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.
Audi has launched the A5 family in India and unlike the last generation where we only got the S5 sportback, this time around, we get three brand new cars - the A5 sportback, the A5 convertible and the S5 sportback. The new Audi A5 sportback fits exactly in between the A4 and the A6 in terms of rough pricing and although it does offer slightly less practicality in terms of rear leg space and head room, it does offer a far far prettier package as a whole and is perfect for the kind of buyer who wants something different and unique from his or her car
The A5 Sportback essentially slots in between the A4 and the A6 in the model line up and although it might not be as practical in terms of interior cabin space as compared to either sedan, the 4-door coupe body style is certainly one that is lust worthy.
The Skoda Kodiaq takes on the likes of other seven seater SUVs like the popular Toyota Fortuner, Ford Endeavour, Mitsubihi Pajero Sport, Isuzu MU-X and even the smaller Volkswagen Tiguan with which it shares its underpinnings. The SUV is based on the MQB platform and this is the first 7-seater from Skoda India.
Ford's new 'Team Edison' will be in charge of developing electric mobility platforms and technology for future electric cars. Team Edison will also partner up with OEMs and tech partners from around the world for future tech.
The Mercedes-Benz C-Class Edition C will be available across engine options including the C200 petrol, the C220d diesel and the range topping C250d motors.
From the original RS5, to the facelift RS5, to the S5 Sportback in its first generation avatar, Audi's 5 line has always appealed to the performance oriented Audi driver who is also looking for a car that can be driven around daily. And if there is just one line that would explain how we feel about this new Audi S5 Sportback, it would be the exact same too - a 'daily driven' performance car! So let's tell you what's new in this second-generation 4-door coupe that also tends to pack quite the punch!
Two years after its launch, the Maruti Suzuki S-Cross finally gets a facelift. To give the car a new lease on life, Maruti has decided to give the S-Cross a facelift both on the outside and on the inside! Read on to know more
Renowned electric appliance manufacturer and innovation giant Dyson has officially announced a move into the electric mobility sector by 2020. The announcement came via an email that James Dyson, founder and chief engineer sent to the whole group recently that indicated a move into the electric mobility space in the next few years with a new car in order to combat the global problem of air pollution - especially in major cities around the world. Although no information on the vehicle exists at this point in terms of which segment it would be placed in, James Dyson has said that it would not be targeted towards the mass market. An investment of £2 billion has also been allocated for the electric car project.
With Tesla about to enter the semi-truck market with an all-electric truck, the future of long distance hauling is moving towards electrification. To promote the use of electric trucks that will soon come equipped with a pantograph, Germany will soon have electrified highways. The German state of Hesse along with tech giant Siemens is building an eHighway that will have an overhead electric line (like those seen in local trains). The project is a trial project to see the feasibility of such a project and will only installed on a 10-kilometre stretch on a section of the autobahn.
At the recent Frankfurt Auto show, Mercedes-Benz officially took the wraps off the EQ brand with their first ever EQ A concept. The Mercedes EQ brand will be a new sub-brand by the German automaker that will only make all-electric vehicles. While the EQ A concept was showcased at the motor show, Mercedes-Benz also confirmed that a new EQ SUV was in the making and due to be launched in 2019 and now we have more confirmation on the electric SUV that will take on the likes of the Tesla Model X. The Mercedes-Benz EQ SUV will be built in the German automaker's American production facility in Alabama where is currently makes the likes of the C-Class and range of SUVs including GLE and GLS.
Chinese automakers have long been looking to enter India and now with the SAIC's Indian entry imminent, other manufacturers are looking to tap the market too. One of these automakers, Chery Cars has shown recent interest to launch their cars in India through a joint venture with Tata Motors. Why Tata? Well, Chery Automobiles already has a joint venture with the Tata Group, or in particular Jaguar Land Rover in China to sell JLR vehicles through a 50-50 partnership. The partnership, which was formed in 2012 helped Jaguar Land Rover to open their first assembly facility in China in October 2014 based out of Changshu.
The Jeep Compass was officially launched a few months ago and has already been a successful product for Fiat Chrysler Automobiles or FCA in India. Jeep currently have only been delivering the diesel powered Compass in its two-wheel-drive and four-wheel-drive drivetrain options. Deliveries of the petrol version of the SUV, which gets both an auto and a manual gearbox have not officially begun yet and are expected to commence in October for individuals who had booked the SUV earlier. Customers who book the SUV now though will have to wait for about two months to get delivery of the SUV due to high demand, especially in the automatic version of the SUV.
