On the sidelines of the Geneva Motor Show there has been talk of the Renault-Nissan alliance launching a Tata Nano rival. The alliance partners are using the language that Tata did before conceptualizing the Nano. The target is the two wheeler user who needs to upgrade to an affordable car, but it seems as if the Bajaj RE60 will not be the base for this car. It may come another platform from the Renault-Nissan alliance itself and speculation is that the Datsun badge maybe used for this car. That is the speculative part that you and I will know for sure when there is an official announcement about it.
The ridiculous name aside, the Megapixel, unveiled at the 82nd Geneva Motor Show seems to be a stunning effort by Tata Motors, more so when you consider the fact that the Pixel was displayed only last year at the Geneva Motor Show. The brains at Tata, in keeping with the times, have swapped the 1.2 litre diesel mill in the Pixel for a electric motors on all four wheels, powered by a 13 kWh lithium ion phosphate battery that is recharged by a on-board petrol engine. With a range of 900 km, CO2 emissions of just 22 gm / km and fuel economy of 100 kpl, the Megapixel has the statistic Tata Motors should be proud of. Tata Motors says the Megapixel is a range extended electric vehicle (REEV).
The Zero Turn toroidal traction-drive Infinitely Variable Transmission (IVT) in the Pixel has been replaced by the electric motors in the wheels, that rotate the rear wheels in opposite directions, while the front wheels are turned at an acute angle, enabling an exceptional 2.8 metre turning radius. We have to mention here though, the Toroidal traction drive had a turning radius of 2.6m. It cannot possibly be the electric motors that are responsible for this loss, as they must be doing the same function of the toroidal drive just as effectively, if not better. So, is the Megapixel at 3504mm longer than the Pixel?
The Tata Megapixel is as distinctive in elegantly melding Indian uniqueness with global styling preferences, says Tata. The integrated lamp and grille graphics sweep back over the front wheel arches to render a dynamic front end. It is echoed on the panoramic roof, creating a harmony between sun & shade and sense of interior space. The floating C-pillar and wrap-around belt line finisher integrate perfectly with the sculpted body surface, flowing freely to the rear and encapsulating the 5-spoke wheel design.
A double-sliding door system and the car’s B-pillar less design make entry/exit easy. The battery layout and hub motors maximize the interior package. So, the Tata Megapixel comfortably accommodates four adults with luggage. The front seats are cantilevered on the central tunnel, releasing floor space for additional storage. Light leather trims and rose metal details accentuate the joyous marriage of richness of tradition and innovativeness of technology.
This fusion is heightened by an advanced human machine interface (HMI). The console docking point can connect a smart phone with the car. The built-in large touchscreen HMI, at the centre of the instrument panel, thus becomes a common access point for the repertoire of the smart device and for controlling the functions of the car, like temperature, ventilation, driving modes and performance. Remember the iPad toting female in the Pixel promo videos? We wonder what happened to that idea..
Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Prakash M. Telang, Managing Director – India Operations, Tata Motors, said, “The Tata Megapixel, developed by our design centres in India, the UK and Italy, is our idea of a city car for discerning motorists in any megacity of the world. It is a result of the progress we have made on the Tata Pixel, displayed last year, and also denotes the company’s future design direction.”
“Race cars are not entirely new to us,” says Roland Gumpert about the latest model from Altenburg. “After all, we competed in the 24h at the ‘Nürburgring’ race course with Heinz-Harald Frentzen in a hybrid apollo in 2008.” Increased demand, especially from Asia, has now prompted the company to offer a pure race car in addition to the street legal apollo and apollo s models. “Many of our customers are driving their apollo on the racecourse, usually during track days or private events. With the apollo r, we allow ambitious drivers among them to participate in open GT events.
The apollo r is more powerful and lighter than any other apollo. Since we are not necessarily known for understatement, we also decided to put this superiority on display with correspondingly striking foils on the apollo r”.
apollo r
So began the story of the apollo r, a car engineered for the race track based on customer demand. The 4.2 litre V8 engine which we thought couldn’t make any more horses than it could on the first apollo has been extensively modified to generate 860 horse power. These include a higher supercharging pressure, ignition and control time adjustments, optimisation of the intake air ducts and a special racing exhaust system. To ensure optimum performance even in the tropical weather you would find in most parts of Asia, the engine and transmission cooling system also has been enhanced. As with the last generation apollo, the transmission is controlled through paddles, or in Gumpert speak, ‘rocker switches’. Every thing else inside the car has been tossed out to make the car as light as possible.
