Indian Autos Blog is carrying a story that Mazda could be looking at the Indian market closely. It has even quoted the President and CEO of the company to show that there is potentially some interest for car maker in India. Indian Autos Blog believes that Mazda’s partnership with Punjab Tractors could bring the project to India. Go over to IAB and have your fill of this news.
Yearly Archives: 2011
Every now then one keeps hearing of new products that are being mulled by various manufacturers to be launched in the Indian market place. Ever since Yamaha has launched the R 15 and the FZ 16, speculation has been rife that there will be higher capacity offerings from the Japanese motorcycle maker who is struggling to get a sizeable amount of the motorcycle market pie. What has been fuelling the fire has been Yamaha’s lack of performance in the 100-125 cc category. Now that Honda has launched the CBR 250R, the rumour mill has once again been kicked into action. It is being said that Yamaha is readying a 250cc bikes based on the FZ 16 and that it will be launched towards the end of this year. Is there any truth in this speculation? Our guess is as good as yours.
Mr. Kuo Kimura has been appointed as the new CEO and MD of the Renault-Nissan Automotive India Pvt Ltd facility at Oragadam near Chennai. Mr. Kimura has been promoted from his position of SVP at Oragadam since the present incumbent, Mr. Akira Sakurai is moving back to Japan. Mr. Kimura’s appointment is considered to be from the first of April, 2011.
The Kizashi from Suzuki was to be the car that would make the car maker from Hamamatsu a player of consequence in the difficult to crack market that is the United States of America. Fellow Japanese companies, Toyota and Honda have a strong presence there but Suzuki has been battling to get a proper foot hold there. The Kizashi, though considered to be an excellent product, somehow did not capture the imagination of the Americans to the extent that Suzuki would have actually liked. Suzuki seems to want to rectify that with the showing of two concept cars based on the Kizashi. One is called the Apex, and features colour schemes that are reminiscent of Suzuki Superbikes, that have a good brand recall in the US of A. The plan is to get the Americans to believe that the Kizashi packs in all the punches that race winning motorcycles of Suzuki do. The second concept called EcoCharge is the unfortunate but now regular practice of presenting “green solutions” to those glitteratti who believe in making stupid political statements. With these two products Suzuki hopes to firmly kick start the Kizashi’s and thereby its own fortunes in America.
As was revealed Garware Motors has launched the Hyosung GT650 and the ST7 motorcycles in Delhi. The former makes a formidable 70PS power while the latter pumps out 57.66PS. There are some mouth watering details such as the first 500 customers getting a Hyosung helmet and the warranty is for 2 years or 25,000 kms. The cost of the bikes too seems reasonable at Rs. 4.75 lakhs for the GT and 5.69 lakhs for the ST. Their ads are also out on You Tube. You can check out all the details at motoroids.com who are doing a live update on the launch.
You’ve probably read our news item about the unveiling of Volvo’s design study, the ‘Concept Universe’ at the Shanghai Motor Show. Now, we bring you the design story.
When Zhejiang Geely Holding Co. acquired Volvo, in August 2010, Geely Chairman Li Shufu said “I see Volvo as a tiger. It belongs to the forest and shouldn’t be contained in the zoo,” Li said in Mandarin. “The heart of the tiger is in Sweden and Belgium.”
As confusing the twisted idea of a Swedish tiger is, with that statement, Li Shufu assured buyers in America and Europe that they will continue to have access to Volvos engineered in Gothenburg and built in Europe, maintaining the Swedish heritage. He then set about the task of giving the ‘Tiger’ its fangs.
China has a booming luxury car market that seems to have a ravenous appetite for big cars with lots of leather. Volvo’s entry into the Chinese market might just be the push the brand needed to recover from its $2.6 billion losses during the two years before being acquired by Geely. Li Shifu decided that Volvo had to have the hardware necessary to compete with the Germans, who command a premium over Volvos.
The task that fell upon Peter Horbury, Vice President Design at Volvo Car Corporation, and his designers was to design the next generation luxury sedan to compete with the likes of the S Class, 7 Series and the A8 and ensure the new car flaunts its Nordic heritage. Unveiled at the Shanghai Motor Show, stands the Concept Universe, and boy does it flaunt its Nordic heritage. The car is easily distinguished as a Volvo even though some bits of the car are very futuristic and alien.
