Preview: Luxury, performance drive buzz at Detroit auto show

Detroit: This year's Detroit auto show, which opens next week, has a decidedly "green" theme. Green as in the color of money, that is. An aura of luxury pervades many of the show's new models as automakers from Europe, Asia and the Motor City itself strive to bring more affluent consumers in to showrooms. Whether one seeks a sedan, coupe or crossover, pricy new choices are not in short supply.

A familiar companion to luxury is performance. Exuding both traits is a hometown show-stopper, the redesigned 2014 Chevrolet Corvette from General Motors Corp. The long-awaited Corvette has been generating considerable buzz ahead of the show. The latest edition of "America's sports car" is only the seventh generation in six decades - with a formal unveiling slated for Sunday night. It should begin reaching dealers in late summer. Pricing may be in the general realm of the current 2013 Corvette, which starts at $50,595.

A trio of expensive performance models from Europe, all priced from well over $100,000, is headed to the U.S. market in the coming year and they, too, will be on display at the show. Leading the pack is the redesigned 2014 Maserati Quattroporte, which Chrysler's Italian parent, Fiat SpA, hopes will spearhead a resurgence of the Maserati brand when it arrives here in summer. The new Quattroporte shares its basic underbody architecture with the Chrysler 300 and features a twin-turbocharged 523-horsepower V8.

Also on view will be the potent 2014 BMW M6 Gran Coupe, a sporty four-door with a twin-turbo 560-horsepower V8 that hits dealers this summer, and the 2014 Bentley Continental GT Speed Convertible, from Volkswagen AG's British uber-luxury brand.



Detroit: This year's Detroit auto show, which opens next week, has a decidedly "green" theme. Green as in the color of money, that is. An aura of luxury pervades many of the show's new models as automakers from Europe, Asia and the Motor City itself strive to bring more affluent consumers in to showrooms. Whether one seeks a sedan, coupe or crossover, pricy new choices are not in short supply.

The soft-top Bentley, which goes on sale in late summer, claims to be 'the world's fastest convertible,' thanks to a 616-horsepower 12-cylinder engine that pushes the all-wheel-drive two-door to a top speed of 202 miles per hour

OPULENCE, ACCELERATION

From Japan, Honda Motor Co will bring the latest concept version of its 2016 Acura NSX sports car, which aims to redefine performance with one of the world's first high-output hybrid drive systems.

The future NSX, which will enter production in two years, is a two-seater that will feature all-wheel drive, a mid-mounted V6 gasoline engine and three electric motors, producing a combined 500 horsepower.

For those well-heeled buyers slightly more concerned with image and looks than acceleration and top speed, a new mid-size sport coupe and three redesigned sport sedans will be on the show floor.


They include BMW's Concept 4 Series Coupe - essentially a reworked and renamed 3 Series two-door; the latest generation of Toyota Motor Corp's (7203.T) Lexus IS series, which competes head-to-head with the 3 Series; Nissan Motor Co's (7201.T) new Infiniti Q50, which replaces the outgoing G series later this year, and Hyundai Motor Co's HCD-14 concept, which previews the next-generation Genesis sedan.

Showgoers will also get a look at the updated Mercedes-Benz E-class line from Daimler AG (DAIGn.DE), but the company is providing only a private preview to journalists of its new 2014 CLA sedan, a sporty-looking 'quad coupe' that will be the centerpiece of the automaker's Super Bowl TV advertising in early February.

Opulence spills over into the crossover segment, where VW's Audi affiliate will unveil its performance-oriented SQ5, Ford Motor Co's (F.N) Lincoln brand hopes to kindle interest with its new 2014 MKC and Chrysler's Jeep brand will show off the facelifted 2014 Grand Cherokee.


FIRST 'GREEN' CADILLAC

Look also for a sneak preview of the redesigned 2014 Acura MDX, which will appear as a thinly disguised 'concept.'

GM's first luxury hybrid, the 2014 Cadillac ELR, will make its public debut at the show, about a year ahead of the projected on-sale date. The two-door ELR is an upmarket companion to the Chevrolet Volt and is likely to be priced above $60,000.

Among the more mainstream vehicles coming to the show are the Nissan Resonance, a preview of the redesigned 2014 Murano crossover; the Honda Urban SUV concept, which teases the redesigned 2014 Fit subcompact, and the Fiat 500L, a compact five-passenger people-mover that will be marketed as a companion to the tiny Fiat 500 hatchback.

A larger crossover, a seven-passenger model based on the Passat sedan and built in Tennessee, is expected from VW.

Toyota will provide a peek at the redesigned 2014 Corolla compact with its Furia concept, and Nissan will flesh out its compact Versa family with the new Versa Note hatchback.



Trucks remain a mainstay of the US market, as evidenced by the public debut of the redesigned 2014 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra.

They will be challenged by a concept version of the redesigned Ford F-150 pickup, with the production F-series truck still more than a year away.

Force India hope to build on impressive 2012

Force India aim to set the pace in 2013

London: Sahara Force India are confident of maintaining the impressive form they showed in the second half of 2012 when the new Formula One season kicks off in March. Force India ended seventh in the 2012 Constructors' championship but were the fifth best team in the second half of the season. Outgoing driver Nico Hulkenberg capped off the fine run by coming fifth in Brazil.
"We have to be very encouraged by the second half of the season," Force India deputy team principal Robert Fernley was quoted as saying by Autosport. "The regulations are stable going into 2013. So apart from the development work you're going to do over the winter, fundamentally where you've finished now is where you start in March."


