Automobile Technology

There were some goof ups with the executives in the showroom. Missing documents, loose screws, the stereo deck popping out etc.. but it was soon rectified. The most important thing anyone must do is check if all the documents is available. I failed to do this and then had to call them back and they promptly attended to the request. My schedule that week had been very hectic and had a lot of back logs to attend to. Anyways now almost a week I must say I like it so far. In fact I had few people knocking the windshield while in traffic asking me if the vehicle was good. Good interiors for a hatchback, great design, great engine and off course the bells and whistles. What more can you ask for?

Finally after a long time a Hyundai i10 1.2 Kappa is going to be a part of my life. Had to do a lot of research before deciding on this. Its small, wider, comes with loads of features, slightly overpriced, got a good engine, has a descent mileage, and also a good resale value.

Nice! but a little disappointing. From the side it looks no different from Maruthi Suzuki Ritz. It is three-door hatchback small car designed by GM Daewoo with an automatic transmission.

Both these cars look great. The first thing I noticed is the clean finish. And after a very long time I am finally seeing a car with a difference. Today I got to see about three Lineas and two Puntos on the streets of Bangalore. And they seem reasonably priced as well. The Linea is priced at a max of 8.3 L in bangalore and the Punto at a max of 6.3 L. This is the ex-showroom price. It is definitely admiration guaranteed for me.

Hmmmmm.... 12 lacs???? why would I want to buy this car when can I get a spacious Toyota Innova for close to 5 lacs lesser? And whats with the interiors? 12 lacs buddy, its half the price of a good posh flat in a city like Bangalore and all I get is a Maruthi Alto kinda interior??? Huh! You must be kidding.. I would recommend GM to go back to the drawing boards and come up with some changes and a sensible pricing for this vehicle. I would only be surprised if it becomes a hit in the market. Good luck.

Sorry for not having posted a blog for so many days. I was in midst of so many other things. So.. whats new.. hmmmmm.... ah! Harley Davidson. Yes all biking enthusiasts.. Harley Davidson is now in India. The company founded in 1903 and headquartered in US is now whetting its hands in India. So the website is http://www.harley-davidson.in/ . Give it a shot. They have the following bikes in store for sale. The famous Sportster, DYNA, Softail, VRSC, Touring and VSO. The V-ROD VRSC is simply mouth watering. Phew! what a vehicle. Have not had a chance to know the prices of these vehicles though. If anyone knows how much it is do comment on it. Some say that it might take another year for the vehucle to actually be on Indian roads. Lets be patient until we see the light at the endof the tunnel. So for now just enjoy!

Toyota has launched the Toyota IQ which is considered the worlds smallest four passenger car. This car is primarily targeted for the European market. Its about 9.8 ft in length and about 4.9 ft in height.

TVS has unleashed a new high performance bike of the Apache RTR (Racing Throttle Response) 180. The new ARE website of TVS features galleries of stunts and gimmicks done on this bike. Check out the new ARE website . This is similar to Bajaj's move on the Stunt Mania. Here ARE stands for Apache Racing Experience. The 180 RTR sports some latest cool features now. As days pass by the manufacturers come up with new things to spice up the existing models in the market to meet customer expectations. The Bull Horn Grab Rails and the Air Scoops are some noted features of the Apache RTR. The latest features I like is the removeable rear mud guard. This was done to give the bike the superbike look. But Apache is too small and style like this might not suite it quite well. However it is a great feature. And yes! The bike now comes in white color. The black and white combo looks great but I think it is best suited for the traffic policemen and not for aaam aadmi! Have a look at their website f...

Though General Motors is entering the stage of seeking brankrupcy protection from the U.S governmnt, it still has some plans for India. Don't worry, this is not another Tata Nano on streets now but rather another strategy for the company to sustain itself in the market. At a price tag of less than 2 lakh the company was looking at developing a car that would be positioned below the 'Spark' mini car. Besides India it would also be sold in Latin America, Eastern Europe, Africa and China.

Be it TVS Apache or Bajaj Pulsar or any other 4 stroke cool bikes we have on road in India; there is one thing I am quiet not clear with. Why don't these bikes have a under seat box for storage? It's quiet obvious that the seat box comes as an accessory, but hey, it is a matter of convenience. The seat box is very uncomfortable for a pillion rider and it spoils the beauty of the vehicle too. Do humans really lack ideas? I am saying this because I enjoy travelling in my Honda Dio. I also have a TVS Apache. Nah! it's not about speed, but the sexy space that the vehicle has is just amazing. When it rains for instance I can simply dump all my gadgets and items inside that huge under seat box and happily get myself drenched. But imagine doing this on TVS Apache or Pulsar and you have to sacrifice something. The seat we have in TVS Apache, Doh! Such a weird thing to do just to remove it. First you have to remove the box to the side of the bike, then pull that string and then the ...

I always wondered how nice it would have been if two wheeled bikes had their body closed like in cars. It would enable the rider to be free from the pollution, dust and heat in the environment. In places like India and China where there is an extreme population boom such vehicles could be very helpful. But I still don't understand what prevents them from being manufactured. Segway Company introduced their new project “The Project P.U.M.A((Personal Urban Mobility & Accessibility) ” prototype. And the good news is this two wheeled Electric car is special designed for environmentally friendly. This product also an eco-friendly alternative way for many of the short journeys that are typically made by car. It increases capacity to two passengers in a seated position; capable of carrying them up to anywhere between 25 and 35 mph (40 - 56 kph) for anywhere between 25 and 35 miles (40 - 56 km) on a single charge.

