Yearly Archives: 2011

Ford has launched a website for all you enthusiasts who lament the passing of the golden ages of NFS Underground I & II! Check out Riot Engine’s unimaginatively named X-01 based on the Riot Engine colours of Black and Orange. With all the modesty we can muster, allow us to say, we love it!

Riot Engine X-01 Custom Ford Mustang : From Ford's Mustang CustomizerRiot Engine X-01 Custom Ford Mustang Rear : From Ford's Mustang Customizer

The link to the Mustang Customizer : Ford Mustang Customizer

Users can choose to customize a Mustang V6, GT, Boss 302 or Shelby GT500. The customized cars are place against a choice of three backgrounds – a dragway, cityscape or drive-in restaurant – along with five different angles from which to check out the design. Accessories include body kits, wheels, decals, grilles and decklids, along with parts from Ford Racing Performance Parts and Ford Vehicle Personalization.

“This site lets Mustang fans customize cars to their heart’s content,” said Brian McClary, Ford social and emerging media specialist. “It’s a simple-to-use layout that lets users take the base design of Mustang and run with it.”

To have put in the effort into something as spectacular ( not really, but today we are feeling extremely juvenile!) as this Customizer and not to incorporate social media, would have been pointless. Users can log in through their Facebook account and save and share all of the Mustangs they have created. A “battle mode” through Facebook lets users go head-to-head to see who has the best-looking car. By posting their Mustang to their Facebook wall, users can accumulate votes that will be tallied on a leaderboard for others to check out. They can even identify a nemesis to go after in battle.

“Customers love to make Mustang their own, one that suits their taste; this is the perfect way to let them test out their design and imagine what’s possible,” said Jim Owens, Mustang marketing manager. “The interactive aspect also adds a whole new dimension and lets more people get in on the fun.”

Clicking on the ‘Car Summary’ link generates a downloadable PDF that has a detailed list of all the real parts used to create your custom Mustang. The PDF is separated into three categories – Ford, aftermarket and concept accessories – and includes links to the applicable websites, making it easy for customers to start a conversation with their local Ford dealer. Of course, only those local Ford dealers where Mustangs are sold.

Mustang Customizer 01Mustang Customizer 02Mustang Customizer 03Mustang Customizer 04

The customizer will soon be available for Mobile platforms too. We love the Customizer, but sometimes we wish the car was draggable and rotatable with the mouse. Are we being greedy?

To make the experience of getting to know motorsport news better, Riot Engine will now place all motorsport related news and reviews in the Motorsport section of the page.  So far we have been clubbing motorsport news with other automotive news.  From now on the Automotive section will only carry news from the industry.  To make your experience with news well rounded Riot Engine will also endeavour to increase the amount of international motor industry news.  The same will be case with motorsport news.  We thank you for your patronage and request the continuance of the same.  Do write to us at feedback@riotengine.in with your comments and suggestions so that we can improve your and our experience.  We look forward to hearing from you.

Carwale.com has claimed that the Quadrajet 90 powered Elan variant of the Manza from Tata is going at a discount of up to Rs. 21,000.  The exact amount of the discounts vary from region to region and dealer to dealer.  The quadrajet 90 is the Fiat Multijet engine that puts out 90PS of power.  The Manza quality wise is the best car from the Tata stable and as it is a very good value for money proposition.  The discount should make it sweeter.

Mahindra and Mahindra’s first monocoque, front wheel drive SUV that is being touted as the World SUV is to be launched at the end of this month.  As the launch draws closer more and more pictures are appearing on the internet space.  Here is one of the interiors of the vehicles which are said to be up to international standards.

Picture Courtesy: Car and Bike page on Facebook and Indianautosblog.com

India Yamaha Motor’s sales numbers do not do justice to the Japanese giant.  The annual sales of the company are lower than the sales numbers per month of Hero MotoCorp (erstwhile Hero Honda) and the Japanese company has been saying for sometime that it is keen on increasing its market share.  The launch of the R15, FZ-16 and the Fazer along with the new SZ series has been augmenting urban sales but its rural sales continue to be of concern with Yamaha only being able to manage 40% of its total sales in the rural market space.  Hero’s numbers are so big because it has managed to address the rural markets rather well.  Now Yamaha wants to increase the quantum of sales in the rural areas.  To that extent it has decided to concentrate on the Crux and the YBR 110 which are its staple for rural areas.

