CNG Versions of Indigo, Indica Launched

Tata Motors launched CNG versions of mid-sized sedan Tata Indigo and compact car Tata Indica under its emax series priced up to Rs. 5.27 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi). 

The new Tata Indigo emax price starts at Rs. 4.99 lakh and goes upto Rs. 5.27 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi), while the new Tata Indica emax is priced between Rs. 3.99 lakh and Rs. 4.26 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi), the company said in a statement.

The new emax range has CNG and Petrol bi-fuel system options, it added.

The introduction of the new variants comes as an essential step that underlines the company's commitment to be a sustainable automotive player.

The two new variants have been introduced in six markets across India and will now be available in Delhi, Maharashtra, Gujrat, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and Tripura, the company said.

Tata Motors had showcased its emax range at the "Horizonext' event, held in Pune, in June 2013, with a commitment to launch its CNG range in a phased manner in FY 14. The Nano emax was the first in the range.

Crazy about Beautified and Glorified SUV "THE RENAULT DUSTER"

The reliable, robust and easy to drive SUV, Renault Duster is already ruling million hearts. This powerful drive has become a prime choice for all those enthusiasts who love driving a vehicle with off-road capabilities. It's compact dimensions, short overhangs, big clearance angles, high ground clearance and reinforced underbody that is apt for all terrain use. All these features just make you fall in love with this exalted SUV.

And now Nissan has come up with Terrano, which is again a compact SUV or you can say, a beautified and glorified version of Renault Duster. Yeah! I am crazy about SUV Renault Duster.

The new Duster gets a major facelift up front, which includes a new stylish grille, a new air intake and headlamps with daytime running lights. Although the side profile looks unchanged, 16-inch Dark Metal alloy wheels look good. The rear gets new tail-lamps and lots of chrome.

Minor changes to interiors such as steering mounted controls, infotainment system, reshuffled buttons etc. are evident in the photographs. Although mechanically it remains the same, rumour has it that the 1.6-litre petrol engine will be replaced by a 1.2-litre turbocharged petrol engine.

System that prevents Drunk Driving

In today's modern times, underage drunk driving is one of the major problems in our society. It's really shocking that today's teenagers are out of control when it comes to alcohol intake and even drugs. Kids nowadays really abuse themselves beyond limitation. With a combination of influence coming from their peers and friends, it's so easy for them to lose track of their values and this is becoming an evident issue of today's generation of youth. In India you can be arrested under Drunk Driving Law of India.

Drunk driving is a serious problem for our nations youth. It's hard to believe but more and more peoples are using and abusing alcohol and/or drugs than ever before. Combine that with the intense peer pressure that peoples go through and we have a serious problem called drunk driving.

Yeah! It is Muthu Kumar Ramachandran (born on September 25, 1982) of Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, designed a device named "Hi-Tech Drink and Drive Preventive System for Automobiles" Which once installed in the dashboard of any vehicle can avoid drink and dreive accidents by not allowing the vehicle to start if the driver is drunk and also stops within 30 seconds in case the pulse sensor in the device detects that the pulse rate of the driver is abnormal.

Article Source : Preventive system for drunk driving

New Nissan Terrano SUV

By now, most of us are familiar with the word badge engineering, thanks to the Renault-Nissan Alliance. The alliance has already brought us two great rebadged cars – Scala and Pulse. The third car born out of the partnership, the Nissan Terrano, is a rebadged Duster and this review will endeavor to find out how far the Terrano has departed from the Duster.

Design

The New Nissan Terrano SUV has thrown in some stand-out styling cues into the Terrano that clearly differentiate it from the Duster. From the front, the Terrano can easily be identified by the signature Nissan grille that is reminiscent of the Pathfinder. It's certainly the most effective element of the Terrano’s look, because it translates well into a big SUV shape. The bold lines on the V-shaped bonnet that blends seamlessly into the grille make it unmistakably a Nissan. The angular headlamps and bumper are new as well.

In profile, changes are more subtle, with curvier door panels and blacked out B and C pillars being the only difference. Alloy wheels are new as well. Save for the new tail lamps, the rear looks similar to the Duster. Looks may be subjective, but Terrano certainly scores over Duster in exterior design.

The Terrano’s interiors look similar to Duster’s and I was surprised to see the ‘French ergonomics’ carried forward into a Japanese car. Quirky controls, such as the ORVM switch under the handbrake, remain unchanged. Steering wheel has a smarter design but lacks grip. The centre console looks tad better than the Duster, owing to rectangular AC vents, storage space with a lid and piano-black finish for the audio system. Top variants come with rear AC vents but as we saw on the Duster, it is more of an inconvenience because it eats into rear legroom and the flaps cannot be adjusted. Overall, the interiors have improved, but not by a ton.

Performance

The Nissan Terrano is available with three engines – 85PS and 110PS diesels and 104PS petrol. While 110PS diesel comes with 6-speed manual, the other two get 5-speed manual. Automatic transmission is not even in the pipeline.

Since the engines, transmissions and other mechanicals remain unchanged, the Terrano drives similar to Duster. Overall performance of the petrol and 85PS diesel motors is smooth and more than adequate, especially in light of the impressive fuel economy figures. However, both the engines feel a bit strained when revved hard. The 110 PS diesel delivering 248 Nm of torque @ 2250 rpm is certainly a fun-to-drive car and remains my favourite.

Both diesel engines suffer from the inevitable turbo lag and response to the accelerator pedal is less than immediate. You need to keep the needle above the 1,200rpm mark and keep moving else the lag is felt easily.

