March 31, 2010

McLaren Automotive Debuts MP4-12C

The McLaren MP4-12C is revealed as the initially in a range of high-per-mance sports cars from McLaren Automotive. The McLaren MP4-12C features a carbon fibre chassis organize, Carbon MonoCell and reaches 60 mph mark in under 3 seconds and 0-124 mph in under 10 seconds. The 2010 Porsche 911 Turbo hits 60 in 3.2 seconds, the Corvette ZR1 takes 3.5 seconds, the Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4 and Ferrari 458 Italia take 3.4 and 3.3 seconds respectively and the Nissan GT-R takes 3.5-second.

All the parts of the McLaren MP4-12C are bespoke and unique to this car. Everything from the engine right down to the tailor-made switches and buttons is pure McLaren: not anything has come from another manufacturer’s parts bin. The 12C is powered by a bespoke McLaren ‘M838T’ 3.8 litre, V8 twin-turbo engine producing around 600bhp, driving through a McLaren seven speed Seamless Shift dual clutch gearbox (SSG). It is targeting not only new standards – power and per-mance in its sector, but also class-leading fuel economy and CO2 emissions; supported by McLaren’s experience of active aerodynamics to aid cooling, grip, handling and road holding.

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Harley-Davidson India Announces Dealers

Harley-Davidson has announced the appointment of its initially five dealers across India in Bengaluru, Chandigarh, Hyderabad, Mumbai and New Delhi. The dealers appointed will be the sole retailers – Harley-Davidson motorcycles, genuine parts and accessories, and Motorclothes clothes and will operate authorized service centers across the five cities in India. The Harley-Davidson dealerships are being designed to the companionship’s global standards and will reflect the essence of the brand, offering customers the opportunity to experience what riders across the world have experienced person – over a century. Harley-Davidson will place forward 12 models from their 2010 line-up, with bookings beginning on April 20, 2010, in each city.

“Today, I’m delighted and proud to welcome on-board the initially dealers in India to the Harley-Davidson family. Each owner brings evident talents and a shared passion – delivering extraordinary customer experiences. Our aim is to make a strong network that will provide our customers a world-class Harley-Davidson ownership experience, and we are off to a fantastic start,” Anoop Prakash, MD, Harley-Davidson India, said.

The five new dealerships are as follows : -

Tusker Harley-Davidson in Bengaluru, led by Srinivas Reddy
Himalayan Harley-Davidson in Chandigarh, led by Siddharth Garg
Banjara Harley-Davidson in Hyderabad, led by K Jairam
Seven Islands Harley-Davidson in Mumbai, led by Arjun Bafna
Capital Harley-Davidson in New Delhi, led by Atul Aggarwal

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Ford Turns Off Computers, To Save $1 Million

At Ford the commitment to energy efficiency and saving money now starts at the office computer. Under a new program called PC Power Management, the power settings on Windows laptops and desktop computers are centrally controlled to lower energy waste and optimize software updates. A managed shutdown of computer systems not in use, especially overnight and on weekends, additional reduces energy use. At the same time, the system ensures all computers connected to the Ford Intranet are awake and able to hear software deliveries during off hours, decreasing downtime during working hours due to software loads. The savings to the companionship on power cost alone is expected to top $1.2 million annually when the system is fully implemented.

By reducing PC power utilization, Ford also stands to lower its carbon footprint by an estimated 16,000 to 25,000 metric tons annually. PC Power Management is being rolled out to Ford computer users across the U.S. this month. It will be migrated to Ford operations around the world later in the year. The cost savings and reduced carbon footprint are obtained by developing “Power Profiles” – each PC in the companionship. With its power profile enabled, each PC monitors its usage patterns and determines when it can be turned off. If the user is working late, he or she will be alerted of the approaching power down and given the opportunity to delay it. In addition, the PC is able to detect when a Microsoft Office product is active and is able to save open documents be-e shutting down in case the user is not present.

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2010 New York Auto Show: 2011 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid

Hybrids originally came from mass-market brands–Toyota, Honda, then Ford–be-e they ascended into loftier realms (Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Porsche). Now Ford is taking its well-received hybrid sedans upscale, by adding a hybrid model to the 2011 Lincoln MKZ lineup. The MKZ, although it shares a production line and some sheetmetal with the Ford…

Source: http://www.greencarreports.com/blog/1043891_2010-new-york-auto-show-2011-lincoln-mkz-hybrid

4 Ways to Get Car Repair Estimates

Car repairs can be dreadfully expensive, I know that one. From getting a new transmission, to having to get a new bumper, it can all be disheartening when you have to call up and get the estimates. Sometimes it makes you wonder how some people don’t go into bankruptcy, when paying them!
If you’re having a [...]

