Cyrus Dhabhar was born and brought up in a motorsport family and cars run deep in his blood. As a passionate founder and head of a classic car club in Mumbai and an avid part of the vintage and classic car scene in the country, Cyrus prefers his cars older and simpler. That said, he loves everything on four wheels and the occasional two-wheeler as well. Cyrus currently is the Assistant Editor - AUTO for the NDTV Group.
After years of speculation and wait, the Toyota Supra name is finally back. But before you get excited, the Supra name has only made its comeback as a race car and not a street car yet. Toyota marked the debut of the Supra with a new concept race car in partnership with Gazoo Racing. The new car, officially called the GR Supra Racing Concept is more or a stripped down version of the road going car that will be making its public debut in the next few months. The race car, just like the street version, is rear wheel drive and front engine.
The Ferrari 488 Pista, possibly the most popular car on social media today, has made its public debut at the 2018 Geneva Auto Show. The new special series supercar follows a long line of cars from the Ferrari 348 Serie Speciale, Ferrari 355 Serie Fiorano, the Ferrari 360 Challenge Stradale, the Ferrari 430 Scuderia and the Ferrari 458 Speciale. The new Ferrari 488 Pista will see limited production just like the special editions of past models. The new Ferrari 488 Pista puts out very impressive figures in terms of its technical specifications. The mid-mounted V8 is the most powerful ever V8 ever fitted to any road going Ferrari ever!
One of the world's most important and largest (in terms of new launches and reveals) auto shows is about to kick off in less than 24 hours. The Geneva Auto Show is always a hot bed for new technology and new cars in the mass market, supercar/hypercar and boutique automaker segment and we bring you some of the most highly anticipated and highly awaited cars that you can expect this year. The list has something for everyone - from the next generation electric cars that might make it to India to record breaking hypercars that will push the barriers of speed as we know it to smaller automakers and design houses bringing out their latest creation and of course, the latest concept from Tata Motors. Read on to know more:
Mahindra recently unveiled a brand new SUV for the United States - the Roxor and unlike the models we get in India, this one if strictly for off-road use. Here's all you need to know about it.
Mahindra has launched an all-new off-road only (not street legal) vehicle in the United States. The new SUV called the Mahindra Roxor will be made at Mahindra's new Auburn Hills manufacturing facility near Detroit, Michigan and will be available at a starting price of $15,549 or about Rs. 10 lakh. The Mahindra Roxor will be sold under the Mahindra North America or 'MANA' in the United States. The new Roxor is essentially based on the Mahindra Thar but features a long list of changes including a new front end to avoid conflict of interest with the Jeep brand's design language in the United States. The Roxor will also be a more basic vehicle as compared to the Thar with no doors and no hard top roof minus the windscreen.
While supercars and sportscars have become common sight in cities like Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore, India still has a long long way to go when it comes to the culture of modifying or tuning a supercar to the extreme. But while most supercar owners prefer to keep their cars pristine with low mileage figures, there are some who like to push the envelope and use their car the way they are meant to be driven. And then there is that niche in a niche of supercar owners for whom the power figure from the factory is never enough. And that is where this car comes in! Ladies and Gentlemen, presenting India's most powerful and rarest Porsche - the absolutely bonkers TechArt 911 GTstreet R. And before you ask, the rare supercar has found a home in Bangalore and makes 720 bhp of peak power and 920 Nm of peak torque, which propels it from 0-100 kmph in a staggering 2.5-seconds.
Electric mobility is no longer a thing of the future restricted to the likes of science fiction literature or cinema. It is here, now and the shift from internal combustion to cleaner battery powered vehicles is inevitable. And while here in India we might not all be driving around in our fancy Tesla just yet, there is an ever growing electrification movement that is gripping the nation. Mahindra as a group has been on the forefront of the 'electric revolution' with its Formula E program, the Mahindra e2o and a small Detroit (actually Ann Arbor) based electric two wheeler business called Mahindra Genze. Mahindra Genze makes electric bicycles and electric scooters and considering the fact that electric scooters are a hot topic of discussion in the country today, we flew to the United States to check out these rather futuristic designed scoots.
While most new cars today, especially in the luxury segment, come with some sort of forward facing automated braking systems in order to avoid a collision, some new cars also come with a similar system fitted to the rear. The system essentially detects if the car is about to reverse into an obstacle - like a pole or another car, etc. in order to apply the brakes and stop the vehicle before it causes any damage. This system is particularly useful when cars are backing out of a lane or a drive way (typical in suburban homes internationally) and the driver cannot see due to the likelihood of a fence or other visual obstacles. And now, to add another level in making cars safer by awarding them a safety score, the IIHS or the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety in the United States has started testing these systems and awarding a score.
Mini will launch the brand new second generation Countryman in India at the 2018 Indian Auto Expo. The new hatchback is larger than its predecessor and has a new design language while still keeping in touch with the theme of the original Countryman that was launched in 2010. The first generation Mini Countryman was the largest selling Mini model in India along with having the distinction of being the only Mini model to be assembled in India. The Mini Countryman will most likely be offered with the popular diesel engine along with the more powerful Countryman S, which packs in almost 200 bhp of peak power!
