News Cars Update : Mercedes Launches Three Models Priced Up To 40600 US Dollars

German carmaker Mercedes-Benz on Thursday launched three ultra luxury vehicles -S500 Coupe, S63 AMG Coupe and SUV G63 AMG 'Crazy Colour' edition- priced between Rs 2 crore and Rs 2.60 crore (ex-showroom Delhi).

The company also introduced its exclusive 'designo' platform that allows customers to choose exclusive paints, high quality interiors, trims and features.

"The fully customized S-Class Coupe is priced at Rs 2 crore, the top end AMG S 63 Coupe at Rs 2.60 crore and the AMG G63 'Crazy Colour' edition at Rs 2.17 crore (all prices ex-showroom Delhi)," the company said.

Mercedes-Benz India managing director and CEO Eberhard Kern said, "It is never before that Mercedes-Benz has launched three exclusive luxury cars in a day. These three supremely exclusive cars live up to our claim of 'Best or Nothing' in the most detailed and compelling fashion."

He said the company will target high-net worth individuals in India with the new products and expand the top end segment of the luxury car market which is about a few hundred units a year.

The S500 Coupe and AMG S 63 Coupe feature optionally available unique headlamps with a total of 94 Swarovski crystals, while the AMG G 63 'Crazy Colours' will be available in solar beam, sunset beam and alien green for enhanced personalisation, the company said.

On 'designo' platform, Kern said, "We have seen an increasing demand for exclusivity and customization from our customers and the launch of the 'designo' range will further reinforce Mercedes-Benz's customer focused approach, transforming customer delight to the next level."

Mercedes Benz plans to introduce 15 new products this year. It has now introduced nine in the Indian market so far.

The company had posted a 43 per cent sales growth in India at 3,093 units in the second quarter of 2015. During the quarter Mercedes-Benz sold 3,566 units, overtaking rival Audi, which sold 3,139 units.

In January-June, the company's sales grew 41 per cent at 6,659 units compared with 4,717 units in the year-ago period.

In the first six months of 2015, it had sold almost as many cars as it did in the entire year of 2012.

In the remaining months of the year, the company will open 12 more dealerships to add to its 73 dealers in 39 cities, he added.

Posted by Unknown Thursday, July 30, 2015

News Cars Update : Road Test | Mercedes-Benz S 63 AMG Coupe Not Ready For Levis

Driving Mercedes-Benz's volcanic S 63 AMG coupe is one of those bucketlist automotive experiences well worth waiting for, but watch your dress code, advises DAVE MOORE.

Those used to the luxury things in life complain about the strangest things.

I was fortunate to be checking into one of Vienna's finest lodgings last year, to hear a fellow next to me at the concierge's lectern complaining about the upholstery in his apartment. It appeared that this long-term resident had noticed that his jeans were leaving noticeable indigo smudges on the pale cream leather of the furniture, and could the hotel change his room for the rest of his stay for something with charcoal or brown hide?

The hotel obliged of course, and our friend could continue to wearengine, neatly accommodated under the beast's long, lissom bonnet.

It develops 430 kilowatts of power and 900 Newton-Metres of torque from its blown 5.4-litre Quad-Cam unit, and it feels like it at every touch of the throttle. It can be made to produce volcanic performance from a mere squeeze on the pedal. The nice thing is that even the fastest doubletake doesn't associate my softly contoured coupe with the kind of guttural engine soundtrack it can deliver, which sounds like a weightlifter gargling fence staples when you push it hard.

It's not the most powerful of S 63 AMGs. My $350,000 V8 is upstaged - but only slightly - by the V12 version, which adds four cylinders, half a litre of capacity, 33 additional kilowatts and another 100 Newton-Metres, while asking owners for another $95,000 for the privilege. But I don't feel short-changed in "my" car, which is as easy to drive slowly as it is to shred your driving licence for you, and don't forget, when something on wheels is this good to look at, everyone notices - even if they cannot equate the under bonnet thunder with its over all beauty.

The S 63 AMG Coupe is just one of a plethora of Mercedes-Benz niche-fillers, and when you count-up the company's line-up in New Zealand, it's 76 models long, even before you start to multiply that number a thousandfold by ticking the personalisation boxes. Now, the giant Benz manufacturing machine can offer up everything from hatchbacks to SUVs, supercars to station wagons, and of course four-door sedans to coupes. A niche for everyone, from not much more than $40k to more than ten-times that number.