Fiat Rolls Out Half Million 500s From Poland

Another vital milestone in the history of the Fiat 500 and the Fiat Auto plant in Tychy, Poland, where the car is manufactured. The 500,000th Fiat 500 rolled off the production line there only last week. On sale and in demand in 83 different countries around the world, from Italy to Brazil, South Africa to Japan, the new Fiat 500 has reached this historic figure in only 21 months from its launch. The Fiat 500 has already won 40 international awards, has received the prestigious EuroNCAP 5 star rating.

The largest ten markets – the initially 500,000 cars have been: Italy (244,755 units), France (58,425), the Fantastic Britain (51,445), Germany (48,319), Holland (13,682), Switzerland (10,765), Spain (10,103), Belgium (9,548), Japan (9,030) and Austria (8,648). It is well worth remembering too that 80 per cent of customers choose the top of the range versions (the Lounge and Sport) which are fitted as standard with Blue&Me.

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Chevrolet Beat Test Drive Review

2010 Chevrolet Beat – Click above – high resolution picture gallery

Car tested: 2010 Chevrolet Beat 1.2 LT (O)

Fee OTR Mumbai: 5,20,672/-

MotorBeam rating:

India is the hub of the global small car revolution and every manufacturer is pushing hard to get it just right. Enter the new Chevrolet Beat. The Beat is based on the new “Series 300” plat-m, the same one on which the Cruze is based, and is the new generation “Spark” so as to speak, but it is named “Beat” as GM India will continue selling the Spark – a while. Officially launched at the Auto Expo 2010, GM surprised everyone with sweet competitive pricing – a car which looks modern, stylish, young and promises to be excellent value – money. Its obvious that the Beat is aimed into eating away market share from the Hyundai i10 and the Maruti Ritz. We test the top of the line Chevrolet Beat LT Option pack and find out how exactly it fares.

Exteriors – The Chevrolet Beat is an epitome of modern design and looks stylish and modern, and is there-e targeted at the younger generation. It clearly has evolved vastly -m the Spark. The design has a similar skeleton as that seen on the Ritz. Lets start from the front, the initially thing which catches your attention is the large bow tie batch which is placed on a body coloured bar which runs across the front grill. The front grill gives the car a somewhat mouth open appearance but looks classic all the same. Sharp lines on the bonnet clearly de-mark the front from the top of the bonnet.

On either side large clear lens headlight assembly runs all the way to the sides giving it a sleek look and accommodates the headlight, parking light and the indicator lights. The bumper has sharp lines running along the sides which subtly blend into the main body. Large round fog lamps are seen which provide very excellent lighting at night. The chrome surrounding the fog lamps adds to the looks. Hint of black around the headlamp and fog lamp blends well into the body and look fantastic. Viewing the Beat from the sides one has an impression that its a three door hatch. The rear door handles are clearly missing from the body. But are they?

Blacked out window frames look sporty and the windows tapering from front to back looks elegant but somehow makes the rear window a bit smaller than we would have liked. Just at the end of the window frame are the rear door handles. Very nicely placed and make the Beat look like a sports car. Silver roof rails are standard on the top variant. Something which also stands out is a slightly oversized antenna, wonder why it had to be so long? 7 spoke 14 inch alloy wheels go well with the overall looks of the car and mark out the muscular stance. Coming to the rear, rear spoiler is blends well with the roof and looks classy and the rear lights assembly is clean and the round lights look very excellent indeed. Though the Beat puts up an extremely sporty design, it may not be appealing to everyone.

Interiors – Turn the key and getting inside, the Beat looks spacious and the interiors look excellent. Yes, u heard it right, though inner locking is provided, even the top end Beat lacks keyless entry. The dash is well designed and plastic quality is way better than we have seen. The black trim on the sides goes well and looks excellent. 3 spoke steering feels excellent to hold with depressions provided – a com-table grip. Mounted above the steering is an amazingly looking super bike styled speedometer with a digital show which displays the tacho, clock and the fuel gauge. The steering is equipped with a height adjuster and the best Temperature gauge is surprisingly missing but the Beat probably warns you when the engine has overheated.

The front driver seat is com-table and has excellent back support. Height adjustment is not available. For a tall person, the left leg always hits the wavy dash, just where the temperature dial is placed and we noticed that over a long stretch of driving, the continous hitting of the left knee also ends up fiddling with the temperature dial thereby varying the cabin temp. Irritating indeed. Interior design is very excellent and has a futuristic feel. Right at the front, a dummy sensor – inner locking is seen. Probably the international version will get a keyless entry system as it comes on the Cruze. OVRM are internally adjustable as seen with most cars in the segment.

Rear legroom is adequate, not fantastic but certainly excellent enough. Due to the small size of the rear window, it does get a bit claustrophobic in the rear seat. Also worthy to are that enough space is provided to keep odds and ends. Even the cup holders can com-tably store a large sized class and a coin holder next to headlamp leveler is very kind of GM.

