Say hello to the new Stingray! The Chevrolet C7 Corvette as it was known to us before the official reveal at the 2013 NAIAS at Detroit marks the return of the iconic ‘Stingray’ name. Chevrolet says only a Corvette with the perfect balance of technology, design and performance can wear the Stingray designation. This is only the third Stingray in the history of Corvettes. The first was the second generation C2 Corvette which was known as the Sting Ray and the second the very popular C3 Corvette which was of course, the original Stingray. Powered by a 6.2 V8 the new Corvette Stingray makes around 450 horsepower and delivers a peak torque of 610 Nm and accomplish 0-60 in less than four seconds. Riot Engine presents a detailed look at the styling of the new Corvette as well as the technology that makes the new Stingray tick in this Design & Tech article.

“For the new Corvette to be called a Stingray, it had to deliver an incredible, purposeful visual impact – just as the original did in 1963,” said Tom Peters, exterior design director. “That visual impact is evident in fighter jets and the Stingray animal itself. Their beauty comes from their purpose, designed to cut through air or water as quickly and efficiently as possible. As with aircraft and living forms, every transition on every surface of the Corvette Stingray serves a purpose executed with beauty and proportion.”

The new Corvette Stingray draws from aerospace as well as nature to that effect and the most distinctive feature would be the profile defined by the long hood and the glass area evoking the canopy of a fighter jet with of course, the dual-element tail lamps.

Lighting features of the Corvette set the tone for the aggressive stance of the new Corvette Stingray. Indirect white LED light forms a signature slash in the headlamp that is the daytime running lamp. The HID projector is housed in a black-chrome lamp housing up front. The rear receives the biggest change seen in the design of the Corvette. The afterburner inspired dual taillamps are no longer circular. The lens elements are sculpted and houses LED lamps that are hidden and used to cast their light up from the bottom of the housing into a reverse reflector, creating an even glow. LED lamps are also used for the white backup lamps. The tail lamps integrate functional aircraft-style air vents that are actually functional and remove warm air from the differential and transmission coolers.

Do note that the 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray also wears the Stingray badge just above the side vents.

As you would expect, a lot of work has gone in to designing the new grille/radiator arrangement and the hood vents. Venting air out of the hood reduces total front-end lift for improved steering response at high speeds. Vents on the front fender as expected, reduces underhood pressure and reduce drag. Models with the automatic transmission or Z51 Performance Package feature a functional vent on driver’s side ( left, in the US) directing air over a heat exchanger for the transmission fluid. There’s also a similar arrangement on the passenger side that directs air over a heat exchanger for the electronic limited slip differential. As we’d mentioned earlier, the air through these vents exit from the vents housed in the tail lamps. The Z51 Performance Package also includes brake-cooling ducts, a unique rear spoiler and additional air deflectors for enhanced track capability.

The seventh generation Corvette bids farewell to the steel frame and adopts a new aluminium chassis that is 57% stiffer and nearly 45 kgs lighter. Chevrolet has used various composite materials including carbon fiber for the hood and roof panels, lightweight Sheet Molded Compound for the fenders, doors and rear quarter panels, and carbon-nano composite for the underbody panels thereby reducing weight of the body by 17 kilograms.

While the previous frame structure was made of a single continuous hydroformed main frame rails with constant wall thickness of 2mm, the new frame features main rails composed of five customized aluminum segments. The thickness varies anywhere between 2m to 11mm customizing the gauge, shape and strength properties based on actual requirements at that part of the frame leading to again, weight reduction. The frame is assembled using a unique laser welding process in which a computer-controlled beam of high energy joins the components with tolerances of about 0.001-inch!

The lightweight elements of the Stingray contribute to the ideal 50/50 weight balance. The new LT1 6.2 L V8 powertrain delivers a staggering 450 horsepower and a power to weight ratio which throws the new Corvette Stingray into the ring with the likes of the Porsche 911 Carrera, Audi R8!

Active exhaust systems are less restrictive than previous generations thanks to the increase in diameter from 2.5 to 2.75 inches. The standard system offers a 13-percent improvement in airflow and features a pair of butterfly valves that makes things quiter when cruising and the engine is operating in fuel-saving V-4 mode.