Lapping up such luxury is a delight, and not just from the attention to detail, the choice of materials and the sheer joy the designers had in terms of their brief, which must have been the nearest thing to an open-ended one as you'd find in the automotive business. It's also impressive in terms of its equipment. Already the devices that keep you away from other vehicles, help you stay in lane and guide you on unfamiliar bends when sensors think you might need a coffee or some help with the steering (without being totally autonomous) can be had in most Mercedes-Benz models, now having trickled down from the mighty S-class model over less than half a dozen years.

Then there are seats that inflate to compensate for cornering forces. With a pleasingly caring kidney squeeze, they imbue great comfort - in a dynamic sort of way - pushing from the right on left handers and the left on right handers. So much so, that when I moved on to a similar-priced but lesser beast after the S 63 AMG, I genuinely missed their assistance and hope they will trickle down soon.

The heated wheelrim is gorgeous too, and the "valet arm" (borrowed from the mid 80s US market, methinks) which offers you your seatbelt when you sit in the car, and the various fragrances you can allow the cabin to offer up to suit your mood.

Back to that pale expanse of cabin luxury. The Nappa leather is exquisitely cut and applied and I daren't ask how big the herd was that gave its all to upholster this car. Each chair is vented and heated, minutely adjustable and in case the feeling of comfort and cosiness isn't enough, the cabin lighting can be made to glow with everything from purple disco modern, to softly lit smoking saloon. It really does make you feel special, and the car's two great market combatants, Bentley's Continental GT and the Aston Martin Vantage feel almost underdone in comparison. It appears the Benz has thought of everything, while the others are still thinking.

My personals favourite driving mode is to unshade the glass sunroof and allow the natural light to lift the pale upholstery's glow and thus set, the cabin feels unlike any other car's as you explode to the horizon. At night, a night vision screen picks out pedestrians for you, while the standard sat-nav is beautifully detailed and intuitive, and it all seems contrived to make you feel good about the driving at hand.

As well as being able to course around corners as if they aren't there, with only those cosseting seats reminding you of how quickly you're taking them, the S 63 AMG Coupe is more than happy to gargle quietly though the transmission's seven ratios at sensible and more socially acceptable velocities. The suspension, which is as adjustable for firmness and comfort as the powertrain is, soaks up even the quake-mangled suburbs of Christchurch with great aplomb, transferring not a thump or shudder to the cabin.

The S 63 AMG Coupe is a satisfying car to drive. Exhilarating at high speed, comforting at lower numbers, it really does show where every one of your third of a million dollars have gone, from paint that still looks wet, leather that cossets like none other and technology designed to keep you and other people safe, not to mention the volcanic power of that hackle-raising V8 as you erupt towards the horizon. If lava had come out of the exhaust pipes, I wouldn't have been at all surprised.

Upholstery? Yep, I'll take the pale hide. You don't wear Levi's in a car like this anyway.

NUTS AND BOLTS

• Drivetrain: Front, inline-mounted rear-wheel-drive, 5.4-litre Quad Cam 32 valve V8, seven-speed automatic transmission.
• Outputs: Max 430kW at 5500rpm, 900 Nm at 0000rpm, 10.1/100km, 237g/km CO2.
• Performance: Max 250kmh (governed), 0-100kmh 4.2 seconds.
• Connectivity: Full suite of sat-nav, bluetooth, MP3, iPod, hard drive, USB functionality.
• Safety: Front, side and curtain airbags, full suite of traction, stability, antilock and chassis control, lane departure warning, radar cruise control, five-star rated crash safety.
• Dimensions: L 5044mm, W 2945mm, H 1422mm, W/base 2945mm, Weight 2070kg, Fuel 80L.
• Pricing: S 63 AMG Coupe $350,000, other S Coupes from $260,000 to $445,000.
• Hot: Style, performance, sense of occasion, space and sheer exuberance.
• Not: Eye-wateringly expensive; pale trim is easily stained; V12 is even more exclusive.
• Verdict: Even in the company of Aston Martin and Bentley it's the best and most practicable coupe you can buy.

Posted by Unknown Tuesday, July 21, 2015

News Cars Update : Ferrari Recalls 2,600 Cars Worldwide Due To Faulty Airbags: Yes, It's Takata In Your Prancing Horse

Luxury car manufacturer Ferrari has issued a recall order for eight new models of its vehicles with price tags of $200,000 to over $1.4 million each due to the Takata airbags that are installed in them.

However, the recall order for the Ferrari vehicles is not due to the controversial defect of Takata airbags that are potentially fatal, which has resulted in a nationwide recall order of 34 million vehicles. The defective airbags can explode upon inflation, sending metal shrapnel into the cabin. This is a good thing for the car owners, as previous reports revealed that it could take months before the replacement airbag systems for cars suffering from such a defect can be provided.

