London's all-new Routemaster unveiled

You have to hand it over to the citizens of the West for the way in which they take pride and ownership over anything vintage and classic. The above statement is inclusive of public transport also, the prime examples being the London Bus and the London Taxi, both of which enjoys a cult following across the world, more so in UK. After decades of service, they have become symbols of London so much so, that the itinerary of most of the tourists visiting London would have a planned trip in the London Bus (actually called the Routemaster) as a standard fixture.

It seems that one of the election manifestos of the current Mayor of London, Mr. Boris Johnson was the reintroduction of the Routemaster in a modern yet classic avatar. True to his words, the Mayor recently unveiled the full-size mock-up of the all-new Routemaster at the London Transport Museum. To be made by Wright Bus, a UK based coach-maker and all set to enter service in 2012, these new double-decker buses will fill the void left by the classic Routemasters once they were stopped from service in 2005 and confined to do duty on a couple of heritage routes in the city in limited numbers.

The new Routemaster stays true to its predecessor and lives up to the heritage of its brand. It has been modeled after the classic original with modern yet retro styling cues bringing in much needed style and flair in an extremely good-looking package. The standout feature will be an open platform at the rear of the bus thus allowing passengers to really get a 'Hop-On Hop-Off' experience. The circular LED headlights look wow while the rear design looks less convincing. Any which way it is, the new Routemaster will reignite the passion and pride of Londoners for which the old buses were so famous for.

Image Source: Wikipedia (www.wikipedia.org) & Wright Bus (www.wrightbus.com)

New Hyundai Verna (RB) spotted testing

Ah, finally it gets captured. One new car model which was being extensively tested in Chennai roads but was eluding my lenses for so long has been the new mid-size sedan from Hyundai, codenamed the “RB”. This model, called ‘Accent’ worldwide, but will be called ‘Verna’ in India is expected to be launched in the first quarter of 2011 and replace the existing Verna Transform.

And transform it does, for sure, the looks of the current Verna. The swooping coupe-like roof and windows, short and high boot, twin exhaust pipes and three dimensional i10-like headlights are already proving to be very popular in all the online forums in the country. Though most of the car’s important assets still remain hidden under the camouflage, the recently launched Accent in Korea has given more than a clear hint of how this is going to look. If that is actually this, then here comes a model to compete on looks with the Honda City and Fiat Linea.

When it is launched, expect the Verna to be the benchmark in its segment for features, if the recent i10 face-lift and i20 are any indication. Apart from that, the present Verna’s biggest strength, the stonking CRDi engine with its exhilarating power, torque and pick-up will mostly be carried over. As with all Hyundais, expect a sufficiently supple ride, average handling, top-notch reliability and good after sales service. If priced right, like say in the range of the existing Verna, this surely has the capabilities to beat the sweat out of City, Vento and Linea.

Toyota launches Etios sedan with shock pricing

Dec-01-2010 marked the beginning of a new chapter in the history of Toyota in India. After more than a decade of negligence of the small car segment, the hottest and most voluminous segment in our country, Toyota finally displayed what it is upto at the 2010 Delhi Auto Expo earlier this year when it displayed the Etios concept in both hatchback and sedan body styles.

Now, on the occasion of the sedan's launch, Toyota has, for once, both shocked and surprised us all with the car's prices. The Etios sedan comes with 4 versions priced between 4.9 lacs to 6.9 lacs, all ex-showroom. This price coupled with the legendary image of the Toyota brand in India will make sure that people throng the showrooms to get their hand in the Etios.

The front end of the Etios manages to get that family look, thanks to the smiling and slotted grille, very similar to the Innova. Smaller headlamps and plain bumper with fog lamps are the other notable features at the front. The profile has been relatively well executed, compared to the ridiculous work done in the Swift Dzire and Tata Indigo, where the boot looks like it was welded separately after the hatchback was made. The lesser said about the rear, the better. The huge triangular taillamps and the awkwardly placed chrome strip in the tailgate could be easily mistaken for a Logan.

