Mr. Sanjay Thakker, Chairman & MD, Benchmark Cars Vadodara and Mr. Eberhard Kern, MD & CEO, Mercedes-Benz India at the inauguration of Vadodara’s first ever luxury car showroom, Benchmark Cars Vadodara.

Mercedes-Benz proudly claims to have the widest reach for any luxury car manufacturer in India with 59 outlets in 33 cities with the addition of the new dealership. The new dealership is spread over an area of 35,000 sq. ft., carrying an investment of Rs. 7 Crores and created within a record time of 10 months.

Eberhard Kern, Managing Director and CEO of Mercedes-Benz India elaborated: “With presence across 33 cities through 59 outlets, Mercedes-Benz clearly demonstrates its commitment to the tier-II and III markets in India. Vadodara is an important business hub; and one of the high potential cities of India. It is therefore natural for us to set-up operations here. Benchmark Cars has an enviable record of delighting customers and they have the mandate to ensure the highest levels of sales as well as vehicle ownership experience for our patrons in the city.”

Mercedes-Benz has aggressive plans for new products and dealership expansion in the country.

Mr. Uttam Bose, MD & CEO, Hindustan Motors Ltd., inaugurating the show window while Mr. L. P. Shah, owner of M/s Shah Automobiles looks on

Mr. Uttam Bose, MD & CEO, Hindustan Motors Ltd., inaugurating the show window while Mr. L. P. Shah, owner of M/s Shah Automobiles looks on

Mitsubishi launched its second outlet in the city of Kolkata inaugurated by Mr. Uttam Bose, Managing Director & CEO, Hindustan Motors Ltd.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Bose said, “Seeing the City of Joy’s love for this Mitsubishi SUV, we decided to launch the second outlet here. For people who are known for their fondness and enthusiasm for travelling, the rugged Pajero Sport’s ability to tackle any terrain any time is definitely alluring. No wonder, this robust vehicle appeals to the spirit of those who want to explore the back of the beyond braving challenging conditions. At the same time, Pajero Sport serves as the most comfortable, refined and luxurious mode of travel on city roads like those of Kolkata.”

Of course, the show window will also enable customers to book and accept deliveries of the Pajero Sport. The 1000 sq ft facility run by M/s Shah Automobiles will give existing and potential customers of Pajero Sport from central and south of Kolkata easy access to the dealership.

With the opening of this show window in Kolkata, HM-Mitsubishi’s network now consists of 40 dealerships along with six show windows across the country.

Mr. Bose with the owners of M/s Shah Automobiles Mr. L.P. Shah and Mr. Sanjay Shah (first from right)

Audi India Facebook

“Our Facebook wall is plastered with love and support from fans. Audi has clearly and successfully demonstrated that it is the coolest brand in India.” said Mr. Michael Perschke, Head, Audi India.

We bet this wasn’t a surprising milestone for Audi India. The brand has been consistently engaged in conversation with its fans over the entire year making use of not just launches in India, but even international sporting events like the 24 Hours of Nurburgring where Aditya Patel was the first Indian to compete in the event. It isn’t unusual for Perschke himself to respond to fans tweets and accept words of admiration on behalf of the brand.

US Social Media Benchmarking Company Unmetric, recently ranked Audi India as No. 1 auto manufacturer in India on social media. Globally India is the second fastest growing community for Audi, just behind Audi USA.

Audi’s unending torrents of contests have helped as well. Currently the brand is running the #loveaudi contest which will see the final winner flying to Europe to witness Aditya Patel racing. Other prizes include a weekend with the Audi Q3, exciting Audi merchandise, miniature model cars and iPads.

“Appreciation from 2 million fans on Facebook is a testimony of Audi’s growing popularity amongst youth and the aspirational value that they associate with our brand. A mix of highly engaging content, fun contests and consistent messaging were the key factors that have helped us in reaching this milestone.” said Mr. Perschke.

Mahindra Reva e2o
Mahindra Reva e2oMahindra Reva e2o

The Mahindra Reva e2o was launched in Delhi with a price tag of Rs. 5.96 lakhs on road Delhi. The e2o is available in two variants T0 and T2. The T0 variant has to do without the high end JBL music system, infotainment system and reverse parking camera and assist systems.

The e2o can be charged through a normal 220 Volt, 15-Ampere socket. Mahindra Reva says a full charge is completed in 5 hours with a driving range of around 100km.

Mahindra Reva e2o Interiors

Mahindra is also quick to point out the self diagnostic features of the e2o which allow for a very relaxed one year service interval, and surprise, surprise, at your door step! The e2o comes loaded with as many features as you could cram in a 3.2m car. To make it the ultimate urban warrior, Mahindra Reva has bestowed upon the e2o Hill Hold to prevent the car from rolling back down on parking ramps. The e2o gets dent and scratch resistant ABS polymer panels which aren’t painted but are impregnated with the color.

Mahindra Reva e2o RearMahindra Reva e2o

The e2o doesn’t skimp on safety features either. ISOFIX child seat mount with ALR seat belts make it a friendly family car. High strength steel space frame construction, large front crumple zone, dual side impact beams are all passive safety features of the e2o. The not so good looking hood has been designed to protect the wayward pedestrian who chooses your cute e2o to lie down on.