The recall order issued by Ferrari is due to the improper installation of the Takata airbags, as they were installed in the vehicles at a wrong angle.

The wrongly installed airbags were discovered by Ferrari while tests were being done on the steering column of the 458 Italia, according to documents that were uploaded by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The Italian luxury car maker, which is a unit of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, discovered that the leather skin that covers the module of the airbag systems were improperly glued, along with the cushions of the airbags being installed in a wrong angle.

The improper installation will cause the airbags to be deployed with a rotated orientation, which could result in injury for the passenger's vehicles.

"The issue is a possible production defect in a component inside the air bags," said Krista Florin, a spokeswoman for Ferrari. The company has now issued the recall order for the affected vehicles so that the airbag systems can be replaced, she added. The replacements will be done at no cost to the customer.

No injuries or deaths have resulted from the issue covered by the recall order, Ferrari stated in the documents that it filed with the NHTSA.

Worldwide, the recall order affects 2,600 Ferrari vehicles, according to Florin, with the vehicles that have the defective Takata airbags being the 458 Italia, the 458 Speciale, the 458 Speciale A, the 458 Spider, the FF, the California T, the F12 Berlinetta and even the $1.4 million LaFerrari.

Posted by Unknown Sunday, July 19, 2015

News Car Release Update : Proud to ‘Make In India': BMW Announces Brand New Prices Starting Rs 2.9 Million

Celebrating the 'Make in India' initiative, BMW India has announced brand new prices for the portfolio of locally produced cars.
 

BMW India has already strengthened its commitment to the Indian market by increasing the level of localization at BMW Plant Chennai up to 50 percent.

Philipp von Sahr, President, BMW Group India said, “The future belongs to India. If you want to benefit from the dynamics of the Indian market, you need to act today.

Following our approach ‘Production follows the market’, we have accelerated our localization program in India. We have created a win-win situation for our customers with a wide range of exclusively authentic luxury products and now equally attractive value proposition with ‘Make in India’.”

BMW Plant Chennai started operations on 29 March 2007. Since then, the BMW Group has strengthened its commitment to the Indian market and has continuously increased the number of its locally produced car models. Up to eight car models can be locally produced on two assembly lines at BMW Plant Chennai. Presently, the BMW 1 Series, the BMW 3 Series, the BMW 3 Series Gran Turismo, the BMW 5 Series, the BMW 7 Series, the BMW X1, the BMW X3 and the BMW X5 are locally produced at BMW Plant Chennai.

Some of the major auto components sourced for local production of cars at BMW Plant Chennai are: Engine and Transmission from Force Motors; Axles from ZF Hero Chassis; Door Panels and Wiring Harness from Draexlmaier India; Exhaust Systems from Tenneco Automotive India; Heating, Ventilating, Air-conditioning and Cooling Modules from Valeo India and Mahle Behr and Seats from Lear India.

Prices as of July 2015:

BMW 1 Series :

BMW 118d (Sport Line) – INR 2,950,000

BMW 3 Series :

BMW 320d (Prestige Edition) – INR 3,490,000

BMW 320d (Luxury Line Edition) – INR 3,890,000

BMW 320d (Sport Line Edition) – INR 3,890,000

BMW Gran Turismo :

BMW Gran Turismo (Sport Line) – INR 3,990,000

BMW Gran Turismo (Luxury Line) – INR 4,290,000

BMW 5 Series :

BMW 520d (Prestige Edition) – INR 4,490,000

BMW 520d (Prestige Plus Edition) – INR 4,790,000

BMW 520d (Luxury Line Edition) – INR 4,990,000

BMW 530d (M Sport) – INR 5,990,000

BMW 7 Series :

BMW 730Ld (Prestige) – INR 9,250,000

BMW 730Ld (Eminence) – INR 10,650,000

BMW 730Ld (Signature) – INR 12,520,000

BMW X1 :

BMW X1 sDrive20d (xLine) – INR 3,790,000

BMW X3 :

BMW X3 xDrive20d (Expedition) – INR 4,690,000

BMW X3 xDrive20d (xLine) – INR 5,190,000

BMW X3 xDrive30d (M Sport) – INR 5,990,000

BMW X5 :

BMW X5 xDrive30d (Expedition) – INR 6,590,000

BMW X5 xDrive30d (Design Pure Experience) – INR 6,990,000

BMW X5 xDrive30d (Design Pure Experience 7 Seater) – INR 7,290,000

Posted by Unknown Friday, July 10, 2015

News BMW Car Update : BMW Unveils Hydrogen Fuel-Cell Prototype Of i8

The German luxury carmaker BMW has unveiled the hydrogen fuel-cell prototype of its plug-in Hybrid supercar i8. The two-door, black matte finish saloon is powered by rear mounted hydrogen fuel-cell powerplant. It’s the same place, where the hybrid’s turbocharged 1.5-litre three-cylinder petrol engine resides.

