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.
While the 0 Star Car is still a sad reality in India as we have seen recently with the Renault Lodgy, Europe more often than not has cars that scores a higher 4 or 5 star safety rating across the board. Which is why a 0 Star rated car is most certainly something to report about, even though the car in question is not really relevant to India in general. The 2018 Fiat Panda, one of the most popular offerings from the Italian automaker and also it's cheapest hatchback has scored a dismal 0 star rating in the recent set of tests conducted by the Euro NCAP. The score on the Fiat Panda is one of the lowest ever seen.
In a very good move that will no doubt bring the automaker many a brownie points from car owners across the world, Nissan has introduced a new program that will make parts for older gen Skyline GT-Rs. A joint effort between Nissan, NISMO and Japanese company Autech, the NISMO Heritage Parts Program sees the automaker offer about 160 individual parts for the R32, R33 and of course, the legendary R34 Skyline GT-Rs so that owners can replace parts and keep maintaining these cars that made the Nissan brand into such a performance sportscar making legend.
Jaguar India have launched a new variant of the flagship XJ in India. The new Jaguar XJ50 has been made specifically to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the XJ model and will be priced at Rs 1.11 Crore (ex-showroom, Delhi). The new Jaguar XJ50 gets a bunch of upgrades as compared to the standard model and is available with only a diesel engine option. The new Jaguar XJ50 will be available in four colours and will take on the likes of the Mercedes-Benz S-Class, BMW 7 Series, Audi A8 and the Lexus LS500 as the flagship sedan offering.
General Motors will soon undergo a major reshuffle that might ruffle up some feathers. The automaker, one of the largest in the world, announced that it is considering shutting down 5 major plants in North America very soon as a part of its restructuring process to start making electric and autonomous cars. The automaker said that it will offer buyouts to nearly 14000 workers across these five plants and mass layoffs would follow soon. The announcement comes months after the automaker tried to shut down operations in South Korea. The automaker has also announced a 15 per cent salary cut for workers and a cut of 25 per cent of management position jobs across the board.
A few years ago, on an average, an automotive manufacturer in India had at least one or two cars that were just generally below average as compared to the rest of the competition. They either drove badly, had horrible quality issues, looked rubbish or sometimes, all of the above. And then there were some automakers in general who just made cars across the board that did nothing to move the soul of the Indian car buyer and in return, did not sell. But today, the Indian car manufacturing industry has seen a huge change for the better. And that makes us wonder, is there a thing like a bad car anymore?
So there you have it. A capable family car now gets even more capable with the launch of the new Ertiga. It is priced well, comes packed to the gills with features and is more spacious too. It also handles and performs better and honestly, apart from the fact that it could have had a better set of wheels, LED daytime running lights with LED headlamps and that the automatic desperately needs a fully loaded Z+ model, Maruti Suzuki yet again have made a great package. With bookings open at Maruti Suzuki Arena dealerships across the country and waiting periods already starting to creep up, if you have been waiting for our review to decide whether or not you should buy one, our answer is a definitive and thumping yes! And if you are worried about your next Uber or Ola being the exact same car as your brand new ertiga, Maruti Suzuki has clearly mentioned that this new gen model will be only for the private market... for now at least.
The all-new Maruti Suzuki Ertiga 2018 has been launched in India with prices starting at R. 7.44 lakh. The new Ertiga will be available with a petrol and a diesel engine and while the petrol will get both an automatic and a manual gearbox, the diesel will only get a 5-speed manual option. The all-new Maruti Suzuki Ertiga is a seven seat MPV or multi purpose vehicle and is now in its second generation in India. New Ertiga prices for petrol manual models range from Rs. 7.44-9.50 lakh, while the Petrol automatic Ertiga range is priced between Rs. 9.18-9.95 lakh. The new 2018 Maruti Suzuki Ertiga diesel prices range from Rs.8.84-10.90 lakh (all prices ex-showroom, Delhi).
After delivering its first one-off hypercar in history, Lamborghini has decided to showcase what its racing division - Lamborghini Squadra Corse, can do with the recently launched Urus. And the result is...well... as expected, is quite bonkers! And here it is, the brand new Lamborghini Urus ST-X Concept. Essentially an SUV for the racetrack, the new super Urus as it is being dubbed by social media has been prepared to a one-make rallycross style racing series that the Italian automaker is set to introduce in the near future. The Urus ST-X packs in exactly the same amount of power as compared to the production version but is much lighter.
Lamborghini is known for the craziest, most outlandish supercars in the world. Going back to the Miura that shocked the world with its mid-engined approach in the era of the front engine'd GT to the latest Lamborghini Aventador SVJ, there is something about these big bulls that excites the children in us. But what if the SVJ isn't wild enough for you. And what if you want something your Bullionaire neighbour (no, that's not a typo), does not have. Well then in that case, here is the newest super car from the crazy Italians, the brand new Lamborghini SC19 Alston.
While auctions for classic and vintage cars are the norm across the world - especially in western countries, the auction format for selling cars to the public is a very rare occurrence in India. While most buyers prefer to sell personally or via the classic car network that is booming in the country or via private dealers, Astaguru, an aution house in Mumbai will soon host India's first ever classic and vintage car auction. The auction will be held online and will consist of 10 cars or 10 'lots' as it is called in auction terminology and will take place on November 21, 2018 via the Astaguru website.
