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Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Ten Great Automotive Technologies

1. Keyless entry System And Button Start & Stop

As it’s name suggests, it allows you to enter a car and drive off without having to fumble for the key. The car senses for the presence of a “smart” key fob near it, and only unlocks the doors when you reach for the door handles. Locking is achieved with a slide of a finger on the handles. You can do so much more now with the key fob today, such as starting the engine, opening the boot-lid, windows or even lowering the roof.
 
2. Anti-lock Braking System (ABS)

Found in almost all but the cheapest cars, ABS is a simple “anti-lock” system that gives drivers the capability to steer around danger under hard braking by preventing the wheels from locking up. The modern evolution of the ABS sees it being paired up with Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD), a system which can vary the amount of braking force applied to each wheel.
3. Electronic Stability Program (ESP)

Once reserved for the upper price bracket, ESP technology has been slowly trickling down to the mid-class segment. Fitted with sensors that monitor the car’s behaviour, an ESP-equipped car is able to minimize the loss of control in slippery situations. ESP works in unison with several systems which include ABS and traction control.
4. Parking assists

Where would we be today without the ever faithful parking sensors in the back? When it was first introduced, these sensors were godsend to those who had a problem in judging distances and made parallel parking a breeze. The most sophisticated parking systems today don’t just include a barrage of sensors – they come with cameras and radar detection. Some even will do the job of parking the car for you!
5. Radar technology

The police have used it for years to bust speeding drivers, but the same technology has been adapted to make the task of driving easier. Radar technology has already been applied in reverse sensors, but as you go higher up the price chart, you’ll find that radar sensors are located in almost all corners of the car, including mirrors so that they can feed information to a blind spot detection system. Even more advanced radar systems can be found in adaptive cruise controls, to make sure there is a safe distance between you and the car in front. They also automatically apply the brakes when it detects an impending collision.
6. Direct Injection engines

This new breed of engines sprays fuel directly into the combustion chamber instead of injecting it through the air intake port. Compared to the previous method of port injection, direct injection engines burn fuel more cleanly. With more power, you get tighter emission controls and improved fuel efficiency. It’s perfect for the current sky-rocketing fuel prices and to meet stricter emissions legislations.
7. Forced induction engines

Once limited to exotic supercars of lore, forced induction technology is the signature of owning a highly-tuned car, and has gained widespread use in many cars today.  Carried out by means of turbochargers, superchargers, or a combination of both to force more air in, forced induction engines can produce similar levels of power as a traditional engine of a larger capacity, at the same time, keeping the emissions in check.
 



8. Start-Stop technology

A start-stop system is designed to cut the time that an engine spends idling as much as possible, to save fuel. Perfect – if you’re often caught at the traffic lights or stuck in jams. First seen in petrol-electric hybrid vehicles, it has seen an increasing application in normal petrol vehicles. Don’t think that one can achieve the same results by manual intervention – stuff which traditionally runs off the engine such as air conditioners won’t work. A start-stop equipped car can continue to operate as normal, thanks to an electric motor.


9. Daytime Running Lights (DRL)

It was a new ruling in Europe Union, and it sparked off a huge trend in Singapore. DRL’s are forward-facing lights that are automatically activated when the vehicle is moving. Premium marques or higher-spec’ed cars come with factory LED-equipped DRL systems that emit a bright white light. Since its introduction here, sales for aftermarket DRL kits have taken off too. They work well to varying extent, with results from attention-grabbing to blindingly-annoying.

10. Entertainment systems

There was once a time when the only entertainment on the road was a basic cassette player and/or a radio. Today’s entertainment systems go beyond music, playing video and audio files from a plethora of sources such as USB drives and mobile phones. Some of the latest factory audio systems even include GPS navigation with real-time traffic updates. If you are fortunate to waft through life from the back seat, internet connectivity comes standard with the system.

Tata New Facelift Ace Mini Truck

The most successful commercial vehicle in recent times from Tata Motors, the Ace mini truck has got a facelift. The Ace mini truck was launched in 2005 and soon got popularity in its segment. The facelifted Ace mini truck was showed at the recent Auto Expo.

     The Ace facelift gets new headlamps, grill and front bumper, redesigned dashboard with central speedo console (like the Indica Vista and Nano), larger outer rear view mirrors and a mobile charging point. Tata Motors is trying to shed its image of bland looking commercial vehicles and want to be in par with its passenger cars. The change in the design of next generation commercial vehicles which was also showed at the Auto Expo is evident.

     The Ace will be powered by the same 700cc IDI diesel engine. A CRDi engine is under developed which might soon replace the current one in near future. Pricing and other details of the Ace facelift has not been announced yet. Hope to see the new Ace launch by mid of this year.





Tata Motors New Concept model Megapixel

Tata Motors has unveiled ‘MegaPixel’ concept micro car at the ongoing 82nd Geneva Motor Show. According to a Tata Motors spokesperson, the ‘MegaPixel’ is the result of the progress the company has made on the Pixel microcar which was unveiled last year.

  The MegaPixel is driven by four independent electric motors mounted on each wheel which is powered by a 13kWh lithium-ion phosphate battery pack giving the car an all electric range of 86 km. The batteries are charged using an induction charging system that is you need to park the car just below the induction charging unit and the car battery gets charged. In case the battery power gets exhausted, a 30 Bhp 325cc single cylinder petrol engine kicks in to extend the range up to over 900 km. The car can reach a maximum speed of 110 Kmph.