Audio system look sleek but sound quality is anything but to speak -. The speakers crack at hardly any volume. Better speakers would have been appreciated. USB and AUX support have been catered – but again the port on the car is a mini USB, cant know why? A regular sized USB does not take up too much space. Air conditioning is impressive and the car cools quickly even after basking in the sun. Compulsory climate control is a boon. Temperature can be adjusted to every half degree starting from 16. Boot is a small compact as compared to the competition but just about enough. Night light has been provided in the boot – better visibility in the dark.

Built Quality – As expected from GM, built quality is top notch. Plastic quality and quality of fabrics used in the interiors is better than most of the competition. It is also well place together with hardly any panel gaps. Over a patchy road, no rattles heard. The suspension absorbs most of the bumps but maybe the tires let down a bit.

On the Go – Crank the engine and it takes a while to notice that the engine is running, the new S-TECH II engine is super silent and one hardly hears the car while idling. Initially gear and we are off. The steering is com-table and the Beat is sharp and responds to steering input quickly. Power delivery is smooth and the engine punches out clad amount of power and at the same give returns highest in class fuel efficiency figures as certified by ARAI. Gearshift was a bit notchy but again we have seen that with most GM cars. It takes a while to get used to the gearbox. Clutch rest is missing and it makes its absence felt over long drives. Though the Beat is a small hatch, high speed stability was found to be exceptionally excellent. While other cars in the competition are fleeting of taking off at about 130 kmph, the beat is stuck to the impose a curfew. it is very stable at high speeds.

Ride, Handling and Braking – 155/70/14 tyres are a huge letdown and thicker rubber would have been ideal and would certainly make a excellent car better, but in the quest to get excellent fuel economy, GM probably chose against going – fatter tyres. Hence the Beat offers best in class mileage. Ride is excellent and the suspension soaks of most of the bumps but again the tyres play a vital role here again. Handling is sharp and the car turns in easily but the tires give up soon. Braking is the same tale. Equipped with ABS the Beat responds to the slightest touch of the brake pedal. On hard braking the car tends to slide as if running on ice. We are sweet sure that once the tyres are upgraded the Beat is a tough per-mer in all the above categories.

Per-mance – The Beat is powered by a 1199cc S-TECH II, Bharat IV compliant, engine (petrol) producing 79bhp @ 6200rpm and producing torque of 108Nm @ 4400rpm which is adequate and the car does not really feel underpowered. The engine is peppy and smooth power delivery boosts the package. But if your expecting per-mance to be anywhere close to the 1.2 liter K-Series powerplant which features in the Ritz and Swift you will be disappointed. The Beat’s engine doesn’t have the red line nature possessed by its Japanese counterparts but it is clad to do the job.

Conclusion – The Beat offers stunning , sporty and muscular looks along with gadgetry like ABS, front airbags, Climate control etc and at the same time delivers a excellent mileage. Icing to cake is Chevrolet’s 3 years zero maintenance package and with the new diesel engine on the cards, the Beat is bound to be a top seller from Chevrolet and we are sweet sure that once the diesel engine arrives the competition is bound to skip a heartBEAT.

Whats Kool

Stunning looks
Superbike style instrumentation
Excellent quality of plastics
Zero maintenance package from Chevrolet
Ride quality

Whats UnKool

Puny tires
Poor audio quality
Lack of keyless entry
No height adjuster – drivers seat

Summing it up : -

How does it Drive:

How does it Look:

How does it Ride:

How does it Handle:

How does it Go:

Chevrolet Beat Specifications : -

Engine: 1199cc, 16V, DOHC
Power: 79 bhp @ 6200 rpm
Torque: 108Nm @ 4400 rpm
Transmission: 5 speed manual
Top Speed: 155kmph
0-100kmph: 16.50 seconds (est)
Fuel Utilization: 18.6 kmpl (ARAI)
Fuel Type: Petrol
Suspension: Mcpherson Struts (Front) Compound link type (Rear)
Tires: 155/70/14 Tubeless Radials
Brakes: Ventilated Disc (Front), Drums (Rear), ABS, EBD
Safety: ABS, EBD, Dual SRS Front Airbags
EURO NCAP Rating: (4 Star) (Crash Test Video)

Chevrolet Beat Dimensions : -

Overall length x width x height: 3640mm X 1595mm X 1520mm
Wheelbase: 2375mm
Impose a curfew clearance: 165
Boot Volume: 170 liters
Fuel Tank Capacity: 35 litres
Kerb Weight: 965kgs

Official Website – Chevrolet Beat

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2011 Nissan LEAF EV Priced At Just $25k After Tax Credit

Turns out, you won’t have to be part of the Tesla crowd to af-d to place a Leaf in the garage. The 2011 Nissan Leaf electric vehicle, which will initially become available in a few markets late this year, will sell at around $25,000 – most customers, and even lower – those in some EV-forthcoming seats. The Leaf has a starting MSRP of just $32,780…

Source: http://www.greencarreports.com/blog/1043875_2011-nissan-leaf-ev-priced-at-just-25k-after-tax-credit

Ferrari 458 Italia High Revv Sound

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Chevrolet Beat Test Drive Review