Did you know the launch of a bike in Indonesia by TVS motors india? If not, then here is TVS NEO. This bike has got a dual clutch to switch between manual and automatic transmission. Technical Specification for TVS Neo Max power: 8.5 bhp@8000 Max torque: 8.5 nm@4500 Ignition: Digital CDI Fuel supply system: Carburettor Transmission: Double automatic clutch, wet type Gearbox: 4 speed constant mesh Brakes: 220mm two-callier disc/110mm hydraulic drum (f), 110mm drum Tyres: 2.50x17 (much, much stickier than our Indian goop, made by IRC, a local firm) Length: 1940mm Wheelbase: 1260mm Ground clearance: 150mm Weight: ~100 kg (± 1 kg between variants)

Had known about this bike while watching discovery channel and thought of sharing few facts about this mean machine to you all. Ducati 999 sports a V twin engine and is half the size of the honda police bikes. Which means it weight half as less as them and still is agile, mean and fast. It clocks around 200 mph and has four valves per head of the v twin engine. With a 1000 cc engine it is powerful and an absolute speed monster. Even the exhausts of the machine is designed for maximum horse power. This machine has a max horse power of 139. The length and size of the exhausts coming from each head differs. This is designed intentionally to give the machine the power it needs.

Sometimes you just wont know how things go against you all of a sudden. I had to pick up my friend about 25 kms from where I stayed in Bangalore and it was 8 PM already. And as I started from home, series of unfortunate events popped. The first thing; my clutch wire broke. I struggled a lot trying to start the engine and eventually managed to ride without the clutch till the mechanic shop. If your clutch has gone for a toss, bring the bike to neutral by pushing the vehicle forward. Star the engine and push ahead and engage the first gear. And when the bike moves you don't need the clutch from then on. Depending on the speed engage and disengage the respective gears. Though not the right thing to do, it can atleast save some precious time especially when you are in a hurry. The second horrific event, I was out of fuel. I wanted to fill it at the nearest station, but my attempts of trying to make my way to the mechanic shop sucked all of it. So I had to push. Make sure you are always...

If anyone has ever observed advertisements that promote dark skin turn into fair skin in 2 weeks, the first question that probably should run into your head is (if you are someone like me) why do we have to change a dark person fair? I mean isn't a dark skinned person beautiful? What is wrong in being dark? And the best part is that it does not just stop with women. These advertisements now tend to woo the society of men probably to tell them that no woman would ever fall in love with him unless he is fair. Now, coming to the point. Try imagining the same situation in trying to design a car like Lamborghini. It runs on fuel, harldy gives a double digit on mileage per kilometer, and is expensive. The bottom line, only a few can afford it. So the question still remains, why do we need a car like this? The amount of energy spent on designing a car like this is enormous. The mould, the structure of the vehicle demands it. Or else it would be like any other car in the market. Can't ...

Hayabusa now comes for 12.5 lacs as ex-showroom price in Bangalore. Not sure what the on road price would be. Maybe a couple of lacs more. And this is from Suzuki India. Have a look at their website.

The bike with a difference is right here. Looks masculine, has a neat look and is definitely in competition with other vehicles of its kind in the market now. However it would have to be promoted well to become hit on road. Somehow I find suzuki lacking in trying to promote its products. Unlike TVS and Bajaj suzuki indeed has a tought competition in winning the hearts of the people. Lets not forget that these are one of the manufacturers of the fastest vehicles on planet. The Hayabusa... hope you all remember. And also the Intruder is worth a say. Check out more information from the mouth of the horse here .

Wow. It does looks like a combo of most of the vehicles on road. Its got a neat hatchback look of Hyundai Santro, the size of Toyota Innova, and a frontal look of the tremendously hit cars Honda City and Civic. This is the Honda Jazz I am talking about. For more information check out the link http://www.honda.co.uk/cars/jazz/

The new car from suzuki offers you something special. It comes in both the petrol and diesel each having three versions. The launch of this vehicle is expected by the mid of this year (possibly May 15th). The cost of the vehicle is expected to range from 4 to 6 lacs.

A reality show of bike stunts (crazy, crazy, crazy) will be launched by Bajaj Pulsar in association with MTV starting end of July 2009. So for everybody who wants to Do or Get Bruised Badly just register and show off your skills. And yes it comes from the makers of the MTV Rodies and Splitsvilla. Hope you don't meet RAGHU!!! MTV has said that participants of the Pulsar MTV Stunt Mania bike reality show will be taught death-defying stunts by Allan Amin, stunt director of Bollywood films. The auditions will be held in six major cities of India, Chandigarh, Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore and Pune. Venue: St. Micheal’s Academy Matriculation Higher Secondary School Address: Gandhinagar, Adyar Date: May 6, 2009 Time: 9 AM onwards Entry from - Main gate MTV Stunt Mania Chandigarh Auditions Venue: Parade Grounds Address: Sector 17, Chandigarh Date: May 10, 2009 Time: 9 AM onwards Entry From - Gate opposite to Shivalik View Hotel MTV Stunt Mania Mumbai Auditions Venue: Viacom 18 Parking ...