Audi lifts wraps off Q5 crossover, A3 cabrio

AUDI recently unveiled a unique convertible crossover with quantro power at the Los Angels Motor Show. The Cross Cabriolet is presumably the final prototype stage before it goes into production as the Q5. While the styling is certainly radical it does retain certain key Audi elements such as the large grille and the LED headlamps as seen on the R8. Audi also claims that the Cross Cabriolet comes powered by the worlds cleanest 3-Litre V6 common-rail turbo diesel engine that is capable whooping 240PS of max power.

Audi also launched the A3 cabriolet, its first ever compact convertible which is smaller than the A4 and even the TT. It has a choice of four engines, 2 petrols and 2 TDI with power outputs ranging from 105PS to 200PS.

The innovative S-tronic dual-clutch gearbox will be available as option. At lunch transmission will be limited to front wheel drive through future models may incorporate quattro.

A Rolls Drophead for India!

Rolls-Royce Motor cars delivered the first phantom drophead coupe to am Indian in Mumbai. The convertible priced above Rs 3 crore should make a very good and expensive Chritmas present. Rolls-Royce has being doing pretty well in India having sold over half a dozen cars since last year. considering that it has to date manufactured just around 3000 cars since the company was relaunced in 2003 it is very good going. Rollys-Royce has also announced that it will shortly be starting series production of the 101EX, an experimental 2-door that seats four . The car will complete the family line-up of the Phantom through it will have o mildly tuned version of the same engine that drives the Phantom.

Expansion plans in India are well on track, Ford

US auto maker Ford Motor confirmed that its $500-mn capacity expansion plans for India and launch of small car are "well on track" despite the slowdown in the market. "We are committed to our investment plans which have been announced for India and there is no slowdown in this regard (in present circumstances)," Ford India Private Ltd Executive Director Nigel E Wark said.

The company this year had announced to invest $500 mn for expanding the assembling capacity of cars from
1 lakh units to 2 lakh units and set up an engine manufacturing facility for 2.5 lakh units by 2010 in Chennai. With regard to launch of proposed small car for Indian market, he said the company is also committed to bring out small car by 2010.



He acknowledged that the industry had witnessed reduction in demand for cars in view of several factors including credit crunch and the major impact was visible in Tier I cities. "Because of these factors, the demand for cars in Tier 1 cities has been hit hard," he added.

Honda cuts ‘Civic Hybrid’ price by Rs8.14 lakh

New Delhi: Carmaker Honda Siel Cars India (HSCI) on Wednesday slashed the price of its eco-friendly sedan, Civic Hybrid, to Rs13.36 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi) from Rs21.50 lakh earlier for a limited period, till December this year.

“There was a huge response from customers, who wanted to buy the car, but they were unable to do so because of the high import duty cost. As our priority is to popularise the technology, we have decided to cut the price for a limited period,” HSCI Vice-President (Marketing) Jananeswar Sen said.

He said part of the cost would be borne by the company and a limited number of units would be imported during the offer period.

Till last month, the company sold 60 units of the ‘Civic Hybrid’.

Sen said HSCI, which is constructing its second plant in Tapukara in Rajasthan, is having a review of its investment plans keeping in mind the current market slowdown.

“We have already invested Rs600 crore in the first phase out of the committed Rs1,000 crore at the plant. The remaining amount is supposed to be invested for car assembly, which we are reviewing now,” he said.

The company was analysing the market situation before going ahead, Sen added.

He, however, said the company’s plan to roll out its hatchback ‘Jazz’ by mid next year is on track.

Indian cars and SUVs reviewed by experts

It has been a while since carsinindia.com has existed on this world wide web and we would like to take this opportunity to thank our visitors for their continued patronage with the site and making us so popular and successful. Today, among other sites, carsinindia.com plays a major role in supplying the audience of the world wide web with original content of critcal reviews on cars sold in india. We have come a long way since our first review which was the Toyota Innova; today all in all, carsinindia.com covers about 20 cars spread across all major manufacturers, including Skoda India, Tata cars, Honda Seil India, Toyota India, Mahindra and Mahindra, General Motors and of course Maruti Suzuki India.

The Indian car market basically thrives on volume, the fact that the market leader Maruti Udyog basically is a small car manufacturer is a testament to this fact. But, slowly the Indian car market is growing with cars such as the Honda City, Toyota corolla; international products finding favor with the Indian consumer. Also, products such as the ford Fiesta and the new Chevrolet Aveo that have been specifically developed for the Indian market show how important India is today on the world market. We are glad that we have a review on each of these cars.

Every car in India is today either custom made for the Indian market or is a niche car, which buyers from all over the world crave. Technologies such as CRDi, ABS, ESP, climate control, adaptive dampers, ride control and so on are making their presence felt in the market today. The average car buyer is now pampered with the latest launches from all over the world and is able to lay his hands on the state of the art cars at rather affordable prices. Brands such as Jaguar, Maybach, BMW, Audi, Skoda and Nissan are keen to impress prospective costumers.

