new safety technologies to the market. The V40 Cross Country carries that trademark forward with a startling array of safety features on board. Making its debut here is the world's first 'City Safety Tech' that activates on detecting an impending collision by pre-charging the brakes so that they respond faster to the driver's response. If the driver fails to brake, this technology would automatically apply the brakes and cut the throttle response. It sounds too good, but wouldn't the system go mad on sensing the manic driving conditions on Indian cities?

That apart, the list of features on offer includes a total of 7 Airbags including SIPS, knee and curtain airbags, Antilock Braking System (ABS) with Electronic Brake-force Distribution (EBD), Electronic Stability Program (ESP), Traction Control, Cruise Control, front seat whiplash protection, a best-in-class Park Pilot automatic parking system, rear parking camera with sensors, fixed panoramic sun roof, leather seats, keyless entry, push button start and LED Daytime Running Lamps with active bending technology. The interiors themselves are typical Volvo stuff that looks a bit uninspiring despite being so feature-rich. This is where the competition might nudge ahead of the Volvo.

The V40 Cross Country is the cheapest Volvo on sale in India and will end up competing with an interesting mix of cars from the German luxury brands. Yes, the V40 Cross Country would end up battling not only with crossovers like the BMW X1 and the Audi Q3, but also with premium hatchbacks like the Mercedes-Benz A-Class and sports tourers like the Mercedes-Benz B-Class.

If not for anything else, we wish Volvo gains more popularity in India just for the incredible safety legacy that this Swedish brand enjoys worldwide.

Nissan releases official sketch of Terrano, it's Duster-based SUV

Without an iota of doubt, compact Sports Utility Vehicles are the flavour of the season in India. Manufacturers who have a model or two competing in that segment are enjoying all-time high popularity while those who don't are battling against time to bring one out at the earliest. One manufacturer who seems to be having it easy at the moment is Nissan, the Japanese brand that is operating in India through a joint-venture with Renault. We need not have to tell you that it was Renault and its Duster that has renewed the interest we Indians had in Sports Utility Vehicles. It is quite obvious, as the Duster has turned out to be a stupendous success and has single-handedly transformed Renault's fortunes in India. Now, Nissan is looking for a share of that pie too!

Confirming reports that has been circulating in the media for some time now, Nissan has officially announced that the new Duster-based SUV would be called the 'Terrano'.  By doing so, Nissan is resurrecting a nameplate that was once popular in it's portfolio but discontinued later. That makes us think that Nissan might be looking beyond India for the Terrano, but let's put those speculations on the back-burner for now. An official sketch of the Terrano was also revealed, indicating a significantly-redesigned front end that brings the model in line with other Nissan SUVs around the world. We are delighted to know that as the Terrano is not just going to be a 'Renault-logo replaced with Nissan-logo' model atleast from the outside. To save costs, the interiors and power-train are expected to be carried over from the Duster.

Nissan has also indicated that the Terrano would be launched later this year and would be positioned at a premium compared to the Duster, its donor model. That's understandable, as Renault would not want the 'better-looking' Terrano to overshadow Duster's popularity. When Renault launched the 're-badged and slightly redesigned' Sunny and Micra from the Nissan stable as Pulse and Scala, they priced them at a premium over the Nissan models for the same reason. Doing so helped Renault gain foothold in India and helped them fill the showrooms until the Duster was launched. Now, its time for Renault to return the favour to Nissan.

Under the leadership of Mr. Carlos Ghosn, Nissan and Renault have been good partners internationally that extended to India when the duo stepped into the country. The Renault-Nissan Alliance plant in Chennai currently churns out models for both brands for the domestic and international markets. Beyond facility-sharing, the relationship between the two brands also extends into product-sharing, which is quite evident from the Micra-Pulse, Sunny-Scala and Duster-Terrano stories.

With the Micra and Sunny doing just moderate numbers and the Evalia failing miserably, Nissan would be itching to make a meal out of the Terrano in India. But, will the Terrano be that one big hit that Nissan is desperately looking for in India?  That and many other things are going to depend on how Nissan prices and positions the Terrano. We are keeping our fingers crossed.

