Test Drive - Volkswagen Beetle

But the new bug is called the New Beetle, though you shouldn't be looking for badges to that effect anywhere in the car - because there aren't any. But hey, that is triumph of design for you. When Jay Mays attempted to recreate the iconic exterior form of the original bug, he made sure that the new car retained the fundamental lines. The result is a car that can be identified from space. Even bigger victory is when children who do not know the existence of the original still love the New Bug. Simply put, this is a suitably huggable automobile.

But there are a few things one should know before starting with a road test. Volkswagen has perfected the art of platform sharing and deep under the stunning shell of the bug lies a VW Golf (ditto with other VW Group models like the Skoda Octavia, Audi TT and so on). That means the new car features a front-engine, front-wheel drive lay out instead of the rear-engine, rear-wheel drive lay out of the original. No more 'bonnet' jokes alright?

The New Beetle was launched a decade back and has since spawned a convertible version too. The 'retro' design is so good that it has not received any major update till now - and as long as the car sells on the way it looks, it does not need any.

Clean lines comprised of three adjoining semi-circles pay homage to the original beetle. But the designer has done a major clean-up job by creating a clutter-free, smooth profile that looks oh-so-cute from all angles. Seen in twilight you will wonder whether the car is 'going' or 'coming' though - because the tail lamps are housed on the fender like the headlamps up ahead. Brilliant. I have driven some serious machines on the streets of Mumbai and only exotic supercars got more eyeballs than the New Beetle. People stopped to ask about the price, fuel efficiency or just to tell me that the car looked great. If you want to attract some attention on the road, there are not many better choices in India today.

'Thoroughly modern yet simple' is how one can put the interior design of the New Beetle. Cues to the car that inspired this creation are many - including large dials and, believe this, a flower vase by the side of the steering wheel.

A functional yet good looking three spoke steering wheel allows you to monitor the information laid out in the single large dial that houses the speedo, the rev counter and the fuel gauge among other things. Scores of round dials, switches and air-con vents keep up with the overall 'ovoid' design theme. Extremely good quality materials and a twin-tone treatment cannot be missed. The New Beetle feels very spacious for a boutique car.

Both the front seats 'lift-fold-move forward' easily to provide access to the rear seats. Unlike other (sportier) coupes, the rear seats are meant for humans and not just grocery and pets. What can be slightly annoying to the Indian buyer though is the vast area of plastic before the windscreen meets the bonnet - problem for those who like to see the edge of the car that they are driving. Nothing so serious that you cannot get used to it.

You do not buy a Beetle for burning rubber but hey, you have to live up to the 'Herby goes to Monte Carlo' reputation too, right? Only one engine option is made available for India and that is a 2000 cc, four cylinder unit that develops a relaxed 115 bhp. Not really a stonker of an engine going by today's standards.

The power is sent to front wheels through a six-speed automatic gear box. Despite the paucity of power on paper, the Bug is fun to drive. The steering is direct and power delivery smooth and without any lag. The power train lends a cruiser (than a bruiser) approach to the car - perfect then for a flowing road that borders the ocean! It takes 12 odd seconds to do 100 kph - so she aint no drag queen! That said the engine car manage to hold a steady 150 kph when you are blessed with an express highway.

The New Beetle is as safe as a last generation Golf - which is not a bad thing at all. Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) and an electronic stability control comes standard along with four airbags (driver, passenger and side airbags).

Awaited May 2009 : Next surprise from Maruti

Maruti Suzuki will add yet another small car to its range this summer and to add to the rising temperatures, the company decided to jet off to sweltering Malaysia to put together its commercial campaign for the new car. Back in India, the company was busy rolling out the first of its K12M engines that will power the new addition to its portfolio. In most countries it is called the Splash, but in India it will feature the Ritz moniker.

Based on the Swift platform, the Ritz is just 3.7 metres long. Designed to replace the Wagon-R in European markets, the Ritz is about 18 centimetres longer. The design of the car is in line with the current range of Suzukis and despite the tall boy approach, it looks less top heavy than the boxy Wagon-R. With the extra length, it has managed to liberate more interior room and this makes it a better environment to be in. Like always, there are bits and pieces of the Swift that can be found on the inside, but the overall quality is better than the Wagon-R.

