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.
The world's largest carmaker isn't Ford, Toyota or General Motors. It is in fact, Hot Wheels. And although the toy manufacturing giant might not make cars big enough for us to drive around in, they do make cars that make even the most grown up men (and women) pretend to drive around in. And this is why Hot Wheels has one of the biggest cult following and one of the largest network of collectors in the world. And now Hot Wheels has announced that it will bring two special model cars that will be made specially for the upcoming 2018 Indian Auto Expo. While this is a prevalent practice globally, this is the first time the toy maker will launch a special car for the Indian Auto Expo.
Jeep is one of the few automakers in the world that is synonymous with the rough and macho SUV vehicle image. Known for products like the famous Willys, the Wrangler and in India recently for the Compass, Jeep has some very iconic products across its portfolio. And now Jeep has added a brand new flagship SUV to its range sitting even higher up the food chain as compared to the likes of the Grand Cherokee - the new Grand Commander. The new Grand Commander will first be officially launched in China where it was already leakedrecently and will eventually be available in other countries too.
As the 2018 Indian Auto Expo inches closer and closer, news about new products that could be showcased keeps trickling in. We have already brought you news about Tata Motors' plans to showcase their brand new premium hatchback, light commercial vehicle and an SUV at the Auto Expo. That said, new information hints at not one but two new SUVs from the same family (platform) making an appearance at the Expo instead. The two new SUVs, which have been developed under the codename 'harrier' and 'raptor' for the last few years are large-ish SUVs and will have similar design features. That said, they are said to be different in terms of overall size with one offering a smaller footprint and a 5 seat configuration while the other is larger and will offer a seven seater layout.
Detroit is the home to two of the largest automakers in the world and also one of the global spiritual homes for the automobile in general. The Detroit Auto Show, also known as the North American International Auto Show, is possibly the most important auto show in the subcontinent and gives a chance for global and American automakers to showcase some of their newest and most cutting edge metal in front of the world's media. And this year, as with every year in the recent past, the list of global debuts and concept cars from almost every relevant manufacturer gives as all something to look forward to. So here are some of the most important launches and concepts we will see at the 2018 Detroit Auto Show!
Mercedes-Benz India has retained its dominant number 1 position in the Indian luxury car space. Although the total sales figures for Mercedes-Benz for 2017 are not out just yet, Q1-Q3 results for Mercedes-Benz already showed sales at an impressive 11,869 units. The growth in 2017 was driven by the likes of the new E-Class along with other volume players like the C-Class and the GLC SUV. The likes of the flagship S-Class sedan and the GLE SUV too have contributed to growth in 2017 as compared to 2016 sales. Mercedes-Benz India have also capitalised on the likes of the CLA 4-door coupe that has seen robust sales since the mid-life facelift was launched late 2016 adding to the overall tally in the year 2017.
The Porsche 911 is possibly one of the most iconic shapes in automobile history. With its iconic rear engine layout that was inspired by the Volkswagen Beetle and the beautiful wide rear fenders, the Porsche 911 has improved over time to achieve nearly perfect driving dynamics. And every few years, Porsche improves it even further with a new generation. The 991 series 911 has been around for a while now and will soon be replaced and test mules of the new car have already been spied earlier. Now though, a test mule of the cabriolet or convertible version of the Porsche 911 has been spotted.
Hyundai will look to achieve this target on the back of its successful line-up of current cars like the Creta or i20 that are due a major facelift and the likes of the Grand i10, Xcent or the Verna both of which have seen updates in the year 2017 already.
The fact that Jeep is building a flagship SUV that will sit above the Cherokee/Grand Cherokee range is known. With the launch of the Wagoneer family destined for 2019 as a 2020 model year, new spy pictures of the prototype undergoing testing have surfaced once again. The new Jeep Wagoneer will be a luxury SUV with 7 seats or three row seating and will be large enough and luxurious enough to take on the likes of the Range Rover and the Mercedes-Benz GLS amongst other competition from American SUVs from Cadillac, GMC, etc. The new Jeep Wagoneer will also take on the likes of the new BMW X7, which has already been showcased in concept form and will soon be revealed in production form later this year.
Mercedes-Benz has officially confirmed the debut of the new generation of the iconic G-Class on January 15, 2018. The debut will take place at the Detroit auto show on the second press day and will be possibly the most anticipated debut there. While many would have expected the G-Class to evolve into a more rounded and more mass product, if the spy shots and sketches are anything to go by, Mercedes-Benz has stayed true to form and kept the iconic boxy design on the car albeit with a bit more modern touches. The new G-Class will be available globally with standard petrol and diesel engine options along with the Los Angeles favourite G63 and G65 versions.
The Audi Q2 is the German automaker's smallest compact SUV. Placed below the Q3, the Q2 with its crossover like design was launched last year with good responses especially from growing markets like China. And to appease the Chinese auto buyer even further, Audi has recently announced plans to launch a longer wheelbase version of the Q2 specially for the China domestic market. To make it an even more interesting proposition though, Audi seems to be preparing an all electric version of the long wheel base Q2 to be sold specifically in China. China is the largest electric car market in the world and last year sold over 3.86 lakh units witnessing a 50 per cent growth over the year before!