In order to maintain its weight, the car gets carbon-fibre construction with the aerodynamics package designed at the BMW’s wind tunnel in Munich. The front gets redesigned kidney grille, large air ducts and slimline headlamps.

Under the hood of BMW i8, power comes from the hydrogen which is stored in a cryogenic cylinder arrangement, with oxygen provided by cooling air. The hydrogen fuel powers the rear mounted electric motor with the maximum power output of 242bhp. And since hydrogen being the primary fuel, the only by-product is water- no harmful carbon monoxide or CO2 emissions. This whole arrangement is mounted along the centre line of the car.

The company has also tied up with Toyota to accelerate fuel cell research. Toyota recently has delivered the first unit of the hydrogen fuel cell vehicle, Mirai, to the Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. On a single tank of hydrogen, Mirai can travel up to 483 kms. The car refuels in less than five minutes and emits only water vapour. The compressed hydrogen gas is fed into the fuel cell stack where it combines with oxygen and moves through the fuel cell stack, creating a chemical reaction, thus producing electricity to power the 152 bhp electric motor driving the front wheels of the vehicle.

 

Posted by Unknown Monday, July 06, 2015

News Sports Car Update : Jaguar India Launches XF Aero Sport

While the XF Aero Sport is based on the XF Luxury 2.2-litre diesel variant, it gets many visual upgrades to make it more appealing.

Jaguar has launched the XF Aero Sport Edition in India, it is a cosmetic update which comes about a month after Mercedes-Benz launched the new E-Class here. Positioned below the XF Premium Luxury 3.0-litre, V6 diesel variant, the XF Aero Sport is essentially a more luxurious version of the XF Luxury 2.2-litre diesel and is expected to appeal to the younger buyers in this segment.

It is priced at Rs. 52 lakh, ex-showroom, Mumbai.

“Jaguar XF is known for its dynamic design, impeccable performance, refined drive and effortless power. The unique design enhancements on XF Aero-sport will further endear the hugely popular model to our young and sophisticated customers looking to own an exclusive Jaguar luxury, sports saloon,” said, Rohit Suri, President, Jaguar Land Rover India.

While the XF Aero Sport is based on the XF Luxury 2.2-litre diesel variant, it gets many visual upgrades to make it more appealing. This include a sportier front bumper (which is a cross between the XF Luxury variant’s unit and the XFR’s unit), and ‘R’ style front-grille (black with chrome surround), side-skirt and boot-lid spoiler-lip. The XF Aero Sport as standard is available with four paint options: Polaris White, Ultimate Black, Dark Sapphire and Odyssey Red. The 17-inch ‘Libra’ 15-spoke alloy wheels are the same as the XF Luxury variant.

Inside, the XF Aero Sport is the same as the XF Luxury 2.2-litre diesel variant. Which means it gets Barley (beige) leather seat and lower door trim, Aluminium and Rosewood veneer (inserts), Warm Charcoal (grey) leather dashboard and upper door trim and Canvas (off-white) headliner trim. The design inside remains unchanged.

Standard features on the XF Aero Sport include blue instrument illumination and interior mood lighting, electrically adjustable front seats with memory, front passenger seat away function (rear passenger can adjust this seat from behind), 7-inch touch screen display with rear camera display, 250W multimedia system connected to 8-speakers with CD/AUX-in/Bluetooth compatibility, front and rear parking sensors with reverse camera, tyre pressure monitoring system, dual-zone climate control, sunroof, front and rear centre armrests, full-size spare tyre, etc. Customers can choose to add many exterior and interior features from the company to make their car unique.

The Jaguar XF Aero Sport is powered by a 2.2-litre (2,179cc), in-line 4-cylinder, turbocharged diesel engine that develops a maximum power of 190PS @ 3,500 rpm and maximum torque of 450Nm @ 2,000 rpm. The unit is mated to a 8-speed automatic transmission and propels the car from 0-100km/h in 8.5 seconds with a top-speed of 225 km/h. The ARAI-rated efficiency figure for this model is 16.36 km/l.

Posted by Unknown Saturday, July 04, 2015