Jonathan Disley, Designer at Volvo Cars, says inspiration was drawn from a photograph he had come across, where a father was sheltering his infant from elements of the weather by tucking him inside his coat, with just the infant’s head peeking out between the lapels of the coat. As we already know, it takes a designer to even remotely associate an element of design with the source of the designer’s inspiration.
Andreas Nilsson, Designer at Volvo Cars, mentions in the introductory video that the distinguishing element of the concept is the strong character line that runs from the front to the rear, allowing the designers to sculpt other features around it.
The coupe like stance, coupled with the strong crease around the hood, and the futuristic design of the grill and the lights, makes for a very distinct and an eclectic confluence of design elements. While we are unable to put in words why the design of the Concept Universe is bang on Scandinavian, we’re sure very few would disagree.
Jonathan also mentions the influence yesteryear Volvo cars like the PV 444 and the Amazon had on the Concept Universe. The lines for the grill are drawn from the PV 444, whereas the swooping coupe like stance seems to have come from the Amazon.
1947 Volvo PV 444, Volvo Amazon
The grill is a series of shrinking rectangular light strips, positioned at various depths. This is meant to depict the idea of a Universe and functionally the gaps are meant to direct air to the intercooler. In all honestly, as funky as it looks, we doubt people would take to such a design especially when the Germans have conservatively designed fronts that manage to look handsome too. The outside mirrors seem to have the turn signal lamps incorporated in them, which we think look cool!
The alloys also have a surface the has greater depth towards the center. As Jonathan mentions in one of Volvo’s videos , the alloys are dished and give a sporty yet elegant stance.
The interiors befit a concept car of this decade. Volvo mentions in its press release that the touch screen with controls for the electronics, approaches the drivers hand when he reaches for it. If you’re wondering why the front seats have a dark color scheme and the rear a light one, Volvo explains ‘The dynamic feel and the dark colour scheme of the front seats fades seamlessly towards the rear until it fully transforms into a light rear seat haven of calmness.’
As is the norm with concept cars, some of the features on it are definitely not meant for the production version. I’m sure we can forget the suicide doors. How much of the ‘Universe’ grill and the headlights will stay on the production version, remains to be seen.
The interiors though, as geeky they might be, have the odds stacked in their favour to end up in the production version untouched. User focussed interior design and gadgetry, aimed at making the passenger’s life easier, is something that car makers are pursuing with vigour. In this segment, the insides of the car demand the desinger’s and engineer’s attention as much as the the rest of the car does, maybe more.Case in point, the lighting in the new Audi A8, and the Jaguar XJ.
Stefan Jacoby, President & CEO of Volvo Car Corporation also announced at the Shanghai Motor Show, about the Scalable Platform Architecture.
“When our next luxury sedan arrives in a few years, it will be among the first Volvos built on our new Scalable Platform Architecture. All our large and mid-size cars will eventually be based on SPA.” announced Mr. Jacoby.
The Concept Universe has fast forwarded Volvo’s design by a good number of years. If and when Volvo bring this design philosophy to their production cars, how much of a difference it will make to Volvo’s fortunes remains to be seen.
More videos here.
Press Release
Volvo Car Corporation presents Concept Universe:
A luxury Volvo for China and the world.
At the Shanghai Auto Show in April 2011, Volvo Car Corporation visualises a masterpiece of Scandinavian Design for car buyers with exquisite tastes.
The Concept Universe is a large, luxurious sedan with a new human-centric design language that honours the beautiful lines of classic Volvo models.
“The Concept Universe offers the world a sneak preview of what people can expect from our next top-of-the-line sedan,” says Stefan Jacoby, President and CEO of Volvo Car Corporation.
Volvo Car Corporation’s long-term strategy is to be a successful, truly global company with products designed around our customers’ needs and lifestyle.
Scandinavian Design is about understanding and caring about people. Volvo Car Corporation aims to be the brand that best interprets what buyers of modern luxury cars want.
The Concept Universe has been designed to spark a subconscious desire and a feeling of eternal beauty.
It moves towards the future with its coupe-like roofline and contemporary, solid rear, but it also echoes Volvo’s proud heritage by borrowing design cues from classic models of the past.
