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.
On July 1, 2017, the Government of India rolled out the Goods and Services Tax reforms. GST, one of the biggest economic reforms in recent Indian history had several implications with certain products and services becoming considerably more expensive as compared to earlier. The auto industry though rejoiced as the new country wide rates made it easier for manufacturers to do business and also gave rise to the one country one price principle. With cheaper hatchbacks, sedans, SUVs and even electric cars, the Indian public too now has to pay less. Sadly though, the only type of 4-wheeled automobile that became more expensive were the cars and SUVs that packed hybrid technology under the skin. All hybrid cars and SUVs went from being taxed at 30.3 per cent to 43 per cent - an increase of 13.3 per cent. Hybrids, now classified under the highest GST tax slab immediately took a hit in prices with an increase of a few thousand to a few lakh rupees across various models like the Toyota Prius and Camry hybrid to the Volvo XC90 T8 plug-in hybrid. Considering the fact that hybrid cars are the immediate future in terms of moving to cleaner and more fuel economical transportation, this move by the Indian government was a little disappointing. However, there seems to be some good news around the corner. According to Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC) Chairperson Vanaja Sarna the next GST council meeting which is due to be held at August 5 is likely to review the rates for hybrid cars.
Mercedes-Benz has added yet another bodystyle and yet another AMG powered Sports utility vehicle to its portfolio in India. The new Mercedes-AMG GLC 43 Coupe is available in just one standard variant and is priced at Rs. 74.8 lakh (ex-showroom).
Its official, Ferrari is making an SUV! The Italian supercar manufacturer that makes some of the most desirable four wheeled vehicles on the planet had until now stuck to their word and stated that they will never make an SUV to dilute the brand's image. Although the decision to make SUVs might annoy the Ferrarista around the world, it is actually a great thing. Porsche, a thoroughbred supercar manufacturer was in almost dire straits until it launched the Cayenne over a decade and a half ago. And since then, Porsche has showcased some of the best driving cars in the world mainly due to the profits that the likes of the Cayenne and the smaller Macan brings. Similarly, Lamborghini, makers of some of the world's most extreme supercars have also gone down the SUV route with the upcoming Urus, which is slated to double the manufacturer's sales.
It is raining supercars in India! And this one might in all probability will be scarlet - or if you are particular about your colours, Rosso! Yes, as the headline states, it is a Ferrari that we are talking about - the new GTC4 Lusso. The four seater GTC4 is Ferrari's 'grown up' supercar for the discerning mature audience and it will be launched in India on August 2.
Jeep India has finally added a petrol engine to the standard (non-SRT) Grand Cherokee range in India. The Grand Cherokee is now available with a 3.6-litre V6 petrol engine that makes 286 bhp of peak power and 347 Nm of peak torque mated to an 8-speed automatic gearbox. The Jeep Grand Cherokee petrol is only available in the fully loaded Summit version and is priced at Rs 75.15 lakh (ex-showroom) which is exactly the same as a diesel powered Limited (entry level variant in Grand Cherokee range). Jeep has also corrected the prices of the Grand Cherokee diesel and SRT in India along with slashing prices of the Wrangler diesel too. The Grand Cherokee Petrol with the V6 engine is the third petrol powered Jeep to be offered in India after the V8 Hemi powered Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT and the Jeep Wrangler petrol.
The new 2018 Rolls Royce Phantom flagship luxury sedan has been leaked. The images, which were leaked in China from what appears to be a snapshot of a brochure, showcases the design language that the BMW owned luxury car maker Rolls Royce has chosen.
Earlier this year, Tata Motors took a big leap towards the future with a brand new sub brand, Tamo. Tamos job was to be a showcase of sorts of the best technology that Tata Motors could put out and to offer specialised vehicles in very limited numbers. Fast forward to the 2017 Geneva Motor Show, Tata Motors launched the first car under the Tamo brand, a sportscar no less, the new Racemo. With an advanced monocoque construction, the Tamo Racemo features some ridiculous features like a mid mounted 1.2-litre engine that makes 186 bhp and 210 Nm of torque. The Racemo also features butterfly doors that open upwards and a completely digital console that also features two side mounted and adjustable touch screens. The Racemo received rave acclaim from both Indian and global media and was seen as a bold and very important step towards the future for the Indian auto giant. And now, if rumours reported by another media house are to be believed, Indias newest sportscar has been killed even before it has had the chance to breathe its first breath. According to these rumours, Tata Motors has decided to temporarily shelf the Racemo project due to its high cost and lower returns in favour of using the same investments to give a boost to its currently ailing commercial vehicle segment. While this might make sense in the interim, here is why we think it is the wrong thing to do.
The Automotive Reseach Association of India (ARAI) has announced changes in the norms of measuring the ground clearance of cars and SUVs sold in India. The ground clearance will now be measured in Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW) conditions rather than when unladen.
Under the bonnet, the Hyundai i30 N gets a 2-litre 4-cylinder GDI turbocharged petrol engine that makes 271 bhp of peak power and 353 Nm of peak torque. Like a proper drivers car deserves, the i30 N is mated to a 6-speed manual gearbox and not an automatic. The i30 N also gets rev matching tech, which automatically sets the engine RPM to peak performance levels between shifts to negate turbo lag.