The festive season car deals are around the corner and this is possibly one of the best times in the year to buy your new car. From a whole bunch of cars that are expected to make their debut soon, we take you through the segment that is the fastest growing and most popular in India - the SUV. The list includes the Ford Ecosport and Maruti Suzuki S-Cross facelift, the Tata Nexon, the Range Rover Velar and the Skoda Kodiaq to name a few. Here is the list of Upcoming SUVs in India this Festive Season that you need to watch out for
Hyundai has filed a patent to develop its next generation cars with a front chassis structure that is made from plastic. When we say plastic though, we do not mean the kind of plastic that is used to make your bathroom bucket or a Tupperware container but plastic that is reinforced by carbon fibre. The material, CFRP or Carbon Fibre Reinforced Plastic will replace steel or aluminium that is usually used to make these structural components, as it is considerably lighter than metal while still giving the same or more structural rigidity. The components could be bonded together using industrial strength glues and plastic welding.
The Renault Nissan Mitsubishi Alliance have outlined their plans for electric cars in the near future. These new cars will include a new generation of electric batteries and motors which will also have fast charging capabilities and a range of over 600 kilometres. the alliance plans to launch 12 new electric cars by 2022 with shared platforms and many more models with plug in hybrid technology.
Following the increase of cess from 15 per cent as part of the original GST rates (43 per cent tax - 28 per cent GST + 15 per cent cess) to 20 per cent cess for luxury cars and 22 per cent cess for SUV, Jaguar India has had to increase prices cross the range. The increase on the cars and SUVs ranges from about Rs 80,000 to about Rs 10 Lakh depending on the model in the Jaguar range in India. The increase in cess has also adversely affected Jaguar's sister brand Land Rover with prices being increased across the board on all the SUVs sold in India. The move to increase prices comes after the GST council took the decision to increase cess on all cars and SUVs that are longer than the 4-metre bracket.
Land Rover is possibly one of the most affected brands when it comes to the new GST cess rates in India. Considering the fact that all Land Rover vehicles are large SUVS that are longer than the 4-metre length requirement that is needed for a lower cess bracket, every single SUV has received a price hike. Prices of the newly launched Discovery too have been affected. Where the new Land Rover Discovery with the 3-litre petrol engine originally was priced from Rs 68.05-84.43 lakh, the new prices for the SUV (petrol) are pegged at Rs 71.38-88.56 lakh. The diesel version of the new Land Rover Discovery has had an even larger price increase. The SUV with the diesel engine was priced originally at Rs 78.37 lakh to Rs 1.00 Crore and now, with the increase in prices due to the additional 7 per cent cess levied on all SUVS in India (larger than 4 metres), the new price ranges from Rs 82.21 lakh to Rs 1.07 Crore (ex-showroom).
With the new additional 7 per cent cess levied on all SUVs, manufactures in India have been forced to increase prices of their vehicles. The recently launched Jeep Compass SUV that has already seen over 10,00 bookings has also undergone a price hike. The Jeep Compass will be pricier by between Rs 21,000 to Rs 72,000 depending on the variant and engine option. The base model of the Jeep Compass will be now priced at Rs 15.16 lakh (ex-showroom) while the most expensive version of the car with the 4x4 will be priced at Rs 21.40 lakh. Both the petrol and the diesel version of the Jeep Compass have had a price correction as the tax applicable under the new GST regime is now at 50 per cent as compared to 43 per cent that it was when GST rolled out in July 2017.
After adding the fire breathing GT2 RS to its lineup a few months ago, Porsche have now added yet another GT series sportscar to the 911 fleet. The new Porsche 991.2 911 GT3 Touring Package (possibly one of the longest official name given to any car) is essentially a variant to the GT3 lineup. The new car is basically a standard 911 GT3 that will be exclusively available with only a manual gearbox and gets a variable rear spoiler instead of the large fixed wing that you get on the standard GT3. Incidentally, Porsche had a few years ago launched something similar, the 911R (limited to 991 units) which also had only a manual gearbox. At the time, Porsche had claimed that the 911R would be the last manual gearbox equipped Porsche 911 to be made which ensured prices for the car going through the roof in the used car market.
The theme of the 2017 Frankfurt Auto Show is very clear - electric mobility. And not to be left behind, BMW has showcased a brand new concept electric sedan called the BMW iVision Dynamics. The new sedan is all-electric and will be launched as a part of the brand's 'i' sub-brand that concentrates only on electric mobility solutions. The new iVision Dynamics will go into production soon and will be slotted in between the i3s hatchback and the i8 hybrid sports car and will most likely be called the BMW i5. Harold Kruger, CEO and Chairman - BMW also outlined the electric mobility plans for German automaker the near future.