08 Geneva - Jaguar XKR-S Coupe

For the Geneva Auto Show, Jaguar came with a special limited edition - it’s the XKR-S. They will manufacture only 200 products which will feature a 4.2-liter V8 supercharged engine that produces 420 HP, enough for boosting the Jaguar from 0 to 60 in 4.9 seconds.

The XKR-S Coupe is a lightweight sports car, but also with luxury ads: soft-grain leather, Bowers & Wilkins sound system, Charcoal Alston headliner and high-tech instruments.

JAGUAR XKR-S FEATURES

XKR-S FEATURES

• Available in Ultimate Black metallic paint colour with contrasting paint finish to the grille, sills, side power vents and rear splitter and diffuser
• Revised front splitter and side sill extensions
• Revised rear spoiler and rear bumper fitted with unique splitter and diffuser panel
• Vortex 20″ forged, 14 spoke lightweight alloy wheels with unique design and red Jaguar “Heritage” centre badge
• Alcon R Performance braking system with red callipers
• Bowers & Wilkins Premium Sound System
• Luxury Sport interior theme with Warm Charcoal full soft-grain leather and Ivory twin needle contrast stitching - 16 way electrically adjustable seating with adjustable bolsters
• Piano Black interior finish to facia and centre console
• Charcoal Alston headlining
• Alloy and leather gear lever with alloy selector gate surround
• Flint carpets with Flint carpet mats, edged in Charcoal leather with Ivory stitching
• XKR-S badging
• Unique XKR-S logo to the instrument cluster, tread-plate, front seat head-restraints and carpet mats

TRANSMISSION, SUSPENSION AND BRAKES

• 6-speed electronic automatic transmission with Jaguar Sequential ShiftTM
• Unique dampers and CATSTM (Computer Active Technology Suspension) tuning
• Trac DSC (Dynamic Stability Control)
• Anti-lock Braking System (ABS), Emergency Brake Assist (EBA), Electronic Brake-force Distribution (EBD) – drive-away release
• New steering rack, springs and revised calibrations
• Reduced ride height (10mm)

EXTERIOR

• Intelligent Lighting System – automatic headlamps on with windscreen wipers
• Active Front Lighting (dynamic pivoting headlamps)
• Bi-Xenon headlamps with integrated cornering lamps, automatic levelling and headlamp washers
• Bonnet louvres
• Quad tailpipes with polished finish
• Front and Rear Park Assist
• Heated exterior mirrors with electric adjustment, power folding auto-dimming and memory function
• Heated windscreen with timer and rain sensing windscreen wipers
• Instant Mobility System (IMS) in lieu of space saver spare wheel

INTERIOR

• Memory function with 3 settings for driver’s and passenger’s seat, exterior mirrors and steering column
• Padded leather 3-spoke steering wheel
• Cruise control with active speed limiter
• Automatic air recirculation with 5 setting
• Automatic climate control with humidity control, air particle/odour filtration and dual zone temperature control for driver and front passenger
• Auto-dimming interior rear view mirror
• Electric windows with one-touch open/close and anti-trap
• Glove box with auxiliary power socket
• Interior mood lighting
• Jaguar Smart Key SystemTM with keyless start
• Keyless Entry
• Alloy pedals

SECURITY

• Remote control central locking with deadlocks and drive-away locking
• Intrusion and perimetric alarm with passive sounder and battery back-up
• Engine immobiliser

AUDIO AND COMMUNICATIONS

• Bowers and Wilkins Premium Sound with 525W Jaguar Premium surround sound
• Navigation system with DVD mapping and 7 inch Touch-screen
• Bluetooth® telephone connectivity
• 6-disc in-dash CD changer
• Windows Media® Audio (WMA) and MP3 disc compatibility
• iPod and USB connectivity

SAFETY

• Adaptive Restraint Technology System (ARTSTM)
• Airbags, front and side (driver and front passenger)
• Belt reminder system (front seats only)
• Front seat whiplash reduction system
• Pedestrian Contact Sensing – automatically deployable bonnet system
• ISOfix anchor points for rear child seat
• Front and rear seat belt pre-tensioners

The Prototype-S from Mitsubishi Motors revealed

Ahead of its official global unveiling on 4th March at the Geneva Motor Show, Mitsubishi Motors now reveals further images of the Prototype-S – born from the same gene pool as the original 2005 Concept-Sportback.

Jet Fighter Aggression
The prototype remains close to its original inspiration, and closely previews the forthcoming Lancer Sportback.

At the front, it uses a variation of Lancer’s trademark “Jet Fighter” grille featuring a full matt black finish, mesh inserts and chrome surround. Other distinguishing features include a Lancer Evolution

X style bonnet, Prototype-S specific headlamps and 19” five-spoke alloy wheels.

At the rear, Prototype-S follows the same design theme explored with Concept-Sportback with a very fast lift gate finished by Sportback’s trademark colour-keyed roof spoiler. Its elongated rear combination lamps widen the stance of the car as they wrap around the rear wings.

Interior Flair
Inside, Prototype-S displays a very continental flair with its twin-hood meters, the black suede finish of the upper dashboard & door panels and the light brown-coloured leather selected for its upholstery, in a mix of plain, perforated and weaved finish.