Get over the disappointing exteriors and the interiors seem to impress, but only to a certain extent. Again, cost-cutting is clearly visible in many interior panels and elements. The car is well equipped with ABS and Airbags given as options in all but the base variant. Most of the other premium features like power mirrors, reverse parking sensors and the like are excluded in all variants. That base variant itself is just an excuse for a sedan with AC being its sole feature.

Apart from that, all other variants are reasonably equipped and competitively priced to give even premium priced hatches like Swift, i10, i20, Polo and Micra some serious headache. But, more importantly, with a 1.5 liter engine under the hood and a sedan bodystyle, my guess is that the Etios would totally shatter the Indigo Manza's and Swift Dzire's parties.

Toyota Etios Liva spotted testing

Close on the heels of the launch of Etios sedan, the hatchback version of Toyota’s new flagship, the Etios Liva is spotted testing on Chennai roads. Now that the sedan is on sale and the launch date for the hatchback announced as March-2011, the car is barely hidden with only the logo and badges going under the tape.

The Etios sedan’s biggest drawback in styling is its rear end which looks very similar to Logan, which is not a complement in any way. Going by the looks of it, the Liva seems to be better looking from the rear, but only just. The huge taillights and chrome strip just tries to spruce up an ordinary looking rear while the C-Pillar bears more than a passing resemblance to the Nissan Micra. When seen with competing cars like Fiat Grande Punto, Hyundai i20 and Honda Jazz, the Etios will not garner a second look, for sure.

But it seems that interior passenger space is available in spades as the Etios Liva looks almost as big as the i20, which is a tad bigger than cars like Maruti-Suzuki Swift. All the media reviews of the sedan too seem to highlight this point along with the supremely comfortable seats. Couple this to Toyota’s legendary reliability and the sedan’s shock pricing and what you have is a runaway hit in the offing.

The flaws like average fit and finish, cost-cutting in several key areas including light sheet-metal and a single windshield wiper and built-to-a-cost outdated looks would not stop Indians from queuing up for this car thanks to the extremely high brand-image that Toyota has managed to attract over the years.

2011 North American Car & Truck of the Year Finalists Announced

Its that time of the year again when new cars and trucks from across the globe compete among themselves for various titles being given away by a whole lot of automotive publications. Among the significant, tough-to-win titles are the North American Car of the Year & Truck of the Year awards. So, when finalists for such prestigious titles are announced, it ought to be noticed. The models which have been shortlisted for 2011 awards are Chevrolet Volt, Hyundai Sonata and Nissan Leaf in cars and Dodge Durango, Ford Explorer and Jeep Grand Cherokee in trucks.

The awards are unique because instead of being given by a single media outlet, they are awarded by a group of automotive journalists from the United States and Canada representing magazines, television, radio, newspapers and web sites. To be eligible, a vehicle must be 'all new' or 'substantially changed' from the previous model year.

Though my heart beats for Hyundai Sonata to take the title in the cars category with its Regular, Turbo and Hybrid variants for the sole reason of shaking up the established midsize sedan segment, my mind shouts that its going to be the revolutionary Chevrolet Volt taking the top step. The fact that the Volt has already won quite a few individual Car of the Year titles and the Nissan Leaf has already been declared 2011 European Car of the Year doesn't help matters either. Amongst the trucks, in all probability, Ford Explorer should be taking the title though there are good chances of the Jeep Grand Cherokee springing in a surprise.

Both the awards, in their 18th year currently, will be announced at the North American International Auto Show at Detroit on January 10. Last year, Ford made a clean sweep of the awards with its Fusion Hybrid and Transit Connect taking the respective titles. Let the countdown begin!

Pirelli wants us to "Stop Smoking"

Companies across the world are hell-bent in doing everything from planting saplings to adopting entire villages as part of their "Corporate Social Responsibility" activities to project themselves as responsible social citizens. While its absolutely commendable that these efforts are being taken, whether for PR or otherwise, in most of the cases, the products that the company makes would have nothing in common with these activities.