Optional dual-mode active exhaust system offers a 27-percent improvement in airflow. It features two additional valves that open to a lower-restriction path through the mufflers. When open, these valves increase engine performance and produce a more powerful exhaust note.

The LT1 is mated to either a six-speed paddle-shift automatic transmission or an industry-exclusive TREMEC TR6070 seven-speed manual with Active Rev Matching.

The seven-speed manual incorporates rev-matching technology for upshifts and downshifts. This driver-selectable feature can be easily engaged or disengaged via paddles on the steering wheel. The seven-speed is used with a new dual-mass flywheel and dual-disc clutch, which deliver greater shift quality and feel through lower inertia. The transmission with the Z51 Performance Package includes specific close-ratio gearing for more aggressive driving.

The Corvette offers you the choice of two types of seat. Comfortable GT seats, or a Competition Sport seat with more aggressive side bolstering which provides greater support on the track. The smaller, 14.1-inch-diameter (360 mm) steering adds to a more direct feel to direction changes. The flat, precise stitching on the steering wheel is designed to provide a smooth, consistent feel.

All models feature fully-wrapped interiors. Depending on trim levels, there are choices of Napa leather, aluminum, carbon fiber and micro-suede. A blend of hand craftsmanship and machined precision is intended to ensure the fit, finish and ambience of the cabin is first-rate, says Chevrolet. The leather-wrapped instrument panel, for example, features hand-selected and hand-stretched materials for better grain matching with stitching performed by robots that deliver perfect seams.

The new Corvette Stingray seems to have everything in its favour and while the use of the Stingray will always be debated by the internet, we think it is fitting.

Engine	LT1 6.2L V-8
Displacement (cu in / cc):	376 / 6162
Bore & stroke (in / mm):	4.06 x 3.62 / 103.25 x 92
Block material:	cast aluminum
Cylinder head material:	cast aluminum
Valvetrain:	overhead valve, two valves per cylinder
Fuel delivery:	direct injection
Compression ratio:	11.5:1
Horsepower / kW:	450 / 335 (est.)
Torque (lb-ft / Nm):	450 / 610 (est.)
Transmission	seven-speed manual with Active Rev Match OR six-speed paddle-shift automatic
Suspension Front:	short/long arm ( SLA) double wishbone, cast aluminum upper and lower control arms, transverse-mounted composite spring, monotube shock absorber
Suspension Rear:	short/long arm ( SLA) double wishbone, cast aluminum upper and lower control arms, transverse-mounted composite spring, monotube shock absorber
Active handling:	Magnetic Selective Ride Control (avail. with Z51)
Traction control:	StabiliTrak, electronic stability control
Brakes	front and rear power-assisted discs with four-piston fixed front and rear calipers (slotted rotors with Z51)
Rotor diameter (in / mm):	front: 12.6 / 320 (13.6 / 345 with Z51) rear: 13.3 / 338
Wheel size:	front: 18-inch x 8.5-inch (Stingray) front: 19-inch x 8.5-inch (with Z51) rear: 19-inch x 10-inch (Stingray) rear: 20-inch x 10-inch (with Z51)
Tires:	Michelin Pilot Super Sport run-flat front: P245/40R18 (Stingray) front: P245/35R19(with Z51) rear: P285/35R19 (Stingray) rear: P285/30R20(with Z51)
Wheelbase (in / mm):	106.7 / 2710
Overall length (in / mm):	177 / 4495
Overall width (in / mm):	73.9 / 1877
Overall height (in / mm):	48.6 / 1235
Weight distribution (% front / rear):	50 / 50

The Renault Captur concept starred in the 2011 Geneva Motor Show as Renault’s idea of an urban crossover. The Captur was one in a series of four designs under the stewardship of Laurens van den Acker, Senior Vice President, Design Renault. The series which included the luscious DeZir, R-SPACE, FRENDZY and of course the Captur was inspired by Renault’s ‘Drive the Change’ motto. After more than just a year, Renault has announced the production version of the Captur, which retains the name and the basic ethos of the concept, but has a host of welcome additions in its production guise.