Mahindra Reva e2o Profile

Mahindra Reva e2o REViveMahindra Reva has also now patented what they call the REVive® technology. This is essentially a reserve charge in your e2o that can be activated only through the Reva app on your phone, through the infotainment system or by calling Mahindra Reva. The new Reva is not frugal when it comes to offering occupants entertainment and navigation with a 15.5 cms (6.2 in.) touch screen, with factory fitted GPS navigation system, radio, DVD, Blue tooth and iPod connectivity. JBL sound system with 4 speakers and two tweeters for your aural pleasure.

Mahindra Reva e2o Rear 3/4

Range Rover LR TDV6 Diesel

The much acclaimed 2013 Range Rover is now available with the new 3.0 litre LR-TDV6 diesel engine in the HSE and Vogue trim levels. The engine joins the 5.0-litre V8 Supercharged petrol and the 4.4-litre V8 diesel engines that were on offer previously.

The new V6 diesel makes 258PS and a maximum torque of 600Nm enabling the aluminium monocoque SUV to sprint to 100kph in in 7.9 seconds.

The 3.0 L LR-TDV6 also brings Start-Stop technology to the Range Rover lineup, improving fuel efficiency considerably. The V6 diesel also has something Land JLR calls ‘active vanes’ in the main grille which optimise aerodynamics by blanking off the grille when cooling airflow isn’t needed.

Allow us to not intrude upon the moment. Yes, you are welcome to hit the replay button.

This is massive. Watch a Mitsubishi Evo X tuned by 3Dx take on Underground Racing’s Gallardos, one after the other. We’d be loath to spoil the results for you, let’s just say except to have your jaws unhinged.

PS : We do not condone street racing, but this was too good a video to deny you the pleasure dear enthusiasts.

Autocar India.com is reporting that Volkswagen has also decided to jump into the sub 4 metre compact sedan category that was pioneered by the Tata Indigo CS.  Since then the new Maruti Swift Dzire has also ducked under the 4 metre mark and test mules of the Mahindra Verito with a truncated boot to quality for the sops given to sub 4 metre cars have been spotted many times. News is also rife that Tata is working on a similar version of its Manza and Honda is almost ready with its Brio based Amaze which falls under the same category.  The Amaze will also come with a diesel engine and that must have sent a few tremors down VW’s spine since their Polo and Vento are not performing as per expectations.  It is therefore not very difficult to understand VW’s desire to amaze India with its own version of the sub 4 metre version based on the the Polo/Vento platform.  Now is it possible that will see a similar version of the Skoda Rapid?  Well never say never.

The web space is abuzz with the news that Honda is launching its CB 150 R motorcycle on the 11th of March.  The CB150R is the naked version of the more sporty and fully faired CBR150R.  The CB will come without the fairing and with a different head lamp that mirrors the looks of the CB 1000 R and with a more commuter friendly handle bar. Rest of the bike remains unchanged with the front shock absorbers and the mono shock rear suspension and the engine from the CBR being retained as they are.  The CB’s engine will pump at 16.8 PS of power.  Honda has upped the ante since 2012 in its bid to become the largest maker of bikes in India. Honda has promised that it will launch one new model every quarter.  Honda has also been expanding its dealer network and has also started work on new factories to meet demand for its products.

Honda CB150R

Honda CBR150R

It has emerged that Suzuki will take part in 5 tests this year as a run up to its full time return to the MotoGP series from 2014 onwards. Three of these tests will be along with the other factories i.e Honda, Yamaha and Ducati.  There will be two private tests as well.  The three tests with the other factories will be at Barcelona post the Grand Prix of Catalunya, then at Misano and finally after the season draws to a close at Valencia. These will be interspersed with private tests at Motorland Aragon and at Mugello.  Apart from these European tests, the factory will continue testing in Japan to evaluate the progress on the MotoGP machine with its tester Nobuatsu Aoki.

This news about Suzuki’s activity was revealed by Aoki who was present at Sepang II to evaluate the performance of the other factories including Honda, Yamaha and Ducati.  Aoki was there to see the performance of the electronics and the new generation Bridgestone tyres. Aoki also said that the new Suzuki machine had already exceeded his expectations but still there was a lot of work to be done to catch up with the other factories, a task which has become even more difficult due to the fact that Suzuki has been out for two full seasons. Aoki was however hopeful that Suzuki would be in a position to close the gap and the 5 European tests would allow the factory to bench mark itself against the opposition that it will have in 2014.  However, so far there has been no approval for Suzuki’s re-entry into MotoGP from its board.  Aoki has said that the approval will depend upon how the machine progresses in tests in Japan.  So far no official spokesperson of the factory has not said anything about Suzuki’s participation in MotoGP from 2014.

Aoki has mentioned that a European rider will also be part of the two bike test team in the European tests.  While Aoki did not reveal any hints at who the rider would be, it is being assumed that it would be Randy De Puniet, who had tested the 800 cc Suzuki machine towards the end of the 2011 season and Suzuki was quite happy with the way he performed in the test.  But all this is still very firmly in the realm of speculation.