The apollo wasn’t the most beautiful car when launched, but definitely was one of the most well engineered ones. Exceptional handling is still one of the most excellent traits of the apollo r. A titanium blade stabiliser on the rear axle improves the handling. Milled parts, the wiring harness and the undercarriage were all worked upon and optimized further. The boot has been shown the boot ( hehe, sorry) and the dry weight of the apollo r now stands at 1,100 kg.
The apollo r will be presented at Geneva in black-red-gold livery and the doors will be graced by a griffin, signature Gumpert graphics.
apollo enraged
A ‘mere’ boost to 780 hp and a reduction of the dry weight to 1,175 kg makes the apollo enraged faster and barely enraged street legal .
“Ok, so perhaps it is a bit crazy to take the most extreme, barely still street legal vehicle and make it even more extreme,” says Roland Gumpert about the limited special edition enraged – the unleashed and furious apollo. “But the idea behind the enraged, just like the apollo r itself, embodies our philosophy and our understanding of PURE GERMAN SPEED with absolute consistency.” GUMPERT intends to prove just how well, or how fast, the two vehicles actually realise this philosophy with another record time on the “Nordschleife” race course this year, and will work with Michelin as it always has towards this goal.
“The Aventador J offers its pilot and co-pilot an utterly indescribable experience of power and dynamics.”
That is how Lamborghini sets the tone for the article. No drivers here, only Pilots. Lamborghini will unveil the Aventador J at the Geneva Motor Show tomorrow.
The unusually named Aventador J derives its name from ‘Appendix J’ of the FIA rulebook that defines the technical specification of race cars in the various classes. The Aventador J is an open supersports car intended as a slap in the face to all the regulations in today’s world that restrict innovation. “The Aventador J is the proof that, despite the rules, Lamborghini will always make people dream, even in the future.” said Mr. Stephan Winkelmann, the Captain at Lamborghini.
The Aventador J is based on the Aventador coupe, of course. The coupe had the monocoque carbon fibre reinforced polymer chassis. The Aventador J has a new design that incorporates two safety bars behind the seats. As we had mentioned in a news article previously, the Aventador J loses the windshield, navigation system, audio system, air conditioning and of course the roof, all resulting in a dry weight of 1575 kilograms!
Lamborghini has always been a pioneer at carbon fibre application in automobiles. In the Aventador J seats are made of Forged COMPOSITE®, with inserts of flexible carbon fiber fabrics. Thanks to their association with The Boeing Company, and University of Washington with whom they established the “Automobili Lamborghini Advanced Composite Structures Laboratory” (ACSL) Lamborghini has always been using carbon fiber in ways unimaginable. The Aventador J features one such innovation : Carboskin. Essentially a carbon fiber fabric, Carboskin is made of woven carbon fibers soaked with a very special epoxy resin that stabilizes the fiber structure and keeps the material soft. The carbon fiber mats fit perfectly to every shape. In the Aventador J, the complete cockpit and parts of the seats are clad in this material and shimmer in matt carbon fiber black.
Design
Rising up from the centre of the hood between the two wind deflectors put in place of the windshield, the rear view mirror is like a periscope says Lamborghini.
The front of the Aventador J is somewhat narrower than that of the Aventador says Lamborghini. The front end is dominated by a highly distinctive carbon fiber air scoop, with central fixing braces and upward tilting winglets on the outer edges.
The red shade you see in the images are not that of the Aventador. This is a highly intensive red with a slight chrome effect developed exclusively for the Aventador J. The wheels, 20-inch rims at the front and 21-inch at the rear were also developed for this Lambo. The five-spoke aluminum wheels have a central lock system and an additional carbon fiber insert that functions like a small fan for optimum brake ventilation points out Lamborghini.
The ‘Scissor’ doors on the Aventador J also open upward, they are thinner than that on the coupe, and are also fitted with a tiny, fixed side window.
The rear end has the enormous fixed spoiler mounted on the bodyshell by two arms, again in carbon fiber. The bumpers on the Aventador J have been supplemented with carbon fiber fins that act as flow deviators. These fins work to increase the vehicle’s downforce at both the front and the rear.
A red stripe runs from the front hood, between the two wind deflectors, over the dashboard, down the console to the center tunnel and back up between the seat backs, and then onwards to the engine cover panel.
Now we come to the part where we tell you how many of these Lamborghini will make. One.
However, at the end of the Geneva Motor Show, this sight will be the preserve of just one – the future owner of the Lamborghini Aventador J. There is only one of them, no prototypes and no others for the Lamborghini Museum. The buyer can look forward to a truly unique, street-legal work of art. He will possess the most extreme expression of Lamborghini DNA in existence and a real masterpiece of high technology. But the many other fans of the super sports cars from Sant’ Agata Bolognese can rest assured – the Aventador success story has only just begun.