Hyundai India has announced a unique customer referral program for Indian buyers. The new program, HyBuy will be active only for a limited time period as a trial process and will keep evolving and changing every month. The referral program, limited to 300 customers every month, will be available for the Hyundai i20 currently and with every subsequent month, will change and will be available for other models too. Every month Hyundai will choose one model from its extensive car and SUV range where buyers will be able to avail of benefits that will help them with the ownership process of their cars.
The 2017 Skoda Octavia facelift today officially went on sale in India priced at Rs. 15.49 lakh to Rs. 22.89 lakh (ex-showroom, India). The car comes in three trim options - Ambition, Style and Style Plus in eight different iterations based on engine and transmission options.
The Volvo V90 Cross Country has been launched in India at a price of Rs. 60 lakh. It is the first luxury crossover station wagon to have been launched in India.
Audi has officially taken the wraps off the new A8 luxury sedan. The unveil took place at the first ever Audi Global Summit in Barcelona. The new Audi A8, now in its fourth generation, gets an all new exterior design language and an all new and ultra luxurious interior with huge impetus on future technology and connectivity. The new generation Audi A8 will also be capable of advanced Level 3 autonomous driving, the first of its kind for any automobile globally. The new Audi A8 will also support future autonomous driving features like parking pilot, garage pilot and traffic jam pilot. As expected, the Audi A8 gets the Quattro driveline as standard giving it permanent all-wheel-drive.
the Tiago went on to win the 2017 NDTV Hatchback of the Year Award too. The only thing it missed was an automatic gearbox. And now, Tata Motors has launched a new variant of the Tiago which gets an AMT option. Under the hood is a 1.2-litre three cylinder unit that also does duty in the standard manual gearbox equipped car. You get 84 bhp of peak power and 114 Nm of peak torque. The gearbox essentially stays the same, a 5-speed unit on which is mounted the AMT shifter module. The module is mated to a traditional shifter lever, which replaces the manual shifter in the cabin. Just like the unit on the Nano and the Zest, the Tiago also gets an AMT unit with a drive, neutral and reverse mode and a manual mode that allows the driver to shift up or down. The Tiago AMT also gets a sports mode to compliment the AMT unit.
Adding to its salvo of AMG powered cars, Mercedes-Benz will be launching the GLC 43 Coupe in India on 21st July 2017. Based on the GLC SUV that has proved to be quite popular in the country as an alternate to the likes of the traditional C-Class and E-Class owners, the GLC 43 Coupe is the mid level performance version and sits between the standard GLC and the fire breathing 63 AMG spec.
Poor (or rather, non-existent) road discipline on Indian roads has resulted in yet another fatal accident. The accident involved three cars, a Maruti Suzuki Swift Dzire, a Lamborghini Huracan and a Maruti Suzuki Eeco, which could have very well been avoided if the driver that caused the accident had basic lane sense. Captured on CCTV on the Noida expressway, the driver of a Maruti Suzuki Swift Dzire is seen swerving wildly out of his lane and clipping the white Lamborghini Huracan. The Huracan driver, to unsuccessfully avoid the out of control Dzire swerved left and in turn hit a Maruti Suzuki Eeco van. The Eeco van, due to the way the Lamborghini struck its side, overturned and crashed into trees just beyond the hard shoulder that resulted in the drivers death.
Due to the Goods & Services Tax or GST impact, Maruti Suzuki announced a price drop of upto 3 per cent on selected models last week. Now, an updated list of model to model price reduction has been released that showcases exactly what the drop of prices on every popular Maruti Suzuki car available in India is. The price drops range from Rs 2,300 to Rs 23,400 depending on the size of the car and the variant that is selected. Small cars with length under 4 meters with petrol engines under 1.2-litre and diesel engines under 1.5-litres have a price drop of 2.5 percent and 2.25 percent. Larger cars above 4 meters have had a price drop of 8.6 per cent whereas SUVs have had a price drop of 12 per cent, the highest in any segment.
Maserati officially re-entered the Indian market last year with the Ghibli and Quattroporte sedan and the Gran Tourismo and Gran Cabrio sports cars. The Italian luxury and supercar maker had already announced plans to launch the Levante SUV in the second half of 2017. Although no official announcements have been made yet, we can tell you that sales for the Levante have officially begun in India. The SUV is priced at a whopping Rs 1.65 Crore (ex-showroom) and will officially be launched in August. The new Maserati Levante is available at all three dealers in India, one in Mumbai, Bangalore and New Delhi each.
Toyota Kirloskar Motors have announced a massive price drop across almost every single model in its variety of cars offered for the Indian market. The price drop is due to GST taxes coming into play and offering a price drop across all conventional internal combustion engine powered automobiles. The price drop across due to GST impact for Toyota cars and SUVs will vary from city to city depending on the tax structures that were prevalent before GST was rolled out. The most popular Toyota model in India, the Innova Crysta will now be cheaper by upto Rs 98,500 making it a little more affordable to the mass market considering its already high price tag.
The Hyundai i20 in its current avatar was launched in 2014 and has been one of the best selling cars from the Korean auto maker here in India. Then in 2016, Hyundai India gave it a minor update with new LED daytime running lights and a touchscreen infotainment system. The i20 or Elite i20 as it is called in India got yet a third update in April this year with an even better infotainment unit that features Apple CarPlay and a two tone paint option for the exterior too. And now, three years into its life cycle, the facelifted Hyundai i20 featuring the first major redesign has been spied testing.
