AUTHENTIC CARS

Mercedes-Benz has launched the new GL-class. Initially, the new GL-class will be imported as completely built units. CKD assembly will start in September. The model launched here is the GL 350 CDI powered by a 2987cc turbo-common rail diesel motor which is good for 255bhp and 63.2kgm of torque mated to a 7-speed G-Tronic automatic gearbox.  The first 100 units will come as GL Launch Edition with a standard AMG body kit. The GL comes equipped with tech features such as Active Park Assist, Cross Wind Assist and a 360-degree camera. The GL is priced at Rs 77.5 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi). The other big launches slated for the carmaker are the all-new A-class, expected here on May 30 and a diesel variant of the B-class, likely to arrive here later this year.

Skoda is all set to pull the plug on the Fabia and will stop selling its only hatchback in the Indian market. However, Skoda will finish assembling Fabia kits before stopping production and hence the Fabia will continue to be sold, possibly till the end of this year, until stocks are exhausted. Skoda’s decision to withdraw the hatchback from the market was prompted by the huge losses the company has been incurring on the Fabia. Successive price cuts over the years to prop up demand has seen this car shedding almost 40 percent of its price tag since its launch in 2008, which badly squeezed margins. The Fabia’s relatively low level of local content made it very expensive to produce and this problem was compounded by the Indian Rupee depreciation of 36 percent since 2008 which pushed up costs even higher. According to industry sources, Skoda was losing as much as Rs 1.5 lakh per car and hence the company was deliberately refraining from aggressively marketing the Fabia which sold...

The BMW Gran Lusso Coupé Pininfarina, previewed here in a series of teaser shots, will be revealed in full at the Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'este 2013 show. Co-designed with Italian car design firm Pininfarina, the coupé is claimed to be "the embodiment of sheer elegance". It continues a design theme that was seen on last year's distinctive Zagato Coupé. Power comes from a front-mounted V12 engine, most likely the twin-turbo 6.0-litre unit found in current iterations of the 7-series. This unit is rated at 544bhp and 76kgm, which would give the coupé suitably rapid and smooth performance. The new coupé features typical BMW proportions, including short front and rear overhangs, a long bonnet and a sizeable wheelbase. Little else has been revealed about the concept's features or specifications, and the interior is yet to be seen. BMW says, however, that the cabin of the coupé demonstrates the "successful combination of modern elegance a...

Ferrari will never build cars outside of its core sports car and GT market, chairman Luca di Montezemolo has declared. Speculation has linked Ferrari to future projects building an SUV, a four-door car or a smaller, cheaper car, but di Montezemolo said none of these would fit the brand. “Our emphasis is on our heritage and expertise,” said Montezemolo. “We will manufacturer new models in the future, but the market position of them will always begin with where we stand with relation to our history.” Montezemolo highlighted that sister brand Maserati was moving into the four-door market with the Ghibli and would launch an SUV in the near future. “People ask me if my insistence on selling no more than 7000 Ferraris will harm our brand, but I don’t believe so,” said Montezemolo. “They also ask me about a four-door car or SUV, and I point them in the direction of Maserati.” Asked if he feared the widespread success of Porsche in the sports car market and its move ba...

The current M5 has been on sale only since 2011, and so perhaps it's not surprising that the facelift sees very little changes. The updated M5 will come with a grille that has been tweaked to incorporate larger vertical slats, as on the M6, and the headlights will get subtle updates as well. Inside, the M5 will get the same steering wheel as in the M6, with narrower spokes and a smaller centre than earlier. The iDrive controller will be touch sensitive, but the interior ostensibly will remain identical. While the standard 4.4-litre, twin-turbocharged V8 will be carried over unchanged, BMW is expected to offer a Competition Package on the revised M5. This will increase power from 552bhp to 567bhp and also add new wheels, a revised M Dynamic mode and stiffer suspension. This appears to be a direct riposte from BMW to the threat posed by the uprated Jaguar XFR-S and Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG S available internationally. BMW will officially unveil the updated M5 later ...

Volvo has started production of an all-new four-cylinder engine family. The development and production will take place in-house at Volvo Car Group's engine plant in Skovde, and will, according to the carmaker, form a vital part of the company’s strategy for independence. Volvo’s objective in having complete control over the development and production of engines and drivelines is to increase flexibility and have a greater ability to influence quality. "This marks a milestone in Volvo's history. With our new engine family we are focusing on two additional vital properties - driving pleasure and fuel efficiency," says Derek Crabb, vice president, powertrain engineering, Volvo. The new Volvo Engine Architecture (VEA) engines are developed by a Swedish team of engineers. Volvo claims that the new, smaller engines are optimised to deliver higher performance than the current six-cylinder units, while offering lower fuel consumption than the current four-cylinder units. Th...