But, pleasant coincidences like this do happen rarely. The think-tanks at the leading global tire manufacturer Pirelli and its ad agency have come up with a new series of print ads aimed at preventing people from "smoking". "Smoking what?" remains a mysterious question to be answered though. While the pictures hint at the 'Tires' as a possible answer, the wordings seemingly depict and mean something else.

Whatever it is, is it not a brilliant way of glorifying their product's capability and conveying an important social message at the same time? Quite brilliant! Let more of these come and companies need not be doing any separate CSR activities. And, by the way, with a great post to end the year 2010, here is wishing you all a happy and smoke-free 2011!

Spotted #2: Porsche Cayenne

First, let's go through the facts in a quick glance. This is the first SUV (Sports Utility Vehicle) from an auto manufacturer that has hitherto produced only sports cars. One of the cars that the company makes is the legendary, ultimate 911 in all its iterations (S, Turbo, GT2, GT3RS, etc.). Guessed the maker? Most of you would have and yeah, its "Porsche" and the car in picture is the Cayenne!!!

The Cayenne is based on its successful cousin, the VW Touareg. The launch of Cayenne raised many an eyebrow and was doomed with negative speculations that Porsche would be better off making its sports cars instead of diluting the brand's image with a vehicle like this. Dashing all the speculations, the Cayenne has become a big success and has brought in the much needed volumes and profits for Porsche. Though the car itself cannot be termed as an exotic in any sense, I would still classify it as one because of the badge it wears (Porsche).

Though I have seen quite a few in Chennai, only this one had the destiny to get snapped by my lenses. The snaps are quite old (taken a year back) and I am posting these only for the following reasons - I don't want the results of my hot pursuits on road to go waste (try taking snaps of a very rare car when you spot one on road) and the other is I know people like to see exotic cars in action. Wish to see many such things on Indian roads soon...

A new Segment in Motoring

There are sports cars (Porsche, Ferrari, Bugatti, Lamborghini, etc.) and there are sports sedans with exhilarating power and performance comparable to sports cars (Mercedes AMG, BMW M, Audi RS, etc.). Now a new segment is coming up in automobiles which combines the above two and it's getting me very excited. No prizes for guessing it right though. Yes, I am talking about the latest craze which all the sports car makers are having - four door sports cars of this world. All the manufacturers who were hitherto making only sports cars have either launched or showcased their version of this fast-emerging segment.

Porsche has already launched the Panamera in the market while Aston-Martin will soon follow with their Rapide. While Lamborghini's Estoque concept is not going to see the light of the day, I expect Bugatti to launch the production version of the just recently showcased Galibier Concept. All these cars have 4 doors, an usable boot, can seat 4 and still can drive and perform as much as if not better than the true-blue sports cars (like Gallardo, 911, DB9). Its the way how these cars are combining practicality and fun that makes me terribly interested and excited about them. They will satisfy their user's needs for daily commuting too and when it comes to sheer, flat-out performance, they don't disappoint.

Having said that and giving due credits to the companies, I personally feel that only Lamborghini and Aston-Martin got the styling right for this all-important segment of cars. The Lamborghini Estoque concept looked drop-dead gorgeous and the Aston-Martin Rapide is the most elegant of the lot without loosing an ounce of its sportiness. The Porsche Panamera has got it wrong in the rear proportions and I think trying to emulate the classic coke bottle shape of the 911, it has ended up spoiling the original design. For me, the Bugatti Galibier concept looks downright ugly. Its hard to believe that this car has come from the makers of the Veyron (the World's fastest production car). Let's hope that the production version looks different (and hopefully better) than this.

Coming to the first casualty of this lot, it makes me sad to hear that Lamborghini has confirmed that the Estoque is not going to make it to production. Having scripted good success stories with its Murcielago and Gallardo, Lamborghini can very well score a hatrick with this stunner. And there are rumour mills going around that, Porsche's new owners VW are going to stop the Panamera with the first generation itself. Someone needs to tell these companies that there are good market for these cars and there are even greater chances of making good money from these cars.