"Can we learn something? We've had two seasons where we've been slow out of the box. It's caught us out. Hopefully in 2013 that won't be the case," he said.
The Silverstone-based outfit, the first one to announce their 2013 car launch date, registered two fourth-place finishes this year, both after the summer break. "If you look at the stats, since the summer break, Force India's the fifth best performing team and Vijay [Mallya] will expect us to start there; it's as simple as that," Fernley said.
"Mercedes obviously have a lot of work to do. They have Lewis [Hamilton] going there, so that's going to be a renewed enthusiasm for what they're doing. From our point of view, we've been strong at the end of this season and we want to carry that through to next year," he added.
Force India are yet to announce their drivers' line-up, though Paul di Resta is expected to retain his seat.

New Mahindra electric car is e2o

Pune:

Mahindra group company Mahindra Reva Electric Vehicles Pvt Ltd has named its next generation, electric car as the Mahindra e2o.


Pronounced as ‘Ee-too-oh’, the electric vehicle has undergone extensive testing, validation and has been certified as road worthy in India. The Mahindra e2o is slated to be launched soon and will be produced at Mahindra Reva’s recently inaugurated plant in Bangalore. This is India’s first platinum certified automobile plant and has a capacity of 30,000 cars per annum.

Commenting on the Mahindra e2o, Pawan Goenka, President, Automotive & Farm Equipment Sectors, M&M, said, “The Mahindra e2o is a game changing development within the personal mobility space that will help the Mahindra Group usher in a positive change in the lives of our customers.

We are on the threshold of ushering in a new paradigm across the automotive value chain, by bringing in products and mobility solutions which will bear testimony to our commitment to create a cleaner environment on planet Earth. This is significant step towards creating a comprehensive eco-system of sustainable mobility solutions, encompassing alternative technologies such as electric, hybrid and fuel cells into our research, development and commercialisation plans”.

The Mahindra e2o will use next generation Lithium Ion batteries and have a range of 100 km per charge. The vehicle could be charged through any 15 ampere plug point. In addition, it is capable of using the futuristic ecosystem of ‘Sun2Car’ to derive energy from the sun to charge the vehicle, while helping to protect and preserve the environment.

In August 2012, the Mahindra Group unveiled a movement for future change by introducing the 5 C’s framework – ‘Clean’, ‘Convenient’, ‘Connected’, ‘Clever’ and ‘Cost-efficient’.

Discover 100T: Bajaj launches new 100cc Discover motorcycle at Rs 50,500

Pune: The second largest two-wheeler maker Bajaj Auto today said it expects to sell around 45,000 units of its new 100-cc bike, the Discover 100T, every month.
"If we get our strategy right, we can do 40,000-45,000 units a month for the Discover 100T," Bajaj Auto managing director Rajeev Bajaj told reporters after the launch.
The Discover 100 T positioned at the upper-end of the mass market, is pitched against the Dream Yuga from Honda and Passion Pro from Hero MotorCorpr, and priced at Rs 50,500 (ex-showroom Delhi). The Dream Yuga is priced at Rs 48,000 and Passion Pro at Rs 40,300.

The company, which enjoys 20 per cent of the 5.5-lakh units a month mass market segment with its existing Discover 100 model, is planning to increase its market share in the segment to 30 per cent with the new model in the next couple of years.
Powered by Bajaj's patented DTS-I 4 valve and 100 cc engine, the Discover is equipped with features such as 30 per cent more power, two spark plugs and five speed gear box.
The vehicle is currently produced at company's Auarangabad facility and within a fortnight the Pantanagar plant will also start production, Bajaj said adding this particular product has seen an investment of Rs 5-6 crore only.
Though only 100 cc, Bajaj Auto motorcycle division president K Srinivas claimed the new model delivers the power of a 125-cc bike giving a fuel efficiency of 87 kmpl.
"The steady growth of the more expensive 100 cc bikes at the cost of the cheaper models is a clear evidence of the shifting market trends. The Discover 100T delivers power of 125 cc motorcycle and mileage of a 100 cc," Srinivas said.
Bajaj Auto has three manufacturing facilities at Chakan near Pune, Auranagabad and Pantnagar and with a combined production capacity of 4 lakh units per month.
Bajaj said the company will roll out new bike from the same platform within this calendar year though given the prevailing adverse market environment expects sales to be flat at the last year's level of 3.8 million units.
He, however, sounded optimistic about the just concluded Q3 saying, "the quarter could put up one of the best performances in Bajaj Auto's history".
On whether the company is looking at exporting the new model, Bajaj said he does not see it happening before the second quarter due to "an expected demand in the domestic market".

Mercedes unveils 2014 E-Class Coupe and Convertible

After unveiling the saloon last month, Mercedes have lifted the wraps off the coupe and convertible versions of the 2014 E-Class. All the design cues on the convertible and coupe point towards the one on the sedan with the exception of the rear still retaining the older generation car's proportions but with new LED elements.
The aggressive front fascia with single piece headlamps make for an attractive proposition. If you thought that Mercedes have ditched the quad-headlight concept on the E-Class, then you are mistaken. A single LED daytime lamp cuts across the headlight to create a minor quad-headlight impression.
The cabin has some minor changes to make it more appealing like the move to shift the gear lever selector on the stalks rather than on the floor, similar to the E saloon. On the cabriolet, the speed-dependent AIRCAP system is available as standard and Mercedes claims that the cabin is the quietest in its class.


AIRSCARF neck-level heating is available as an option wherein customers can enjoy the top-down driving experience even in cold conditions. A variety of driving aids like the agility control sports suspension, stereo multi-purpose camera, 360-degree camera and active parking assist have been added.
As far as engine options go, they are retained from the outgoing version including the E250 CDI, E220 CDI, E350, E250 and E200. Two transmission options - a 6-speed short throw manual and 7G-tronic plus auto are available at launch.
Both the cars along with the saloon will be making their global debut at the 2013 Detroit Auto Show wherein launch dates and prices will be announced.