The Captur is built on the Renault-Nissan alliance’s B-Platform shared by the Nissan’s Note, Juke and Renault’s Clio III, Modus. The highly successful Renault Duster is also built on B0, a platform derived from the B platform. Renault presents the Captur as an urban crossover that brings three important elements of design together in a single package. The styling of an SUV, the practicality of an MPV and the handling of a compact sedan.

Styling like an SUV

Renault says the Captur form is smooth and balanced. While the lines make the Captur seems unpretentious, the steeply raked windscreen says otherwise. The Captur in front three quarter angles seems extremely dynamic. Renault also has swathed the Captur in a two tone finish and we have to say it looks stunning!

Renault says there will be a number of customization options for both the exterior and interior of the Captur. The interior, Renault says will be warm and relaxing thanks to the colourful cabin. Renault is also providing a selection of interior customisation solutions based on a choice of colours and motifs for the different trim features.

Practicality like an MPV

The Captur has a small footprint, yet has a very airy cabin. At a length of just over 4.12m the Captur is smaller than the Juke by 15mm. The MPV theme carries on into the interior with a high-up driving position, large boot, modular interior and innovative stowage solutions.

The standard Renault Captur will have an equipment specification found only in vehicles up a segment. Keyless entry, hill start assist and rear parking sensors are some of them. Also available will be the new, connected, in-dash Renault R-Link touchscreen multimedia tablet, plus an entertainment system that comprises six loudspeakers, Bluetooth® connectivity, audio-streaming and Arkamys® hi-fi sound.

Agility of a Sedan

Renault Captur builds on the confident driving manners on another car the shares the B platform, the much acclaimed New Clio. Renault leads us to believe the Captur will deliver best-level dynamics, from road holding to engine response and agile handling. In addition, the combination of its compact volumes, raised ground clearance, large-diameter wheels and sill guards will also enable it to handle surfaces that aren’t smooth tarmac.

Autocar points out that the engines available will be the latest 89bhp 0.9-litre turbocharged three-cylinder petrol and 89bhp 1.5-litre turbodiesel from the Clio. Renault says these engines will offer best in class fuel consumption and CO2 emissions, starting from as low as 96g/km.

Renault has website for the Captur that goes live from the 5th of March 2013. Renault Captur will be manufactured at Renault’s Valladolid plant in Spain and will be unveiled at the forthcoming Geneva Motor Show in March.

CES 2013 plays host to manufacturers showcasing their latest products and technology. CES 2013 at Las Vegas has so far given us a preview of the numerous 4K televisions, the NVIDIA Project Shield gaming console, innumerable cameras, smartphones and more. Automotive brands like Audi and Toyota have showcased their ‘self-driving’ cars while manufacturers like Ford and GM have announced initiatives aimed at enhancing the user experience with regard to cars and smartphones. Audi, a much loved favourite for auto enthusiasts for bringing Daytime Running LEDs to mainstream cars with style, showcased some phenomenal designs enabled by new advances in lighting technology. We look at some of them in this Design & Tech article.

Audi Matrix LED headlights

This phrase is often repeated by Audi at various other shows, Audi says its represents headlight technology of the future. The “Matrix Beam” principle is about dividing the LED main-beam headlight into a large number of individual segments. There are two primary applications of such technology. One, there’s no need for a swivelling mechanism to turn the entire headlamp to light up a corner, two, parts of the light beam itself can be dimmed out to prevent dazzling drivers of cars in the oncoming traffic lane. This is done by switching on/off or dimming the small individual diodes that make up the Matrix. These small diodes are backed by lenses or reflectors to provide excellent illumination without needing a swiveling mechanism.

The Matrix LED setup uses information from a camera, the navigation system or other additional sensors. As mentioned earlier, the headlights can fade out appropriate areas on the high beam when the camera detects a car travelling in the opposite direction. Audi goes as far to say that the system can also illuminate the areas between several vehicles in complex situations. Like Cornering Headlights Audi can use navigation data to enable the high-beam headlight to anticipate the bend and swivel (not mechanically, but using the reflectors, if we aren’t wrong in out interpretation) to illuminate the road before the driver has even turned the wheel.