Ride and Handling

Although Nissan is tight-lipped about any possible changes under the skin, I strongly felt a huge improvement in Terrano’s noise insulation. The cabin is significantly quieter than the Duster and offers a smoother ride. However, the diesel engines are clattery at idle and loud above 3000rpm.

Terrano handles easily and fluently and the steering feels suitably light around town, yet weighting up enough as the speed builds. Yet, the steering is very sensitive, just like the Duster, to potholes and undulations on the road and that translates into some frustrating steering feedback.

Safety

When Nissan introduced Micra in India, safety was taken to new heights as the company offered airbags across all variants. Continuing the commendable trend, Nissan Terrano comes with driver airbags even on the base variant - a great advantage over Duster. Mid and top variants have ABS with EBD on offer, too.

Mileage

Nissan claims a mileage of 13.2 kmpl for the Terrano petrol, while the 110 PS diesel returns 19.01 kmpl and the 85PS delivers 20.45 kmpl.

Conclusion

In short, the Nissan Terrano comes with all virtues of the Duster, plus a little more. Prices range from Rs. 9.59 lakh for the base variant to Rs. 12.44 lakh for the top trim. That makes the Terrano up to Rs. 70000 (approximate) more expensive than the Duster across variants. No doubt, the Terrano looks more mature and modern, but is it worth paying the extra just for better appearance and enhanced safety? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.

Is it really new Nissan Terrano SUV cheaper than Renault DUSTER? Just get Variant-wise comparison : Nissan Terrano vs. Renault Duster here and make up your mind to buy your favorite SUV. 

New BMW 5 Series arrives in India

The New BMW 5 Series has been launched in three exclusive design schemes - The Luxury Line, the Modern Line and the M Sport. The Luxury Line embodies the ultimate in elegance and exlusivity, the Modern Line makes for an appearance that is particularly in tune with a contemporary lifestyle. M Sport celebrates the future-oriented sporty desing of the new BMW 5 Series. The new Series is available in diesel varioants and the all India ex-showroom prices are as follows - BMW 520d Modern at Rs. 46,90,000, BMW 520d Luxur at Rs. 46,90,000, BMW 525d Luxury Plus at Rs. 51,90,000.

Toyota i-ROAD concept

Automakers increasingly are turning to electric vehicles to offer buyers zero-emissions mobility, but four-wheeled EVs can be heavy and expensive, and they can’t slice through urban centers any better than regular cars. Toyota thinks it has a solution, and it’s called the i-ROAD. The small, three-wheeled electric-powered concept is something of a cross between a car, a motorcycle, and a fancy golf cart, and Toyota refers to it as a personal mobility vehicle.

i-ROAD Is i-Clever

On paper, the i-ROAD might not seem as cool as conventionally powered three-wheelers such as Morgan’s 3-Wheeler, but it’s actually quite innovative. The i-ROAD seats two passengers in tandem to keep the body as narrow as possible; it measures just 33.5 inches wide, 56.9 inches high, and 92.5 inches long. That’s just a bit more than half the width of a Smart Fortwo Electric Drive, and Toyota claims that the i-ROAD is no wider than a two-wheeler. Toyota must be referring to some of the beefier bikes, but either way, the concept is skinny.

Besides offering hypothetical urban customers a tight, motorcycle-like footprint, the i-ROAD also gives them protection from the elements. Featuring a fully enclosed body—bettering BMW’s odd C1 scooter, which had only a roof panel—the i-ROAD makes a far better foul-weather proposition than a regular motorcycle or even the Morgan or Can-Am Spyder. Toyota says that because the i-ROAD’s passenger cell is fully enclosed, no helmet is necessary—a critical point for the hair-style sensitive. The closed body also means the driver cannot stick his or her foot out to steady the i-ROAD when at rest, so Toyota gave the concept a trick front-wheel setup that keeps it upright without human help.

Toyota calls the i-ROAD’s self-righting front-wheel gadgetry Active Lean technology, and it consists of a geared actuator affixed to each front wheel’s suspension arm. A computer manages the degree of lean of each front wheel—as the angle of lean of one wheel increases, the other lowers by the same amount—using steering angle, a gyroscope, and vehicle speed to induce lean in corners or keep the i-ROAD steady at low speeds. The system also can filter out potentially balance-upsetting road imperfections when traveling in a straight line. The i-ROAD is steered using a squircle-shaped steering wheel rather than a set of handlebars.

i-ROAD, Therefore i-Zero Emissions

If you thought the i-ROAD’s front-wheel setup couldn’t get any more involving or interesting—from a technical standpoint, at least—prepare to be further wowed. The i-ROAD is actually front-wheel drive, and no power goes to the rear wheel. Each front wheel features a 2.7-hp in- hub electric motor powered by a shared lithium-ion battery that offers a claimed driving range of 30 miles. Toyota says battery top-offs take just three hours when fed by a “conventional domestic power supply,” but doesn’t indicate which domestic power standard—Japanese, European, or U.S.—is being cited.

There aren’t many exciting electric cars out there right now—excepting Tesla’s quick and attractive Model S—but we’re genuinely tickled by this Toyota concept. It looks cool, and we’re inclined to believe Toyota’s press-release hyperbole regarding the i-ROAD’s “unique driving experience.” We foresee the i-ROAD having far more success in Europe and Japan than here, though, if it ever were to go into production, thanks to the variously tight parking conditions, congested urban centers, and strict emissions regulations. Too bad. Because while the i-ROAD has one less wheel than a Prius, it’s at least three times more interesting.

Article source : Revealed: Toyota i-Road concept