Tuesday, 9 April 2013
Mahindra e2o
Mahindra Reva’s e2o is a new-generation electric car that has had a long gestation period. It started life as the NXR concept designed by Dilip Chhabria (DC), benefited hugely by the experience of Mahindra when the Indian UV maker bought into the company and is today built in a futuristic, all-new state-of-the-art plant in Bangalore. Electric cars haven’t managed to penetrate into the mainstream and the company’s earlier car, the Reva i was pretty far off from being either practical or useable. The new e2o, however, promises to deliver more of both.
It achieves this partially. It is a two-door car, so access to the rear seats is poor, luggage space is limited, and then there’s the fact that you can’t roll the rear windows down. Generic electric car limitations reduce practicality as well. A full charge takes five hours and the car has a real-world range of 80-90 kilometres (Reva claims a range of 100km). Still, if these don’t bother you too much or if you can get around the said issues, Reva’s new electric car is a huge step forward.
HONDA WITH THE NEW AMAZE..
ITS AMAZING.
With the Amaze, Honda embarks on a landmark innings in India. This is the company’s first compact saloon and first diesel car rolled into one and it has enormous potential here. The Japanese carmaker has a lot riding on the Amaze and it could very well catapult Honda to the pinnacle of the entry-level saloon segment. So, have they managed to get it right?
Based on the successful Brio hatchback, the new Amaze is almost specifically targeted at India. Its sub-four-metre length and options of a less than 1200cc petrol motor and less than 1500c diesel engine go towards ensuring that Honda can avail of the excise (tax on manufacturing) sops for small cars and make it affordable for the value-conscious Indian buyeR..
What sets this car apart from other sub-four metre saloons is the cohesiveness of the design. Unlike the Maruti Dzire, which is the best seller in this class, the Amaze does not look severely truncated or chopped from the rear. The lines of the car flow smoothly over the Brio’s nose, onto the elongated roof and down over what is a very traditional looking boot. The reason it doesn’t look like an afterthought is because it isn’t one. Honda planned this Brio-based saloon from day one. In fact it looks positively attractive, with the two slashes across the side of the car and the nicely styled tail-lights. What allows the Amaze to keep this regular saloon profile is the fact that, unlike the Swift Dzire, it has a very short and compact nose.
NEW BMW X1
BMW launched the X1 compact crossover in American market earlier this year at the 2012 New York Auto Show. The smallest of BMW crossovers is on sale in Europe, India and many other markets around the world for quite some time now; but the one that went on sale in US is a slightly different version. BMW had then confirmed that this new version will be launched as the 2013 BMW X1 facelift in markets, where the compact crossover already exists.
The design tweaks to the X1 facelift include revised headlamp console, new bumper, modified front grille and sleeker ORVMs. On the inside, there are hardly any changes expect new colour tones, bit of chrome, new upholstery and few additions to the trim options.
In the American market, BMW offers both sDrive (rear-wheel-drive) and xDrive (all-wheel-drive) variants. However, all variants are powered by petrol engines – X1 sDrive28i, X1 xDrive 28i and the X1 i35. This will change Europe and India, where diesel in the preferred fuel.
The facelift BMW X1 was spied at the ARAI facility in Pune, confirming that the vehicle will be launched in India soon. The renewed vehicle is also very important for BMW, as the Audi Q3 is serious competition in the entry-level premium vehicle segment.
The new BMW X1 facelift will also be assembled in India at the Chennai facility. The new version will as well be available in both petrol and diesel guise. Both petrol and diesel variants will be powered by the same engines as before, however BMW may now offer the xDrive version in India. The four-wheel-drive xDrive version will compete with the Audi Q3.
BMW is expected to launch the X1 in November, just before Diwali. The prices of the new version will be a bit higher than the current model and the xDrive version may carry a ex-showroom price tag of around Rs 33 lakh.
The design tweaks to the X1 facelift include revised headlamp console, new bumper, modified front grille and sleeker ORVMs. On the inside, there are hardly any changes expect new colour tones, bit of chrome, new upholstery and few additions to the trim options.
In the American market, BMW offers both sDrive (rear-wheel-drive) and xDrive (all-wheel-drive) variants. However, all variants are powered by petrol engines – X1 sDrive28i, X1 xDrive 28i and the X1 i35. This will change Europe and India, where diesel in the preferred fuel.
The facelift BMW X1 was spied at the ARAI facility in Pune, confirming that the vehicle will be launched in India soon. The renewed vehicle is also very important for BMW, as the Audi Q3 is serious competition in the entry-level premium vehicle segment.
The new BMW X1 facelift will also be assembled in India at the Chennai facility. The new version will as well be available in both petrol and diesel guise. Both petrol and diesel variants will be powered by the same engines as before, however BMW may now offer the xDrive version in India. The four-wheel-drive xDrive version will compete with the Audi Q3.
BMW is expected to launch the X1 in November, just before Diwali. The prices of the new version will be a bit higher than the current model and the xDrive version may carry a ex-showroom price tag of around Rs 33 lakh.
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