Rs. 1 Lakh car!

Circa March, 2008; Venue: The Geneva Motor Show. Like every year, the 78-year-old automotive show is a big draw. More than 5,400 journalists, 750,000 visitors and 300-odd exhibitors have descended on the 114,000-sq. mt. exhibition ground. As usual, the automotive drool fest is spectacular: there are super-luxury cars on display that are bigger, shinier and faster than the ones year before; hybrid cars promise to become cheaper and even more environmentally-friendly, and a slew of nifty concept cars from the big manufacturers gives a peek into the automotive future-the small cars will rule. Yet, the biggest buzz is not about any of these cars. The talk of the show is the unveiling of the world's cheapest car, with a sticker price of $3,000 (Rs 1,32,000 at the current exchange rate). The manufacturer isn't Toyota, Suzuki or the French Citroen. It is a Pune-based company called Tata Motors, and the 6-feet-plus man standing next to it just can't stop beaming at the flashing cameras. Five years after he promised (incidentally, at the same show) to build the world's cheapest family car, Ratan Tata has delivered. Beating incredible odds once again, the Chairman of the Tata Group has built a car that could do to India what Henry Ford's mass production did to America in the first half of the 20th century. He's built Everyman's Car.

That's the first paragraph of the latest Business Today issue featuring Mr. Ratan Tata and the Rs. 1 lakh car. The issue is loaded with features that any auto enthusiast would love to read. I would say that Business Today has covered the current Indian auto scenario better than any other car or bike magazine in town.... So, go get your copies today!!

PS: If you want to read the online issue, please contact me.

Chevrolet Aveo

Are you planning to buy a Suzuki Swift or a Hyundai Getz in the near future?? Well... I will ask you to wait till January 2006... Coz here comes Chevy Aveo!!

Drive back home!

Canada took the unusual step on Wednesday of deporting a Vancouver man to India who was involved in a fatal street car race five years ago.

Bahadur Singh Bhalru, 26, was a passenger in a car that hit and killed 51-year-old Irene Thorpe during a street race in November 2000. He and his co-accused, Sukhir Singh Khosa, were convicted of criminal negligence causing death.

Bhalru served a two-year conditional sentence and is believed to be the first person in Canada to be convicted of being a participant in a high-speed fatal race, but not the driver.

He failed in his appeal to Canada's federal court for a stay of deportation on Tuesday. His lawyer, Zool Suleman, said he argued in court that his client was in danger of being harmed by corrupt police in India. Bhalru moved to Canada from India with his family in 1997 and lived in Vancouver with his parents and grandmother. He had no previous convictions.

At a press conference at Vancouver International Airport just before he boarded plane, Bhalru told reporters that although India was the country of his birth, Canada was his home, that he was a taxpayer and felt like a "political refugee." Khosa faces deportation at a later date, and is currently in the middle of appeals.

TVS' proposed 3-wheeler...

Via: Sinoj's forwarded mail...

PS: As the mail says, Who Needs a Car now?

2007 Jaguar XK Sports Car

Light and agile, the all-new Jaguar XK accelerates faster, stops quicker than the previous generation, steel-bodied XK8 and has exceptional dynamic abilities. The XK may be the epitome of sporting elegance but it is also a true driver's car in which we have managed to combine a very special balance of superb driving dynamics and comfort.





The 2007 Jaguar XK will be available from spring-2006, and it will be followed by a convertible version of the XK.

F1 dream over?

In its efforts to identify its driver line-up for the 2006 season, Team Jordan on Wednesday announced it was roping in BAR Honda’s Anthony Davidson as a test driver, fuelling speculation over the future of India’s Narain Karthikeyan with the team.

Davidson, who currently fills up the third driver spot for BAR Honda, will test the Jordan Grand Prix (EJ15) car at the Silverstone circuit on September 13.

"As part of Midland’s process of identifying its driver line-up in the 2006 Formula One World Championship, we are pleased to announce that British driver Anthony Davidson will test a Jordan Grand Prix car at Silverstone on Sep 13," Colin Kolles, managing director of Jordan Grand Prix, said.

Analysts say that if Jordan is to dump one of its current drivers, it is more likely to be Karthikeyan than Tiago Montiero, thanks to his having completed just 11 of the 15 races this season, compared to Montiero’s all 15, and languishing on position 17 in the drivers’ championship, three positions behind his team-mate from Portugal.

DDAD!

Thanks you Mr. FM

If the reports in the media are to be believed, pretty soon prices of small cars will be so low that a person owning a two-wheeler can upgrade it to a car, thanks to the upcoming budget.... Read more

Harley Davidson coming to India!!

The big boy from the world of biking is revving on the passage to India. America’s cult bike brand Harley Davidson is exploring the opportunity of riding into the burgeoning Indian motorcycle market through the direct import route.

Harley Davidson is in the process of assessing the feasibility of entering the Indian market with its range of high-end performance bikes.

“We do not have a presence in India yet and are keen on entering this market. We are now exploring the opportunities for our entry into India,” Harley Davidson Inc vice-president Timothy K Hoelter told The Times of India.

Though the finer modalities of its maiden ride on the Indian roads is yet to be chalked out, Hoelter — who is on a week-long visit to the country — said the bikes would be directly sourced from its American plant.

“India is among the few motorcycle markets in the world that’s growing at a fast pace and we are surely looking at a presence here. Whenever we enter the Indian market, it will be through the sourcing route. Harley Davidson buyers identify our bikes to be an all-American brand and they want to buy the bikes that are produced in US,” he said.

Hoelter, however, said the detailed plans — including product shortlist — for its India entry are yet to be worked out.

According to industry watchers, the Harley bikes would range between Rs 4 lakh to Rs 14 lakh in India, including the 60% import duty.

“As India’s economy takes bigger strides, a younger population with expendable income are embracing luxury as never before. With the demand for high-end bikes like Kawasaki Ninja and Suzuki Hayabusa from India growing by the day, it comes as no surprise that Harley Davidson is also finding this market very attractive,” said an analyst.

Harley-Davidson produces heavyweight motorcycles and offers a complete line of merchandise.

Source: ET