With the advent of such flexible lighting technolgy comes the inevitable benefits of stunning new styling of headlights. Audi says the challenges faced will be extremely low tolerances during manufacture and assembly of the components, the methods used to energize the headlights and control them independently, along with the overall efficiency of the package, the uniformity of the conical light beam and the airflow path through the headlights. Audi states proudly that it is in a position to take up these with the confidence that all this tech will be introduced on production cars.

Laser tail light

Audi has put to work a laser diode at the rear which lays down a virtual stop line for vehicles behind. The fan-shaped laser tail light shines slightly downward and looks like a red line on the road, which Audi hopes will prompt the driver behind to keep distance. In bad visibility conditions, like fog or spray, the laser beam strikes the water droplets in the air and makes them visible while the virtual stop line is seen as a triangle. The laser tail light looks like a large warning triangle! We like the concept, a lot.

OLED technology

OLEDs use organic materials instead of the semiconductor crystals used in LEDs. If you own a smartphone with an AMOLED screen, you’ve probably experienced the benefits of OLEDs. OLED TVs are the next big thing in television. Audi wants to adopt this tech for external lighting on their cars of the future. Audi claims OLED makes external lights attractive as well as intelligent. These lights can be programmed to react to an approaching driver, follow his or her movements and highlight the main contours of the vehicle or the door handle.

OLED Swarm

Audi engineers have designed a vehicle’s rear end as a large, continuous light surface, with innumerable small points of light flickering like a swarm of fish. The OLEDs can be programmed so that when a right turn is made, they flow to the right, or when the car is braked, they flow rapidly forwards! The swarm can be made to move faster in proportion to the vehicle speed. All this improves the communication of the drivers intentions to the vehicles behind providing for a safer drive.

AMOLED displays for RVMs

Premiered first on the Audi R18 e-tron quattro AMOLED screens will be used in place of conventional rear view mirrors inside the car.

These designs and the technology that enables these designs are stunning to say the least and the best part is, this is just the beginning.

Comprehending the needs of the motorcyclist in India looking to purchase a 100cc motorcycle, is as much a dark art as is designing a trellis frame for a motorcycle. The masters of this art are undeniably the folks at erstwhile Hero Honda (now Hero MotoCorp) who sell, sell and will probably continue to sell. While the formula is a simple one, other manufacturers who’ve attempted similar strategies with equally reliable engines have failed to bite off significant chunks from the ‘Hero Honda’ share of the market. As tough as it may be, cracking the 100cc segment which generates hold-your-breath-in-anticipation volumes is the priority for any motorcycle brand in India. Mahindra 2 Wheelers has jumped ‘over the hedge’ and stepped outside the well trodden path with the Centuro, a radically different approach to enticing customers away from the big H. We take a look at the design and technology aspects of the Centuro in this story before we get around to doing a full review when the motorcycle is launched.

Every new product needs one big feature that can drag people from the street to the showroom. The Centuro’s would be ‘Central Locking Anti Theft System’ with an Engine Immobiliser and a remote 128 bit encrypted flip key. Once the prospective customer in the showroom, a much longer discussion on why the Centuro is different from the other motorcycles in the market could tip the scales in favour of Mahindra.

The term ‘Central locking’ can be misleading here as you cannot actually lock the motorcycle remotely with the key fob. The encrypted key ensures if a duplicate key is used to attempt to unlock the bike, the engine immobiliser ensures that your bike cannot be started.

The topmost button on the key fob garnished in chrome, flips out the key and the other three buttons bring us to the next set of features on the Centuro.

The first two buttons activate the ‘Find Me’ lamps, a pretty nifty feature to help you find your Centuro parked in, say a shopping mall parking lot. The first button activates the Find Me lamps and audio feedback from the motorcycles whereas the second buttons keeps things quiet and it is only the lamps that are activated. The last button is used to power on a LED on the side of the key fob.