MARUTI SUZUKI LAUNCHED REFRESHED 2012 A- STAR

Maruti Suzuki 's small car offering, the A-Star gets a refresh for the New Year. The company now offers the A-Star with new alloy wheels and an integrated rear spoiler.
On the interiors front, the 2012 A-Star gets dual tone beige and black upholstery. Maruti has also put in 50:50 split rear seats and more cubby holes in the cabin.

Airbags and ABS are now optional on the A-Star with two new colour options, Glistening Grey and Pearl Caffeine Brown.

Maruti Suzuki hasn't tinkered with the engine and the new A-Star retains the 998cc K10B petrol engine with 67PS of power and 90NM of torque, mated to a 5-speed manual or 4-speed automatic transmission.

The new A-star is available in five variants - LXI, VXI, VXI AT, ZXI and ZXI (with ABS and airbags). Prices start from Rs 3.66 – Rs 4.40 lakh , ex-showroom Delhi.



Toyota Kirloskar India launched a cheaper version of Corolla Altis Automatic called the 1.8 G-HV variant

 
Toyota India has introduced new petrol variants of its D-segment sedan Corolla Altis. The new petrol variant called G(HV) comes with a same 1.8-litre petrol engine and the seven-speed CVT automatic transmission, also available on the top-end VL variant. Toyota has priced the G(HV) at Rs 13.76 lakhs ( ex-showroom Delhi ) , which is Rs 1.23 lakhs cheaper than the V automatic variant.

Toyota India has introduced this model with limited branding activities, but we can’t help but highlight the fact that this is not the cheapest automatic in the D-segment. Since the engine and transmission are the same from the top-end, the company has compromised on few features to reduce the cost.

Besides lower maintenance costs, compared to other vehicles in the segment , the  new Corolla vehicle is looked upon as a secure and safe vehicle due to safety features like being bomb proof. Corolla Altis G-HV has a touchscreen DVD console with Bluetooth connectivity. Obviously a host of other luxury features will have to be done away with so as to compensate the lower price tag.

The features that have been deleted include electric seats, leather upholstery replaced by fabric seats, Xenons with headlamp washers replaced by normal headlamps, retractable rear sun shade, start/stop button, keyless entry retained without smart entry,full leather wrapped steering retained without wood wrap.
 

 

THE NEW VERSION HYUNDAI FACELIFTED i20 DETAILS


The facelifted Hyundai i20 have been released onto the web ahead of the car's official unveiling at next week's 82nd Geneva International Auto Salon.

The styling tweaks to the three-year old i20 were more or less to be expected, as the focus was to refresh the supermini and bring it more in line with the latest Hyundai models on the Europe market such as the i30 hatch and i40 sedan/estate.

Most of the changes take place up front with the 2012 i20 gaining slimmer headlamps, the company’s signature hexagonal grille, a redesigned front bumper with new vents and fog lamp housings, as well as a different hood that 'hugs' the front fenders.

The styling revisions continue at the back with new headlamps and a reprofiled bumper, while Hyundai also added new alloy wheel designs.
 

 

CHEVROLET MAY LAUNCH ALL NEW TRAILBLAZER SUV TO INDIA


Chevrolet may launch all new SUV, the latest Trailblazer, to India on end of 2013 or early 2014. Slated to compete with the likes of the Toyota Fortuner & Ford Endeavour, this body-on-frame SUV will be powered by a choice of 2.8-litre, 180bhp or 2.5-litre, 150bhp diesel units. The larger 2.8 common-rail diesel makes a very strong 47.8 Kgm, incidentally 10kgm up on both the 3.0-litre Fortuner & Endeavour.

The Trailblazer is an attractive looking SUV and the company says it will be the most clean-sheet truck it has designed in its 100-year history. On the inside too, the SUV is expected to have more space than the Endeavour and the Fortuner. Chevy claims the Trailblazer will sport car-like features and will be a proper seven seater.

GM is hoping to assemble the Trailblazer at its Halol facility, where it currently carries out all its CKD operations. We expect the SUV to be priced around Rs 17 -22 lakh.

The broad-shouldered design is neither overly geometric nor remotely feminine, conveying more strength than any GM sport-ute currently available here. LED lighting details add pizzazz, and the seven-seat, two-tone interior features modern treatments and a load of comfort and convenience features. We imagine some of these, such as the overhead video screens for the second- and third-row seats, would be quite a shock in developing markets.

For power, the TrailBlazer concept relies on a 2.8-liter turbo-diesel inline-four. The concept is all-wheel-drive, and, as a body-on-frame truck, boasts the ruggedness that is a virtual requirement in emerging markets where not all of the roads are as smooth and well-maintained as ours.





CHALLENGING OF LEXUS IN INDIA

 
A lot of us German car owners simply can’t wait for 2013 when Lexus arrives on Indian shores. After all, Lexus’ cars are known to offer stupendously high reliability, and are as hassle-free to own as a Corolla. That’s saying a lot when the direct competition – Mercedes, BMW & Audi – inexplicably suffers from poor reliability ratings & expensive upkeep costs. I mean, when a humble Maruti Alto can offer years of reliable service, what reason do the Germans have for their failure? We even have a thread on the love affair between European cars & flatbed

Then, Lexus is also known to provide unparalleled refinement levels, matches (or beats) the Germans on spec & features and has established itself as a luxury car marque in only 25 years since introduction. Lexus’ service quality is the stuff of legend; the brand has frequently topped customer satisfaction rankings and is known to bend over backward for its clientèle. No surprise then that Lexus has been the best selling luxury brand in North America for a majority of the last decade.