Focus: Toyota

Toyota, the brand synonymous with quality, has become the nightmare for US car manufacturers (read: GM, Ford) lately who are reeling under the pressure from Japanese competition in their own soil. The situation is no different in India where Toyota is creating its own market space. I believe Toyota is the only foreign car manufacturer in India whose line up of cars has raked in the moolah in an otherwise conservative country. And one has to admit that Toyota's brand name has the highest recall among auto enthusiasts in India and it just about launches the next big thing every time one doubts about its market share.

Take the case of Qualis for example. Even I was skeptic and a little sad that Toyota's first real offering in India was a match-box type, outdated model that looked awry. But history has it that Qualis was able to get the market share in no time and Tata's Sumo felt the pinch. Toyota Qualis was considered first among fleet owners and it became famous especially when call centers piled them in their offices to commute their employees (even my company sports one!)

And now Toyota has slowly phased out Qualis and has in place another winner in the name of Innova (India's first three-row seating passenger car). It offers the best of space, design and comfort with stylish interiors and can comfortably seat 7 or 8 passengers and comes at Rs. 6.69 lacs for its base model.

And if you think Toyota cars don't look sexy, just think of Corolla and Camry, the sexiest looking cars in their classes. Toyota has also recently launched its world famous Land Cruiser Prado in India with a price tag of Rs. 36 lacs.

Toyota has a JV partner in India in the name of Kirloskar Motors and they have been pretty aggressive in expanding their retail base across India.

Bottom line: Toyota doesn't believe in extravagance and it loads just the essential features in its cars, which sell like hot chocolate candies.

PS: I have just dotted down what I know of Toyota and am planning such write-ups for every major car manufacturer in India. As usual, feel free to comment, criticize, or give valuable advice.

Anything Karega!

For an active family, the Ford Fusion is like a vehicle made to order. It will be game for anything you have in mind, be it running wild in a sanctuary, fishing at a river side, or even taking your kid's basketball team for a pizza...and hence the tag "Anything Karega" suits well for Ford Fusion.

Fusion has got more ground clearance than some SUVs, the flexi seating allows for amazing seating and storing options, and the Fusion is wider and taller than conventional cars....

Fusion has a price tag of Rs. 6.20 lakh and is India's first crossover car, a blend between a car and an MUV... Although positioned as a car in the B-segment, Fusion has created a segment of its own.

All said and done, is it a safe bet to buy?? Well, if you have a large family and is high on adventure sports, then go ahead and buy one. But I would suggest you to wait till they introduce the diesel version...

Italijet Pics

I had blogged about Kinitec's new range of scooters called Italijet a few days back... many of you came and asked me if I can post some more good pics of it... So, here goes...


This is the Millennium, priced at Rs. 49,000/-. Available in black, red and grey.


This is the Euro. Will be available this Diwali.

PS: I would recommend those of you planning to buy scooteretts like TVS Scooty to definitely check this out before buying....

What's your octane?

In the recent past, India has seen a rush in high octane quality petrol with premium prices and aggressive marketing by oil companies. Brands such as Speed, Power, and Xtra Premium are household names today. Two days back, a friend of mine, Peter, asked me which petrol am I using for my bike and car. When I said Speed, he asked me to check up with the mechanics to make sure it's okay to run on octane.... So, I did a little bit of research myself to understand what octane fuels are all about... now here's a run down what I found.

Octane levels:

Generally, engines with compression ratios of 9:3:1 or less can safely operate with regular unleaded 87 octane fuel. However, engines with higher compression ratios will require higher octane fuels.

Theoretically, each engine (even of the same make) will have a specific ideal fuel octane number right down to the decimal value. In the real world, however, engines of a particular make will all work perfectly in a given octane number range and it is advisable to match this manufacturer-recommended fuel octane number for your car.

Deposit formation

When one buys a new vehicle, its fuel injectors, intake valves and combustion chamber are completely free of deposits. With time, deposits accumulate on these parts, affecting the engine's performance. Deposits on the fuel injectors results in poor ignition, rough idling, reduced acceleration and higher emissions.

Now, high octane petrols not only removes the existing deposits in your engine but also prevents the formation of new ones.