Two things of note here. One, Lamborghini says the buyer is a ‘He’. Either Lamborghini is being sexist ( smirk ) or the buyer has already been decided. Two, the success story has only just begun. Probably a reference to the Aventador Roadster that will be unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show.
UPDATED: Design article on the Lamborghini Aventador J here.
Lamborghini probably used one of its sharp as a scalpel Aventadors on another to come up with this stunningly sharp speedster that might be called the Aventador J.
In addition to the Aventador Roadster that has been spotted testing, this might be the other unveiling by Lamborghini at Geneva. While the Roadster will not compromise on the creature comforts of the Aventador, the Aventador J will shed the roof, the large windscreen, air conditioning and the audio system to give us a no holds barred, ridiculously fast and drop dead good looking car that is rumoured to be called the Aventador J.
While there have been doubts about the authenticity of the above images, autoforum.cz assures its readers that this is the real deal. Excuse us for a couple of hours while we get around to praying fervently on our knees, that this is the real deal.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9udXeLAmFes
Source autoforum.cz via autoblog
Hero MotoCorp is having a dream run in terms of its sales. The month of February saw Hero MotoCorp selling 5,23,465 units of its vehicles. In January too sales exceeded the 5.2 lakh mark. This February’s sales represent an increase of 11% over last February when the company sold 4,72,055 units.
This is all the more impressive considering that these sales have started happening after the split with Honda. Hero MotoCorp’s sales from April 2011 to February, 2012 have already overhauled the total sales of April 2010 to March, 2011 and there is yet a full month to go. And if the sales of March continue in the same vein the company would have sold a full 5 lakh vehicles more than last year. It’s cumulative sales from April 2011 to February 2012 are 57,06,905 units while in the corresponding sales from April 2010 to Feb, 2011 were 48,86,592 thus seeing a growth of 16.8%. Last year’s sales at the end of March stood at 54 lakh plus vehicles while this Feb itself has seen Hero clock 57 lakh plus. Hero has started launching newer vehicles and in Feb, 2012 it announced the launch of the Hero Maestro a scooter that is priced at Rs.44,000 ex showroom. If this takes off well then Hero is only going to get stronger. We suspect that the Maestro will do well considering the fact that the scooter that it is based on, the Honda Activa has a waiting period of nine months in some cities.
Bajaj Auto Limited, the numero deux (number two) in the two wheeler space in India has had a great February, so great that it is the best February ever in the history of the company in terms of their sales for the month. Bajaj Auto has been growing strongly on the back of ever improving sales of its Pulsar and Discover range of models and the addition of KTM can only mean good things. We also have to remember that the new Pulsar range spearheaded by the recently unveiled Pulsar 200 NS is yet to start selling. In February, 2012 Bajaj Auto has sold 3,01,961 motorcycles as opposed to 2,86,657 in February, 2011. This represents a 5% increase in sales in month on month.
Bajaj Auto also sold 41,816 commercial vehicles in Feb, 2012 as opposed to 40, 217 in Feb, 2011, an increase of 4%. Total sales of Feb, 2012 stood at 3,43,777 as opposed to 3,26,874 in the month of Feb, 2011 representing an increase of 5%. Out of the total sales of Feb, 2012, the export component accounted for 1,22,727 compared to 1,02,433 sales of exports in Feb, 2011 a whopping improvement of 20%. All the figures mentioned represent the best ever for Bajaj Auto in the month of February.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZIGzpi9lCck
So, how did they do it? Watch the video!
via Srivatsa Viswanathan and Sandeep Shankar
We are a little late here in bringing this news, but we wanted to confirm the truth behind the report, since this has been speculated for sometime. GM having been resurrected by the Governments of the USA and China, has yet again become the world’s biggest seller of cars and automobiles (also partly due to the bad luck that Toyota experienced) and has now established a “strategic alliance” with the PSA group of France, makers of Peugeot and Citroen cars by buying a 7% stake in the PSA group. This is supposedly for platform and technology sharing and to bring down costs for both groups. It would be interesting to see what happens to Peugeot’s plans for India post this development.
This speculation is also doing the rounds on the web. Apparently Bloomberg the news agency has pointed out that various banks have approached Hero MotoCorp to purchase Ducati, which like we said sometime ago, is always up for sale. Pawan Kant Munjal is quoted as having said that various banks and companies always approach them for some purchase or the other. What do we think? Not in the realm of impossibility but in probability terms maybe 1 out of 100.