The next-generation Mercedes-Benz A-Class has finally made its global debut. Based on the new MFA 2 platform, this is the fourth-gen A-Class and also the first product offering to feature the all new user interface from Mercedes-Benz, the MBUX.
Jeep will now be offering an even more competent variant in the range - the Trailhawk. And yes, it could make it to India with a diesel engine + automatic gearbox combination.
With the 2018 Indian Auto Expo just days away, Toyota has officially teased the upcoming Yaris compact sedan on its official website. The new Yaris sedan has been expected for years (under the Vios name) and is expected to be quite the volume player for the brand considering the fact that it will take on the likes of the Honda City, the Hyundai Verna and of course the Maruti Suzuki Ciaz. In the teaser that Toyota has put out, the Yaris sedan is seen wearing its top of the line package with a set of 6-spoke alloy wheels and by the looks of it, a set of chrome lined door handles.
Possibly one of the most awaited launches of the 2018 Auto Expo is the Hyundai i20 Facelift. And now we have pictures of the brand new car with no camouflage for the very first time. Incidentally, the India launch at the 2018 Indian Auto Expo will also be the global premier of the new facelift i20. Jumping straight into the changes, although we expected the i20 to go through major updates in terms of the grille, headlamps and front bumper, the changes seem to be not as extensive. The headlights for instance are very similar to the one available on the current car and still gets a set of LED daytime running lights. The grille however is much larger and is in line with the new global Hyundai design language. The front bumper is now sportier though with an inbuilt lip spoiler that runs end to end just below the fog lamp and grille cluster.
With what are quickly becoming two of the most awaited concept launches at the 2018 Indian Auto Expo, the Tata premium hatchback and new SUV have been teased once again. While we had originally expected Tata Motors to showcase both these vehicles as production ready models, these will in fact be concepts which in turn will showcase a close similarity to the production versions that are expected sometime later this year. The new Tata premium hatchback and SUV have been teased in various design bits along with new teasers that showcase a new future design language for the interior too.
The Jeep Compass has been one of the most popular cars in recent times in India impressing us and consumers alike. With well over 10000 units already on the streets of India and after winning the prestigious 2018 NDTV Car Of The Year Award, Jeep will now spice things up by launching a new variant. The new variant badged 'Trailhawk' will be the most expensive 'top of the line' variant in the Compass range and will come packed with extra bits and bobs that will make it more potent off road. Apart from all the off road bits, the Compass Trailhawk might even get an automatic gearbox.
Porsche will be celebrating its 70th anniversary this year on June 8. The date also marks the first ever Porsche 356 'No. 1' Roadster being registered as an automobile.
The Indian Auto Expo is an important event for both mass market and luxury players. BMW is India's second largest luxury automaker and will be launching a whole slew of new cars this year. The first two launches will come at the Indian Auto Expo itself. BMW India will be launching the all-new (and all wheel drive) M5 sports saloon. BMW will also launch the new 6 Series Gran Tourismo in India at the 2018 Indian Auto Expo. Another very important launch for 2018, the all-new BMW X3 will also be showcased at the 2018 Indian Auto Expo. And as always, the other star attraction at the BMW will of course be the master blaster Sachin Tendulkar who is BMW India's brand ambassador.
The Hyundai Santa Fe has always been the flagship SUV offering for the Korean automaker and has done well in markets like Europe and North America. Launched originally in 2000, the first generation Santa Fe was Hyundai's first ever SUV and has been made in three generations with the second and third sold in India too. The current Santa Fe (3rd Gen) has been on sale since 2013 and received a mild facelift internationally in late 2016. And now, Hyundai has teased the brand new 4th Gen Santa Fe officially for the first time before its global unveil due later this year.
The 2018 Indian Auto Expo is just around the corner and as with most auto makers in India, Toyota have announced its plans too. Toyota will showcase the brand new Vios sedan in India for the first time at the 2018 Auto Expo as its main attraction. The Japanese automaker is also scheduled to showcase facelift versions of some of its products in India along with the complete lineup of current cars that it already sells. The Toyota pavilion (Hall 10) is said to have a 'Today, Tomorrow and Future' theme to it where the 'Future' section will comprise of a range of concept cars from the Japanese automaker.
Details for the highly awaited Ferrari 488 'special series' rumoured to bear the name GTO have been leaked. The supercar is said to make its debut at the 2018 Geneva Auto Show but was showcased to a private audience and at a dealer meet a few days ago in Ferrari's hometown of Modena. The new supercar is said to make over 700 bhp of power while at the same time cutting down on weight as compared to the standard car. If the GTO badge does get used on this particular car, this will be only the fourth ever Ferrari in the automaker's 70 year history to wear the most highly coveted badge. Earlier GTO badged cars included the likes of the 599 GTO, the legendary 288 GTO and the absolutely stunning Ferrari 250 GTO, which is today the world's most expensive car!