Lamborghini has revealed at its 50th anniversary party that the Urus SUV will be on sale by 2017. Audi boss Rupert Stadler had earlier told Autocar that the Lamborghini SUV is “on track”.  “Lamborghini has to do it," said Stadler. "Because of the need to dovetail into production cycles, we should see the Urus in 2017.” The Urus was centre stage at the Audi brand group conference held earlier, where Lamborghini CEO Stephan Winklemann made much of future Audi and Lamborghini models using lightweight technology.   The Urus will be based on the same new-generation MLB platform as the Porsche Cayenne, Volkswagen Touareg and Audi Q7. While similar in layout to today’s MLB platform – which underpins the Audi A6 – the next-generation version makes extensive use of lightweight materials.   The architecture mixes aluminium in cast, extruded and pressed forms, as well as conventional steel pressings, with the two materials glued and riveted together in a similar ...

Jaguar Land Rover has announced the opening of a new engineering test centre in Dubai to conduct extreme hot weather vehicle research, development and testing. The new 11,120 sq ft facility in the Al Barsha area of Dubai will offer a range of tests including durability, calibration and hot weather testing for heat and humidity. The engineering team at the new centre, which replaces a smaller facility in Dubai, will also test powertrains, chassis and heat and ventilation systems as well as the off-road and sand driving capability of Land Rover’s Terrain Response system.   Jaguar Land Rover now has a network of four global test facilities – Nurburgring, Germany, Arjeplog, Sweden, Phoenix and International Falls, USA, and Dubai, UAE.   Jaguar Land Rover director of engineering technical services, Martyn Hollingsworth said, “Jaguar Land Rover has ambitious plans for growth, and since 2008 we have been investing to enhance our engineering capability to help us deli...

Lamborghini's 50th anniversary celebrations have concluded with the unveiling of a wild concept car, the Lamborghini Egoista. The Egoista was dramatically revealed by brand boss Stephan Winkelmann at a dinner held to mark the end of the week-long drive by 350 Lamborghinis through Italy, organised in celebration of the marque's 50th birthday. Lamborghini has confirmed that the Walter De Silva designed car takes its name from the fact that it has just one seat. The styling is said to be inspired by that of an Apache helicopter, and early reports suggest the lightweight car is extensively made of carbonfibre and that the cockpit canopy can be removed to save weight. Power comes from a 5.2-litre V10 engine. De Silva is quoted as saying, "This is a car made for a single person, to have fun and to express their own personality. It is designed for people who want the most extreme and most special things in the world. This car represents extremes of hedonism; it i...

Volkswagen has revealed a 496bhp version of the seventh-generation Golf GTi. Dubbed the Volkswagen Design Vision GTI, the radical concept showcases a twin-turbocharged 3.0-litre VR6 engine developed for use in upcoming models that, like the Golf GTI, are based around Volkswagen’s MQB platform structure. Set to find its way into selected new Volkswagen models in future years, the direct injection engine replaces the Golf GTI’s turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder unit and is mounted transversely in the engine bay. Power is up by 279bhp, or almost 129 percent, rising from 217bhp to a Porsche 911 GT3-beating 496bhp. Torque also increases by 21.4kgm, going from 35.7kgm to 57.1kgm – some 50.9kgm of which is claimed to be on tap at just 2000rpm. No specific details of the VR6’s block and head architecture have been revealed, although rumours suggest that it is a new design and is not linked to the new Porsche V6 turbo developed for the upcoming Macan Turbo. Unlike the standard Golf GT...

Volkswagen has not confirmed whether the engine is indeed a VR6 but, judging by the configuration of the intake and exhaust systems, it seems likely to be the case.The new six-cylinder engine, which has a single cylinder head and a claimed 15-degree angle between its rows of cylinders, is said to displace 3.0 litres. Thanks to direct fuel injection and twin turbochargers, its output is stated to be a substantial 496bhp and 57.1kgm. It's reputedly set to see service in future models, which may include high-performance versions of the Volkswagen CC and the recently unveiled CrossBlue coupé — although the engine will most likely be detuned for economy, emissions and drivability reasons.A senior Porsche engineer confirmed that the new Volkswagen engine was a narrow-angle VR6, but that it wasn't in any way related to new engines being developed for the Porsche Macan. It's not yet known whether the new unit is a development of an existing VR6 or an all-new engine, or if it wil...