Volkswagen and Suzuki have been in the news recently for all the wrong reasons.  Osamu Suzuki went on record to say that he was no longer interested in the alliance with VW that saw VW purchase 19.9% percent stake in Suzuki while Suzuki purchased 1.6% stake in VW.  Suzuki now wants out of this alliance and explore engine sourcing from Fiat and Osamu Suzuki has said that he wants VW’s share in Suzuki back and that he will sell back his share in VW.  However, VW has queered the equation by saying that VW will not sell back the shares that it holds to Suzuki.  As per the alliance agreement between the two companies, VW cannot purchase shares in the open market as long as it holds on to the shares that Suzuki has given them.  There are some reports emanating from Der Spiegel in Germany that it has on record a VW executive telling them that VW could sell back the shares to Suzuki and then begin a process of hostile take over by buying shares from the market.  This report could be just mischievousness on part of Der Spiegel or it could also be VW’s intent as it wants to become No.1 and soon.

Some of the auto websites in their enthusiasm had alluded to the fact that the soon to be launched Eon from Hyundai India will replace the Santro.  Hyundai India has clarified that that will not be the case.  The Eon will become the new entry model to take on the Maruti Alto and the higher specced versions of the Tata Nano.  The engine on the Eon is supposed to be a three pot version of the 1100 cc engine that does duty on the Santro and will displace 814cc with power estimated to be around 50 PS.  The dimensions of the car are almost identical to those of the Alto though it will have a little more room on the inside.

Autocar India.com was the website and magazine that broke the news that the Maruti Alto and Tata Nano challenger from Hyundai (code name: HA) would be called the Hyundai Eon.  Now Autocar has posted some fresh scoop pictures of the Eon which will come with an 800cc engine.  Autocar India is also speculating that this car will eventually replace the Santro that still sells reasonably well.  Other websites are claiming that the car maybe launched as early as the next month during the coming festival season.

Pictures Courtesy: Autocar India.com and Indiancarsbikes.in

 

 

 

Casey Stoner riding a Repsol Honda claimed the eighth victory of the MotoGP 2011 season with a dominating victory at Motorland Aragon in Spain. This was a sweet moment for the Repsol Honda team itself as it was also the 100th victory for the Repsol Honda team itself.  Stoner’s victory now puts him 44 points ahead of Yamaha rider Jorge Lorenzo who could only finish 3rd in today’s race behind the second place rider Dani Pedrosa who was on another Repsol Honda motorcycle.  Repsol is a Spanish oil company and a team sponsored by it claiming the 100th victory in Spain was perhaps fitting.  Unfortunately the third Repsol Honda ridden by Andrea Dovizioso failed to finish the race due to its having crashed out on the 3rd corner of the first lap itself.  Marco Simoncelli finished fourth in the race after having looked good for a podium position when he ran off the circuit.  Ben Spies on the second factory Yamaha finished fifth while Alvaro Bautista on the sole Rizla Suzuki dazzled to take sixth in the race ahead of the factory Marlboro Ducati of Nicky Hayden who finished in seventh ahead of Mappfre Aspar Ducati of Hector Barbera in eighth.  Ninth place went to a charging and stubborn Cal Crutchlow on the Monster Tech3 Yamaha, who doggedly fought Marlboro Ducati’s Valentino Rossi who finished tenth ahead of Hiroshi Aoyama who finished eleventh ahead of Randy De Puniet in twelfth on the Pramac Ducati.  The thirteenth and last finish went to Colin Edwards riding the Monster Tech3 Yamaha. A coming together of Loris Capirossi on the Pramac Ducati and Toni Elias on the Playboy LCR Honda saw both of them crashing out of the race and joining Karel Abraham on the Cardion AB Ducati and Andrea Dovizioso on the list of non finishers of today’s race.

Another reason why today’s race was that Valentino Rossi became the first rider to incur a penalty start from pit lane 10 seconds after the red lights went off due to his having exhausted all six engines allocated to the team for the season.  Rossi preferred to take the penalty at Aragon rather than at Motegi in two weeks time.  This situation of Rossi’s is due to the experimenting with different chassis settings requiring different engine mounts and therefore running over the allocated numbers.

The Nano from Tata Motors may not be setting the sales charts on fire, but there have been reports that it is still suffering from spontaneous combustion.  Then there are reports of the car having gone to Sri Lanka and becoming a taxi and also of it going to Nepal.  Now there are stories that the car will be manufactured in other markets such as Indonesia but the most interesting one is that Tata Motors is pushing for the Nano to be the replacement for two wheelers that do duty with the Mumbai Police. Apparently Tata Motors has even left a test mule for evaluation.  So what if the common man cannot replace his motorcycle with the Nano, at least the police can or so it seems.