Isuzu has made quite the mark in India especially in the private pickup and recreational usage segment with the D-Max V-Cross. The standard D-Max on the other hand has also been selling well and now there will soon be a new version of the D-Max on sale badged 'Spark'. The new Isuzu D-Max Spark is expected to be sold as an open chassis at the rear with only a front cabin that will allow attachments such as a flat loading bay or an enclosed loading area to be built on top. When contacted, dealers have also mentioned that the enclosed loading bay on the D-Max Spark might come from the factory at an additional price point. The Isuzu D-Mac V-Cross will take on the likes of the Tata Yodha and the Mahindra Bolero pickup range.
In a heavy push towards greener vehicle production and reduced emissions, the Chinese government has banned the production of 553 cars, mainly sedans for failure to meet a certain pre-described fuel economy figure. The announcement was made by the China Vehicle Technology Service Centre and includes cars from several global automakers like Mercedes-Benz, BMW, General Motors and Volkswagen. The list also includes cars that do not meet certain new emissions standards that have been recently prescribed for cars in China. The list of banned cars has not been completely revealed though, although most on the list are said to be of the sedan body style. The ban on production has come into effect on January 1, 2018. Incidentally, in 2017, the sale of electric vehicles in China has grown by over 50 per cent to over 3.36 lakh units a year and is expected to grow even further this year.
The electric car is here! And for the first time in automotive history, the demand for electric cars far outnumbers the supply for them. The Tesla Model 3 is the perfect example of this with hundreds of thousands of orders still pending and eager customers waiting for their brand new cars to be delivered. And another example is the very competent Volkswagen e-Golf. In fact, such is the demand for the electric hatchback that Volkswagen have announced that they will double the production soon. The e-Golf is currently made at Volkswagen's state of the art and self sustained 'glass factory' in Dresden.
In an all time record, Volkswagen has announced that by December 31, 2017, it will make its 6 millionth car of the year. The 6 million (or 60 lakh) cars a year number is possibly one of the largest manufacturing figures ever recorded in the history of the automotive industry and is only taking into consideration the Volkswagen brand and not the Volkswagen Group as a whole which, of course, will register a much higher total figure. The production boost has been headed by the likes of popular models like the Golf, Polo, Jetta and the Passat but has also been boosted by several new launches in 2017. Since inception more than 70 years ago, Volkswagen have made a total of over 150 million cars since the original Beetle first rolled off the assembly line.
In the world of classic car motoring, there are a few cars that stand, head and shoulders above the crop. The Mercedes-Benz 770K Grosser is one of them. Sadly though, the 770K was also the preferred car of none other than the infamous mass murderer, Adolf Hitler. Commissioned in the late 1930s, this Mercedes-Benz 770K 'Grosser' or 'Grand' bearing the original registration IA148461 was used several times by the German dictator for rallies across Europe. The car was a part of a handful of cars used by the dictator and has a well documented history as a part of the Nazi high command fleet. The car, bearing chassis number 189744 is the last of the eight original W150 770K models made and one of only five surviving cars today. Out of the five, only three, including this particular car, is in private hands with the other two with museums worldwide.
The upcoming Volkswagen Touareg has been spied once again showcasing the new design language that Volkswagen has adopted (starting with the Arteon). According to a recent announcement by Volkswagen, the new SUV is slated for a global unveil in the next few months, possibly at the 2018 Beijing Auto Show in April. The new Touareg will be much larger than its predecessor and will get 7 seats along with a whole new design language that makes it much nicer looking than its predecessors. The new Touareg might not however make it to India considering the fact that previous generations have never really managed to make much of an impression on the Indian audiences despite being great vehicles.
Zhejiang Geely Holding Group, commonly known as Geely Holding is China's leading privately owned automotive group. The automaker already owns controlling stake in the Volvo cars and now it has bought a major chunk of stake in Volvo's truck and busses business. Geely bought 8.2 per cent stake from Cevian Capital which also amounts to 15.6 per cent voting rights. Volvo trucks and busses or 'AB Volvo' is Sweden's largest manufacturer of trucks, busses, construction equipment, diesel engines, marine engines and industrial engines. Geely also owns majority stake in automakers such as Lotus, Proton, the London Electric Vehicle Company and flying car maker Terrafugia Inc.
In yet another unexpected move, the Lok Sabha has approved a bill to hike Cess on luxury vehicles from 15 per cent to 25 per cent. The Cess will be applicable along with the 28 per cent GST that is already applicable on cars that are over the 4-metre length category. In a statement, the Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said that the Cess on luxury cars has been increased in order to compensate states for revenue loss on account of implementation of the Goods and Services Tax or GST. This bill will now officially replace the ordinance, which was issued in September by the GST council that increased the GST on cars over the 4-metre length bracket.
Porsche have officially opened bookings for the Panamera Sport Tourismo in India. The Sport Tourismo is essentially the wagon or shooting brake variant of the Porsche Panamera family and we think looks much much better than the sedan does today. The bookings of the Porsche Panamera Sport Tourismo have been opened recently at an amount of Rs. 10 lakh at the time of configuring the car.
The first ever Honda City rolled off the assembly lines in early 1998 and was launched that year to an emerging middle class in India that was desperate for an affordable luxury car. It was essentially the perfect recipe for a brand building exercise. A popular Japanese brand introduced into a country that was already in awe of Japanese reliability and performance having had a range of Maruti Suzuki cars for the last decade and a half was prone to succeed. The City offered fantastic performance, possibly one of the best engines India has ever seen and a whole host of features in the top of the line variant. Imagine getting into a car in the late 90s and discovering electrically adjustable mirrors!