Audi has unveiled the A6 special edition to celebrate the sale of 6000 A6's in the country. The special edition is a combination of existing features and some new ones to give the A6 an A8 like experience in the backseat. This top of the line A6 features keyless go, four-zone climate control, MMI touchpad, adjustable air suspension, a Bose music system and eight airbags. Apart from this, the special edition also packs in A8-like controls in the  back seat to slide the front passenger seat to free up legroom. The rear passengers also get a remote control that provides complete access to the MMI system. On the outside the A6 wears the full LED cornering headlights as well.   The special edition is offered as a package on any of the three engine options. However, it can only be added on to the Premium Plus and Navigation Variants of the A6. While this is a limited time offer, the new features are expected to become part of the options list in the future. A trickle do...

Ford is all set to launch the EcoSport soon and one of the talking points of the new compact SUV is what the carmaker is touting to be a “potentially life-saving” Emergency Assistance system. The system, according to Ford, is a vehicle-based, no-cost, non-subscription call-for-help system that delivers a voice message directly to emergency operators, indicating that a vehicle has been involved in an accident in which the airbags have been deployed or fuel pump shut-off triggered and opens the line for hands-free communication. “Ford’s Emergency Assistenace system has already proved itself as a life-saver in other parts of the world and we expect our customers here to appreciate this level of reassuring in-car connectivity,” said Joginder Singh, president and managing director, Ford India. The Emergency Assistance system works via Ford’s Sync system, which is a voice-activated, hands-free communications and entertainment package for mobile phones and digital media players that allows...

The new Ecosport will be available in four trims and three engine options. The base car will be called Ambiente, with the Trend, Titanium and Titanium Optional topping off the range. The engines will include a 1.5-litre petrol, 1.5-litre diesel and Ford’s much awaited 1.0-litre turbo charged direct-injection EcoBoost petrol. The latter, however, will only available on the top-end Titanium trim.  The Ambiente may be the base version, but it comes with a decent amount of kit. It gets tilt and telescopic steering, a music player with Aux-in and Bluetooth, electric wing mirrors, remote locking, a multi-function display, and 15-inch wheels. You only get front power windows though and there is no parcel tray with which to cover your luggage either.  Above this is the Trend, which gets anti lock brakes, rear power windows, steering-mounted audio controls and driver-seat height adjust. Both these trims are available only with manual gearboxes mated to a 1.5-litre diesel...

Ford is proud of the EcoBoost engine under the hood of the new EcoSport and rightly so. This pint-sized 1.0-litre engine is so good, it won the 2012 International Engine of the Year award and joins past winners that include BMW’s legendary V10 in the old M5 and Volkswagen’s complex but effective 1.4-litre twin-charger unit. In addition to this, the EcoBoost set 16 land speed records at a racetrack in France last year, and was awarded the Popular Mechanics Breakthrough award among others. Here’s a quick look at why it won these awards. The EcoBoost engine, despite its small displacement, makes 123bhp and 17.3kgm of torque (from as low as 1400rpm), which is roughly what you would previously get from a relatively bigger engine. The EcoBoost, in line with the global trend of downsizing engines, is a three-cylinder unit that runs on petrol, uses a cast iron block, direct-injection technology and a turbo-charger. It’s a twin-cam design that’s variable valve timing enabled on...

Porsche will celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Porsche 911 Turbo with the introduction of the fastest, most powerful and most technically sophisticated version yet: the new 991-series. The sixth generation of the 911 Turbo, which will be unveiled at the Frankfurt motor show in September, will be offered with the choice of two power outputs as Turbo and Turbo S models. In standard guise, the new four-wheel-drive 911 flagship’s twin-turbocharged 3.8-litre flat six engine produces 20bhp more than its direct predecessor, at 513bhp. That’s double the output of the original 1974 model, whose feisty turbocharged 3.0-litre flat six produced 256bhp. In more sporting Turbo S guise, the new 911 Turbo’s reserves swell by 30bhp over the previous version to 552bhp. That’s sufficient to provide it with claimed 0-100kph acceleration in 3.1sec, together with a 319kph top speed.  Porsche has yet to confirm the torque rating of its new engine, but indications are that it has risen above the 71...

Land Rover has launched a limited edition Defender, called the LXV, to celebrate its 65 th  anniversary.  The Defender LXV (65 in Roman numerals) is based on the 90” Hard Top model. Its 2.2-litre diesel engine and six-speed manual gearbox are directly carried over from the standard car. Externally, the LXV can be identified by its Corris Grey roof, grille and headlight surrounds. LXV and Union flag decals also feature. The interior changes include leather seats with orange contrast stitching and embossed LXV logos. The first Land Rover was produced on April 30, 1948, making the brand 65 years old today. To further mark the occasion, Land Rover is organising an exhibition of heritage vehicles at its first proving ground, Packington Estate. The celebratory event at Packington House near Solihull will include over 130 vehicles. Packington was used to develop the first Land Rover in 1947-48, up until the original Rang...