They say "Dream Big; Achieve Bigger". I am not sure about the second half of the above statement, but I fully believe in the first half. Its just that my "Big Dream" has now changed. Having dreamt of getting to drive (not own) cars like 911, Gallardo, etc., I have now started dreaming of cars like Esoque, Rapide, etc. with sincere hopes that the latter half of the quoted saying will become true one day.

Volvo Buses - Redefining Public Transport

Call it a masterstroke of a genius or sheer luck mixed with perfect timing or a normal idea over-hyped and exaggerated or just whatever you like it to be called. I am referring to the decision of Volvo to go ahead with the launch of luxury buses in India as early as 2001. I remember reading the news about the impending launch in Autocar India with the picture of a white B7R with blue and pink stickers (Wow what a memory capacity I possess!!!) over it's body. On reading it and knowing the price of the bus thereafter, I thought Volvo was digging the death-knell for itself in a very price-sensitive market dominated by the erstwhile Tatas and Leylands.

A few years down the line, Volvo has proved me wrong and has established itself as the undisputed leader in the Indian luxury Commercial-Vehicle segment. Especially in buses, Volvo has become a name to reckon with in our country and commands a Brand-Image equivalent of Mercedes-Benz or BMW in cars. As a matter of fact, Volvo ruling the roost in India has prompted many dormant companies to go ahead with the launch of their own luxury buses. Mercedes-Benz has just joined the bandwagon and has tied up with Sutlej for building it's luxury coaches.

As an auto-buff, I am one of the greatest fans of Volvo buses. It's not only because of the fact that it's modern, beautiful and fast compared to our old buses, but also because of the improvements it has brought about in our Transport System as well. Volvos have single-handedly raised the bar for safety of the travelling public, reduced the travel time considerably between cities and have made other companies like Tata, Ashok Leyland and even smaller individual coach builders follow the trend it has set. More importantly, it has made the job of the driver much easier than before. Just ask a Volvo driver about the vehicle he is piloting and he will start raving about his machine.

Though Volvo has met with such an unprecedented success story in India, all the above statements holds good only for a privileged few. But the refreshing fact is that the Government organizations like KSRTC and APSRTC are embracing and supporting Volvo and are setting the path for other transport  corporations to follow. Even the usually conservative Chennai (MTC) has started endorsing "Brand Volvo" in a big way and is taking the lead set by Bangalore (BMTC) by introducing the 8400 B7R LE buses in increased numbers and frequencies. All this means that people like me will be having a field day watching these beasts in action doing intra-city and inter-city duties.

At last, a well-deserved and special thanks to the new Volvo 9400 Multiaxle bus, which I saw for the first time in Chennai last week and was stunned by it's mammoth size and which prompted me in coming up with this piece of writing. Hail the Volvos !!!

Stop Drunken Driving Please

My mood gets completely spoiled when I hear or read or see something related to "Drunken Driving". We as citizens stand united in fighting against social evils such as Terrorism, Racism, Corruption, etc and raise hues and cries against them but when it comes to  opposing an activity that's equally if not more dangerous,  not many people give it a damn concern. What is even more astonishing is the number of instances which we come across in our day-to-day life involving these drunken maniacs. 

Take for instance, the incident which happened yesterday in my neighborhood. A group of kids were playing in front of their apartment when suddenly a guy in a Pulsar came off the road and drove directly in the direction in which they were playing. Luckily all of them escaped unhurt as the biker lost his control and balance and fell down. It was later found out that he was heavily drunk. What if the guy hadn't fallen down and drove directly into the kids? Is it a sin on part of the kids playing in front of their apartment (that too a few feet off the road) that their life could be at stake? Aren't the lives of these kids and many other innocent people who get injured or die because of some morons who booze off and drive valuable? Who will teach them to stop this nonsense? 