Toyota unveils the next-generation Corolla sedan

Ford Focus might be giving tough times to it over the last two years but the undeniable truth is that the Toyota Corolla is the largest selling automotive nameplate in history. Yes, the Corolla has sold more units than iconic big-sellers like the Beetle and Golf from Volkswagen and the Model T and F-Series from Ford.

Since its debut in 1966, the Corolla has amassed sales of nearly 40 million units spread across ten generations over 47 years. Built in 16 locations, the Corolla is sold in 154 countries around the world. When the wraps of the next-generation version of such a car is taken off, it is nothing but history in the making.

Over the years, the Corolla might have earned a staggering reputation for reliability but it's design and styling has never been its forte. No, the Corolla has never been declared ugly, but it has never been a stunner as well. All that is about to change, as Toyota has taken the feedback on the staid design of the previous Corolla quite seriously. As a result, the 11th generation Corolla looks aggressive and sporty. Gone are the unoffensive lines and in their place come muscular cuts and creases.

While the Corolla Furia Concept previewed the design direction of the new Corolla at the Detroit Motor Show earlier this year, we didn't quite expect most of those elements to carry over to the production model. That's where Toyota has surprised us this time. The images in this post are of the North American Corolla, which is what we usually get in India and rest of Asia. European version of the Corolla follows the same design theme, but looks slightly different.

The front end is dominated by a large trapezoidal grille that rests below a thin air intake with the Toyota logo at the center. Though the kinked headlamps are not new , their treatment in the form of LED illumination and sharp angles on all sides is quite new. The profile is dominated by a character line that runs along the length of the car, flared wheel arches and chiseled front and rear fenders. The headlight, door handles and taillight are in sync with the character line at various points in profile. A dual-tone bumper, short deck spoiler and sharply-cut taillights are the highlights at the rear. The sporty 'S' variant with its gloss black treatment in the front grille, subtle chrome touches and meatier tires with sporty 17-inch alloy wheels look particularly impressive.

With good-looking competition in the form of Honda Civic, Hyundai Elantra, Ford Focus and Chevrolet Cruze, the existing Toyota Corolla looked lost in the crowd. This new model will help Toyota regain a few brownie points for its design.

Looking at the image released by Toyota, the interiors doesn't look to break new ground with piano-black trim and metallic inserts occupying prominent space in the cabin. The positioning and shape of the central air-conditioner vents, for some reason, look very retro to us. In major global markets, the new Corolla is expected to be powered by a 1.8-liter, 4-cylinder engine with two different states of tune and mated to an array of transmissions ranging from an outdated 4-speed automatic to the new 7-speed CVTi-S where 'i-S' stands for Intelligent Shift. Two driving modes, Eco and Sport would be on offer and an entire gamut of safety features would be available as standard, keeping up with the current trend. With a Coefficient of Drag of 0.28, the Corolla promises to offer excellent aerodynamics and fuel-efficiency as well.

Despite its age compared to the competition, the existing Corolla is still the top-selling car in its segment in most markets. Once this new 11th generation model goes on sale, expect the Corolla to run away with sales giving Honda, Ford, Chevrolet and Hyundai a few sleepless nights.

EcoBoost is boosting Ford's fortunes in India and elsewhere

There are two words that are a rage these days in the Indian automotive scenario. An easy guess is obviously the ‘Ecosport’, the much-awaited and much-delayed compact crossover from Ford. The other, surprisingly, is also related to the Ecosport. It’s a technology that is making its debut in the model and promises to herald a sea of change in the way we relate engine displacement and power henceforth. Yes, we are talking about the ‘EcoBoost’, a technology patented by Ford and currently making waves across the world.