This is something I can definitely see myself using. The follow me home lamps, or as Mahindra calls it, the ‘Guide lamps’ will be a great help when you’re carrying tons of gear and have to park in a dimly lit lot before heading up. This is a feature that is only slowly trickling into mainstream cars and Mahindra deserves a pat on the back for bringing it to the Centuro.

Powertrain

The Centuro and the Pantero will be powered by Mahindra’s new MCi-5 engine. The 106.7cc engine makes 8.5 BHP @ 7500 RPM and 8.5 Nm of peak torque at 5500 rpm. The MCi-5 engine has a bore of 52.4mm and stroke length of 49.5 mm. Regardless of the nifty features on offer on the Centruo, the engine and its ‘mileage’ is what will be the deal breaker in this segment. The fuel tank has a a capacity of 12.7 litres, a liter lesser than that of the Pantero. In our review of the Pantero we found the engine to be comfortable for zipping around the city. The engine does get vibey at the extreme reaches of the speedo, but 60 kph in 4th gear is not bone shattering and that is all that matters in a city commuter.

The gearbox is again the newer one with the 4-up shift pattern which we found to be much smoother than the previous iteration on the Stallio.

The Centuro also claims to have best in class ground clearance of 173 mm, which is slightly higher than that of the Pantero (165mm).

Mahindra has played a card here that might not exactly be in their favour. Remember the double barrel tubular frame on the Mojo? Mahindra hopes to capitalize on the ‘mojo’ of the Mojo and has used two horizontal gold bars to draw attention to the otherwise uninspiring design of the Centuro. This indicates one, the Mojo is after all coming sometime in the future, two, Mahindra is pretty confident that the Mojo will be successful if it thinks it can borrow design elements from the Mojo on to lower segment offerings.

We aren’t big fans of the exhaust either, but this should do. The ‘belly-pan’ isn’t actually a whole unit, but two plates slapped on either sides for aesthetic purposes only.

The Centuro is 2031 mm long, which is nearly 31mm more than that of the Pantero, though both motorcycles share the same wheelbase of 1265mm. The Centuro also has a 5mm lower seating height of 800mm.

White backlit dashboard looks good in the dark. It has an in built ‘Service Due Indicator’ and ‘Distance- to-Empty Fuel calculator’ and several other features. Mahindra says the DTE calculator works by estimating fuel quantity in multiples of 100ml to give a more accurate distance to empty reading.

Will the Indian consumer buy into this concept of having additional ‘premium’ features on a 100cc segment motorcycle to set the motorcycle apart from the rest of the crowd? Will Mahindra be able to keep the costs competitive with all these additions? We think the pricing might be on the premium side, while the Pantero will continue to be the bare knuckled 100cc fighter priced competitively. We look forward to seeing if the Centuro can make inroads into this segment, do come back for a comprehensive review when the Centuro is launched .

Engine	Single Cylinder, 4-stroke, Air cooled, Mci-5 engine
Displacement	106.7 cc
Bore X Stroke	52.4 X 49.5 mm
Maximum Power	8.5 PS @ 7500 rpm
Maximum Torque	8.5 Nm @ 5500 rpm
Starting System	Electric Start / Kick Start
Transmission: Gear Box	Constant mesh 4 Speed
Frame	Double cradle steel Tubular structure
Suspension: FRONT	Telescopic , Coil spring
REAR	Coiled 5-step adjustable
Brake:           FRONT	Drum – 130 mm
REAR	Drum – 130 mm
Tyre Size:     FRONT	2.75” x 18”
REAR	3.0” x 18”
Battery:        Electric Start	12V / 6 Ah (maintenance Free)
Kick Start	12V / 2.5 Ah (maintenance Free)
Headlamp	12 V – 35W/35W – Halogen
	(Multi-reflector)
Tail lamp	LED Type
Speedometer	Digital / Analog
Dry Weight	111 kg
Kerb Weight (90% fuel filled)	120Kg
Overall Length	2031 mm
Overall Width	735 mm
Overall Height	1111 mm
Seat Height	800 mm
Wheel Base	1265 mm
Minimum Ground Clearance	173 mm
Fuel Tank Capacity	12.7 liters
Other Features	White Twin Pilot Lamps -LED Type +WOW features