And this is the second instance in less than a month that I have seen. A few weeks ago, we had a huge traffic-jam on the way to work and the cause of it was the accident in the picture. It was taken by me and we were later told that the driver of that particular truck was under the influence of alcohol.The truck had hit the wall of the flyover and in the impact had rolled over to its side. Imagine what would have happened if at all there was an ill-fated two-wheeler near that truck when the accident happened and the container fell down.

Please have a look at this picture atleast and STOP DRIVING WHEN YOU ARE DRUNK. If at all you have to booze off, take an auto or cab back home without putting others lives in danger !!!

The "Made in India" Cars

Its amazing how a single phone call can make your mind run somewhere and think of something totally irrelevant to the discussion that took place. When one of my friend who is currently in Denmark said that every time he steps out, he could spot quite a few Hyundai i10, i20 and Suzuki Alto cars on the roads, I was brimming with joy here as those cars should have been Made in India. I had this same feeling in me when I spotted and snapped an Atos Prime in Dubai (in picture).

Not so long ago, the only cars worth mentioning made in our country were the Ambassador and Premier Padmini until Maruti came and broke their dominance with the little 800. It was not until the mid 90's our market opened up and liberalized the rules for foreign manufacturers to enter the country. Being a late entrant in allowing the foreign makers to come and manufacture their cars here, it's worth mentioning that we have made rapid strides in a short time on the way to become what we are currently.

It makes all of us feel proud and hold our head high when something positive about our country is said or written about. And that is exactly what is happening in the Auto Industry now across the globe and more so in Europe. Though car exports from India were done in minuscule numbers before , it was Hyundai which started this trend by making India it's small car export hub.  The "Atos Prime" (rebadged Santro for export markets) has become a trendsetter of sorts by becoming the first car made in India to be exported in significant numbers followed by the i10 and i20. From then on, there was no looking back as Maruti-Suzuki followed suit with the new Alto (A-Star) and now Renault-Nissan is looking to expand this further by planning to shift it's small car "Micra" production from UK to India in 2010.

Frankly, cars like the i10, i20 and Alto have become so successful in Europe and other markets that the factories in India are not able to churn out enough of them. Also the high levels of quality with which these cars are made have made them equally competitive as their Japanese or German made counterparts and have given serious credentials to the "Made in India" tag.  So much so that at the end of this year, India would have exported more number of cars than even China. Kudos to Hyundai and Maruti for completely changing the perception about Indian manufacturing and for giving the "Made in India" tag global acceptance and reach.

Cool Concepts #1 - Tata Prima

The idea behind the conceptualization of this new series "Cool Concepts" is very simple. Posts with this title will feature cars showcased by manufacturers as Concepts, which are my favorites and nevertheless too good in their own respect, but have not made it to production till now for various reasons.

FACTFILE:

* Manufacturer: Tata 

* Model Name: Prima Concept 

* Debut: 2009 Geneva Motor Show 

* Competitors: Toyota Corolla, Honda Civic

Launching this series is our very own Tata Prima concept displayed at 2009 Geneva Motor Show. Having done this for close to a decade now, displaying concepts in Geneva is not new for Tata but the unfortunate fact is that literally none of them have been transformed from concept stage to production as yet.

Just one glance at the Prima will tell that this thing looks nothing like what Tata has ever produced. Infact, none of the models that Tata has made so far even comes close to this beauty. The styling of this sedan was done by the famed Italian design house "Pininfarina" who are better known for designing Ferraris and Alfa-Romeos than Tatas. Except for a slightly odd grille at the front, the rest of the car looks fabulous. Especially the rear with its XF like taillights will not look out of place in a Jaguar. I could imagine that if this thing runs on Indian roads with the Tata badge, its sure to catapult Tata's Brand Image to an all-together higher level with its stunning head-turning design and looks. This would be the first Tata that people would 'want to buy' rather than forced to buy.

Hope Tata is listening and does not let a beauty like this run into the drain just like their concepts of previous years.