It’s hard to believe, but even years after launch, the journalists and the general public just don’t seem to have praised the EcoBoost enough. We aren’t exaggerating. For 3 of the last 4 years, one or the other engine in Ford’s EcoBoost family has found a place in the Ward’s annual list of 10 best engines in the world. In 2012, the then-new 1.0-liter 3-cylinder EcoBoost engine was chosen as the “International Engine of the Year”. For the second straight year, the tiny EcoBoost engine, that can fit into the overhead luggage bay of an aircraft, is again declared the 2013 International Engine of the Year. After heaping laurels at Ford last year, the jurors have decided yet again that there is no other engine that even comes close to beating the tiny EcoBoost.

So, what’s there in the EcoBoost that isn’t there in the other engines? What has Ford achieved that the other automotive manufacturers haven’t thought of?

EcoBoost is nothing but a family of turbocharged, direct-injection gasoline engines that are more powerful, fuel-efficient and less polluting than their conventional counterparts. By doing so, the EcoBoost engines have replaced conventional gasoline engines of higher displacement while continuing to be as powerful and more fuel-efficient. Consider this, the 1.0-liter EcoBoost engine in the upcoming Ecosport is more powerful than the 1.6-liter engine that powers the Fiesta sedan and more fuel-efficient than many 1.0-liter engines used by the competition.

The image below released by Ford illustrates what makes the EcoBoost engines stand out from the rest.

Unlike what most people think, Ford isn’t the only manufacturer with this technology. Volkswagen’s Turbo Stratified Injection engines or, more popularly, ‘TSI’ badged vehicles employ direct injection with turbocharging and, in some cases, supercharging as well. Hyundai’s T-GDI engines also have these two technologies working in tandem. Cited here are just a couple of examples. But, the smartest thing Ford did was to brand these engines under an attractive moniker called ‘EcoBoost’ and market the technology to the car-buying public. That’s what has got most people talking about Ford compared to the rest of the clan.

Sooner or later, you will come across someone who has driven an Ecosport powered by the EcoBoost engine in India. Before they start bragging about this tech and its merits, go ahead and show them who is the boss!

Mahindra launches Verito 'Vibe' hatchback

Long after Renault decided to give up and abandon its Logan project in India, Mahindra just refuses to give up on the Romania-based, Dacia-developed car. After sprucing it up inside and out and renaming it as Verito, Mahindra has now gone one step ahead, derived a hatchback out of the boxy sedan and launched it as the ‘Vibe’. Launched in Mumbai today in three trim levels, the Verito Vibe will classify for the Indian Government’s tax exemptions as its length is less than 4 meters. Prices start at INR 5.63 Lakhs for the base D2 variant and goes up to INR 5.89 Lakhs and INR 6.49 Lakhs for the D4 and D6 variants respectively.

Though the Verito Vibe looks like a hatchback, it isn’t one, strictly speaking. Retaining everything up to the C-Pillar and even the rear windscreen from its sedan counterpart, the Vibe has a new, strangely-designed boot-lid and all-new taillight clusters that bear more than a passing resemblance to the previous-generation Ford Focus. Though the Verito Vibe does look sporty from certain rear angles, the boxy front-end carried over from the Verito sedan doesn’t gel as well with the sharp rear-end as we would have liked. Also new are the smoked headlamps, carbon-finish grille, champagne alloy wheels and a dual-tone rear bumper.

The interiors stay true to the Verito sedan as well and that means the Vibe would be one of the most spacious hatchbacks on sale in India. Apart from the regular features like air-conditioning, power steering, power windows and a 2-DIN music system with CD, USB and AUX support, the top-end Verito Vibe also comes with front disc brakes, Antilock Braking System (ABS) with Electronic Brake-force Distribution (EBD) and Driver Airbag. Powering the Verito Vibe is the familiar 1.5-liter Renault dCi engine that puts out a modest 65 PS of maximum power at 4000 rpm and 160 Nm of peak torque at 2000 rpm. No 1.2-liter petrol engines in Mahindra's portfolio to qualify for tax exemption means that there is no petrol-powered Vibe that you could buy.

The Verito Vibe marks Mahindra's entry into the highly-competitive hatchback segment in India. It remains to be seen if Mahindra's Midas touch continue to welcome them with both hands in a segment that is dominated by Maruti-Suzuki and Hyundai.