With near similar underpinnings and the option of a petrol engine to begin with, the Maruti Ritz will take on the likes of the Hyundai i10 Kappa with its new K12M engine. This 1197cc four-cylinder uses a DOHC configuration just like the Kappa, but produces even more power. Rated at 84 bhp@6000 rpm, the power figure is just as impressive as the torque — at 11.4 kgm@4500 rpm. So how come Maruti have managed to pull it off? Well, they’ve adopted an all-aluminium engine with an innovative rocker-less DOHC camshaft, a distributorless ignition system, lighter pistons and nut-less conrods and a new silent timing chain to reduce NVH.

To assemble this marvel of an engine, Maruti Suzuki has localised most of the engine components to keep costs in check. This means when the engines roll out from Maruti’s Gurgaon drivetrain facility, they will be priced competitively enough to ensure the Ritz stays in the hunt of its competition. While the car is also available internationally with the 1.3-litre DDiS engine, we won’t get it for now, until Maruti can satisfy the demands of the Swift and Swift Dzire with its limited production capacity.

While Maruti is tight-lipped about prices just yet, we think it’ll be priced around the i10 Kappa, which puts it in the Rs 4.25 to 5.25 lakh range. Given its slightly larger dimensions and better interior room, it could be a probable winner in the Indian market when it rolls out in May. A sizzling battle for your wallets is in the offering.

First global car turns 100 !

Henry Ford's Model T, which changed the world's automobile industry, is a 100 years old.

American auto giant Ford Motor Company is observing the 100th anniversary of the Ford Model T in a year-long series of celebrations to honour the iconic vehicle.

The Ford Model T made its debut on October 1, 1908. It was the world's first low-priced, mass-produced automobile that was reliable and could be maintained easily. The car, whose production finally stopped on May 26, 1927, sold more than 16.5 million units, making it the 7th best-selling car ever in automobile history.

On December 18, 1999, the Ford Model T was named 'Car of the Century.' Henry Ford called the Model T 'the Universal Car.' It was also called the Tin Lizzie.

The Model T was equipped with a 20-horsepower, side-valve four-cylinder engine and two-speed planetary transmission on a 100-inch wheelbase. The car had a top speed of about 70 km per hour. The car weighed 550 kg. It had a fuel consumption of between 6 and 9 km per litre.

Ford established the Ford Motor Company to manufacture automobiles in 1903, and began to produce a few cars a day at the Ford factory in Detroit. He then set up a massive industrial complex along the Rouge River in Dearborn, Michigan, and then went ahead to revolutionise the way automobiles were produced. Although he did not invent the automobile or the assembly line, Henry Ford was the first person to apply the assembly line technique to produce cars.

He combined the techniques of precision manufacturing, division of labour and an assembly line -- where workers remained in one place, adding one component to each car as it moved past them on the line -- to make cars. Workers received the spare parts through a conveyor belt at specifically timed intervals to keep the process smooth and efficient.

This transformed the way cars were produced. It reduced the time taken to assemble each vehicle and drastically lowered costs. It also made Ford Motor Company the world's largest auto maker.

In 1914 Ford produced 308,162 cars. The company's web site says that this was more than all the 299 other auto manufacturers combined! By the time the last Model T was built in 1927, Ford was manufacturing a car every 24 seconds. The first Model Ts were sold for $825. This was much cheaper than what other cars cost then.

Remarkably, over the years, Ford continued to steadily lower its price, thanks to its manufacturing efficiencies. The Ford Model T was also the world's first truly global car. By 1927, it accounted for almost 57 percent of all the cars manufactured the world over.

Hyundai to hike car prices by up to 2%

Hyundai Motor India, today said it would raise the prices of its products by up to 2 per cent from the first week of June.

"There has been an increase in the input costs and we have been absorbing it for a while. The situation now is such that we have to pass some parts of it to the consumers," Hyundai Motor India Ltd (HMIL) Senior Vice-President Marketing and Sales Arvind Saxena said.

He said the company will hike the prices of its various models by up to 2 per cent. The price increase will come into effect from the first week of June, he added. Hyundai currently sells hatchback models Santro, i10, Getz along with sedans Accent, Verna, Sonata Embera in the country. The company's move to hike prices follows rival Maruti Suzuki India, which last week hiked prices across various models between Rs 1,000 and Rs 18,000.

Wallpaper : Ferrari California

Ferrari California is the name of the new Gran Turismo, joining the range of the Prancing Horse. Convertible with a folding hard top, powered by a V8 engine which is front-mid mounted for the first time in the marque,s history.