The notification dated April 18, 2013 reads, “Cars manufactured prior to January 1, 1950 are free for import by actual users. However, such cars plying on public roads will continue to be subject to Central Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 and Rules, 1989.” The amendment has been carried out with immediate effect. There is no clarity yet regarding how the import duty will be calculated, although a flat duty structure could be considered to avoid under-invoicing of the vehicle’s value. The import ban had heavily restricted the number of classic and vintage cars in the country, sending prices skywards over the last decade. We could expect prices of these cars to reach more realistic levels once collectors start importing them in considerable numbers. The president of the ‘Vintage and Classic Club of India’ Nitin Dossa welcomes this as a positive move. But he has concerns regarding how the cars will be evaluated for the amount of duty they will carry. Also, it is not clear if left-hand-dri...

The suspense behind the missing January-March 2013 luxury car sales numbers - and the leader board - is finally over. There is a new leader in the Indian market – Audi. While the hard-charging Audi India had revealed its sales statistics for both January-March 2013 (2,616 units) and 2012-13 (9,350 units), all that was known of BMW India’s sales were its April-December 2012 numbers (7,006 units). If BMW had to hold on to its position, it had to notch sales of 2,344 units. While the Bavarian carmaker has not officially revealed its sales for the first three months of 2013, it is understood that the company’s Indian unit sold a cumulative 1,465 units, which gives it a total of 8,471 units, down 879 units on Audi India’s sales. Mercedes-Benz remains in third place with total sales of 7,015 units in the last fiscal year while Jaguar Land Rover, which had quite a flat year, saw sales of 2,521 units (see the leader board below). It’s good news for Audi India, which missed the No.1 spot i...

This is reported to be the first leaked picture of the upcoming Mercedes S-Class. The German carmaker will officially unveil the new S-Class on May 15.  Mercedes has revealed the a series of photographs of the interiors of the S-Class earlier which have been designed with an emphasis on rear-seat passenger comfort and what Mercedes bosses call the “essence of luxury”. Goetz Renner, Mercedes’ head of customer research, says the S-class has been conceived around the vision of “energising comfort”. Mercedes researchers say they are reacting to the global “mega-trend” for “health and fitness and the need for work/life balance” where people “need to relax to preserve their resources”. The upshot is innovations such as an on-board scent diffuser and ‘energising’ massage seats, as our detailed look explains.     DASHBOARD The instrument binnacle is made up of two 12.3-inch TFT screens. The left display shows — in digital form — conventional speedo and rev ...

Mercedes-Benz is all set to launch its all-new A-class in India on May 30. Unlike most other Mercs on sale in India, this car is not well suited to being chauffeured around in. With its rakish profile and sporty roofline, the A-class is targeted more at owner-drivers. Mercedes is hoping that the extremely youthful design of the car, the very modern interiors and its sporty driving dynamics will appeal to the young and the young at heart, just like it has done in Europe; where the car is currently a runaway success. There’s certainly plenty to look at in the heavily sculpted design. The stance is very athletic and there is a lot to admire in the profile of the car; the long bonnet and low roof gives it a very sporty look. The big star at the centre of the grille gets your attention and your eyes then wander over to the scowling headlights. Even the rear has been thoroughly worked on – a ducted rear bumper and rear splitter together make the back of the car look really well ‘pla...

The Porsche Boxster and Cayman have bagged the ‘Car of the Year’ title at the 2013 Vehicle Dynamics International Awards. An international jury comprising of 29 judges from 19 countries gave the top honours to the Porsche duo, based on their exceptional handling characteristics. Hans-Jürgen Wöhler, Porsche’s head of the Boxster and Cayman product line, said: “I am very proud to get this award. The new Boxster and Cayman have both made big steps forward.” Ford’s achievement for making mass produced cars very dynamically accomplished, won their global dynamics team the ‘Dynamics Team of the Year’ award. Moreover, Ford’s vehicle dynamics specialist David Put was individually recognised for his work on the sporty RS and ST models. Summing up the achievement of these two brands, Graham Heeps, editor of Vehicle Dynamics International said: “This year Porsche has launched two cars that have simply changed the game as far as all-round dynamic performance is concerned in a mainstre...