“Just like fine luxury goods, this design feels handcrafted and durable enough to stand the test of time,” says Peter Horbury, Vice President Design at Volvo Car Corporation. “We will compete with the best with our special kind of Scandinavian Design. It is unmatched in performance and technology, but without superficiality or complication.”
User-focused and pure
The interior of the Concept Universe is a comfortable, cultivated environment that is also user-focused and refreshingly uncomplicated. It is driver-orientated in the front and comfortably relaxed in the rear.
The in-command driver environment has intuitive controls and a touch-screen that approaches the hand when the driver reaches towards it – with everything operated from a seat that is inspired by ultra-comfortable chairs.
Passengers in the rear seat are embraced by pure comfort. The interior moulds into the rear seat and becomes part of the seating environment.
The dynamic feel and the dark colour scheme of the front seats fades seamlessly towards the rear until it fully transforms into a light rear seat haven of calmness. Concept Universe is full of classic forms, materials and textures, used with a twist to create a special contemporary luxury experience.
“The Concept Universe is exceptionally refined, yet with all the simplistic assets that make Volvo champions of the uncomplicated. There is a growing appreciation for this ingenious blend of design and technology among modern luxury car buyers. This trend paves the way for our success. We are convinced that our special brand of luxury has a great future,” Peter Horbury concludes.
“Our aim is to be the brand that best understands what buyers of modern luxury cars want. We are eager to hear what the most demanding Chinese customers think of this luxurious concept. Later, we will show the design in Europe and the United States in order to bring it into the global context that we are aiming for with all our car models,” says Stefan Jacoby, President and CEO of Volvo Car Corporation.
The President of the FIA Jean Todt has been calling for making motorsport in general and Formula1 in particular more green. As a part of this agenda a proposal to introduce a new engine formula of engines of 1600 cc with turbo charging was mooted and placed before the teams. It is believed that last year all the teams agreed to it but in the recent past the two cowboys of F1 Bernie Ecclestone and Luca Di Montezemolo having been crying hoarse saying that this engine formula will reduce F1 to a joke. What has been bothering Ecclestone is the sound or actually the lack of it from the new engines. Bernie always the savvy man when it comes to marketability of things, believes that this will mean the death knell of TV interest in the sport. And it is very well known that Ecclestone is more bothered about TV audiences than the ones that actually attend a GP. Luca Di Montezemolo has other concerns. He says Ferrari does not and never will make cars of 1600 cc. So he says for him, the investment there is meaningless. However, Adam Parr of Williams F1 has another take. He says that new engine manufacturers will not enter the sport if it does not show dynamism and ability to adapt to new thinking. He therefore supports the new initiative. Mercedes Benz motorsport boss Norbert Haug and Renault’s Eric Boullier have also extended support to the new formula and have said that they are not willing to turn back. But drivers Jenson Button and Sebastian Vettel have supported the other side. Button said he personally prefers V10s but Vettel has gone one step forward and claimed that he wants V12s and no KERS. Interesting debate this. We would go with Vettel for sure.
Rolls Royce has not very long ago launched the Ghost. And now at the Shanghai Auto Show it has shown a newer version of the Ghost, which is the same car with an Extend Wheel Base, obviously for greater comfort and luxury. Well when you have money to buy a Rolls no amount of comfort and luxury is ever going to be enough. No wonder Rolls has shown this model.
The maker of premium cars and bikes BMW is known to take safety initiatives that are on par with the best in the world. Now to make their premium motorcycle range even more safer and meaningful, BMW have decided to equip the entire range with Anti Lock Braking Systems. Good move considering the fact that the very humble TVS Apache RTR 180 and the slightly less humble Honda CBR 250 R are offering the feature as an option.
Indian Autos Blog has put out a very interesting story. It claims that the Ambassador car can be resurrected in many different forms and that Hindustan Motors is planning to do just that. The internet has seen camouflaged pictures (!!!!!!) of what seems to be a compact Ambassador. Guessing games have suggested that it is nothing but the old Landmaster. And now Indian Autos Blog has shown a morphed picture of a single cab Ambassador pick up truck and says that the company plans to launch such a vehicle by the end of the year. Head to Indian Autos Blog for the picture.