The Volkswagen Group in India has officially responded to the NGT Green Court's ruling with regards to the Dieselgate emissions scandal. The German automaker has been asked to deposit an amount of Rs 100 crore with the Central Pollution Control Board or CPCB with regards to the use of cheat devices that allowed vehicles to pass emissions tests. Responding to the ruling, a Volkswagen Group spokesperson said, "The Volkswagen Group is compliant with emission norms defined in India. The Group is yet to receive a copy of the order from the NGT. The Volkswagen Group in India will review the order and subsequently challenge the same."
Mercedes-Benz has launched the all-new third generation CLS 4-door coupe in India, with the prices for the new luxury car starting at Rs. 84.7 lakh. The new Mercedes-Benz CLS will go up against the likes of the soon to be launched second-generation Audi A7 and the BMW 6 Series Gran Coupe in India.
BMW has launched its latest (and possibly one of the greatest) M cars in India, the all-new M2 Competition. The 2+2 seater sports coupe is priced at a very competitive Rs 79.90 lakh (ex-showroom). The all-new BMW M2 Competition gets an inline 6, 3-litre, twin-turbocharged engine that makes a whopping 405 bhp of peak power and 550 Nm of rear torque, all of which goes to the rear wheels. The M2 is the smallest M car that BMW makes and is said to be a spiritual successor to the legendary E30 M3 of the 1980s. The new BMW M2 Competition is internationally available with a manual gearbox but in India will only get the 7-speed dual clutch gearbox. 0-100 kmph will be taken care of in just 4.2-seconds with a top speed upwards of 250 kmph!
The all-new Mercedes-Benz CLS has been spotted at a dealership in all 4-door coupe glory. The new CLS, now in its third generation will be launched in India tomorrow at an expected price of between Rs 80 lakh to Rs 1 Crore. The new Mercedes-Benz CLS will be launched in India with a diesel engine - CLS300d, which is essentially the same BS6 compliant engine that is now available on the updated and facelift C-Class that was launched recently. The new CLS will take on the likes of the Audi A7 (which will be updated very soon) and the BMW 6 Series GranCoupe in India along with the likes of the more expensive Porsche Panamera and Maserati Ghibli.
Earlier today we brought you news on how bookings for the new Maruti Suzuki Ertiga have begun with a booking amount of Rs 11,000 at Maruti Suzuki Arena dealerships across the country. And now, new detailed pictures showcasing the Maruti Suzuki seven seater MPVinside and out have surfaced. The new Ertiga will be launched in India on November 21, 2018 and is expected to have a price tag of between Rs 7-11 lakh. The new Maruti Suzuki Ertiga will also be available with both a petrol and a diesel engine. The petrol engine is a 1.5-litre K15 engine making 103 bhp while the diesel is a 1.3-litre DDIS 200 engine making 89 bhp. Both cars will get a 5-speed manual gearbox with the petrol also getting a 4-speed torque convertor automatic. There will be no diesel automatic Ertiga at the time of launch and no factory fitted CNG Ertiga either. That said, scroll down for more detailed spy pictures of the new Maruti Suzuki Ertiga at a dealer stockyard in India.
The new Maruti Suzuki Ertiga seven seater MPV will be launched very soon in India and according to new details, the automaker had confirmed that only the petrol version of the car will get an automatic gearbox. The automatic gearbox on the petrol 1.5-litre engine will be a conventional 4-speed torque convertor automatic and not an AMT as with some of the other Maruti Suzuki cars offered in India. The diesel on the other hand, as the title suggests, will not get an automatic gearbox or even an AMT like on the Vitara Brezza and will only be offered with a 5-speed manual option.
The new Maruti Suzuki Ertiga can be booked today onwards by paying a booking amount of Rs 11,000 and will be available in both petrol and diesel versions.
The iconic Maruti Suzuki Gypsy was launched in December 1985 and since has barely had any major changes in terms of the way it looks. Underneath the skin, the car has gone through a fair few updates including a wider track and the evolution from the 1-litre to the 1.3-litre carb engine to the current 1.3-litere MPFI BS4 engine in order to meet emissions standards. That said, production of the Maruti Suzuki Gypsy will now come to an end in March 2019 as it will not be getting an update for the new ABS and airbag rules that are soon to be enforced in India. Bookings for the new car will continue through November and will be shut next month so if you want to grab a slice of classic Indian automotive heritage in a brand new avatar, here is your last chance. A brand new Gypsy will set you back about Rs 7.5 lakh (on-road)and most dealers insist on a full payment for the car before taking the order.
The next generation Toyota Corolla sedan will make its global debut on November 16. While the hatchback and the wagon version of the world's most popular car has already been launched recently, the sedan will appeal to a wider audience across the world - including India. The new generation Toyota Corolla Sedan is set to take styling cues from its hatchback and wagon siblings in terms of design and will share mechanical bits too including engines and transmissions. The next generation Toyota Corolla will most likely make it to India sometime next year or in early 2020 considering the fact that the current generation has been around for a fair few years - albeit with a recent facelift.
Ford recently updated with the Figo Aspire subcompact sedan in India with a new front end that included a set of new bumpers and a new grille. A few months ago though, Ford had also launched the Ford Freestyle - essentially a cross hatchback version of the Figo hatch. And now, Ford Brazil has taken the cars and merged them into the cross version of the Aspire - the new Ford Ka Urban Warrior Concept. The Urban Warrior has been showcased at the on-going Sao Paolo Auto Show in Brazil, and as expected, is a cross version of the standard Aspire sedan that we get in India.
