Category: Cars

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BMW XM – Specs, Price, Colors in India | Automotivekeeda

By Javed Ali Khan

BMW India has launched the very first ever BMW XM which is priced at Rs.2.6 cr, ex-showroom and comes in a completely Built-Up Unit. The bookings for the car are open and will be available for delivery from May 2023 onwards. BMW XM is totally a new product and developed fully independently with no conceptual baseline to be found in the BMW model range.

As per Mr. Vikram Pawah, President, BMW Group India, “Driven by Motorsport, the BMW M automobiles have lived up to the highest standard of agility, dynamics and power. A new era is beginning, an era of emotion, electrification and powerful technologies.”

The car comes with two years standard warranty for unlimited kilometers and the high-voltage battery is covered by a warranty valid for 8 years or up to 1,20,000 kilometers. The car has eye catching front – illuminated BMW Kidney grills with sleek twin LED headlights and large air intakes. The BMW XM is the most powerful SUV ever from the German company which boasts of a plug-in hybrid powertrain, BMW M Twin-Power Turbo V-8 engine, paired with a high-performance electric motor, delivering a power of 653 hp (480 kw) and 800 Nm torque.

The SUV has BMW’s intelligent M xDrive system, fourth generation 8 – speed M steptronic transmission, BMW ConnectedDrive, BMW Curved display, BMW Heads up display, 6 airbags, Antilock Braking System, M Dynamic Mode, Attentiveness Assistance, M Sport differential networked with dynamic stability control, Cornering brake control, Dynamic brake control, Active Roll Stabilization to name a few.

 

 

 

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Tata Motors introduces iCNG technology in Tiago and Tigor

By Javed Ali Khan

Tata motors introduced iCNG technology which they call the most advanced technology in their two successful products – Tiago and Tigor. The single advance ECU allows smooth auto switchover between fuels and direct start in CNG (segment first) makes things more easy for the users. The iCNG based Tiago starts at Rs.6.09 lakh and goes up-to Rs. 7.64 lakh and Tigor starts at Rs. 7.69 lakh and goes up-to Rs.8.41 lakh.

The cars have been loaded with features – Tiago iCNG comes with the Projector Headlamps, LED DRLs, Chrome embellishments on the exteriors and premium black and beige dual-tone interiors. Tigor iCNG comes equipped with features such as Rain sensing wipers, Automatic headlamps, Dual tone roof, new seat fabric and new dual tone black and beige interiors.

Both have a warranty of 2 years or 75,000 kms, whichever is earlier, as a standard option for all customers.

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BMW X3 launched in India – Sportier and Modern 3rd Generation

By: Javed Ali Khan

BMW India has started the year 2022 by launching the 3rd generation X3, with better sportier dynamics and modern amenities.  The vehicle up for sale are two petrol variants with an introductory price of Rs. 59,90,000 for X3 xDrive30i SportX Plus and Rs. 65,90,000 for X3 xDrive30i M Sport. The Diesel variant will be launched later.

“The new evolved third-generation BMW X3 is here to continue the model’s trailblazing success in the premium mid-size SAV segment. The refreshed design and driving performance make BMW X3 a luxurious and practical
car that is agile on and off-road.” – Mr. Vikram Pawah, President, BMW Group India said.

The car boasts of fresh Kidney grill design, adaptive LED headlights, LED rear lights – all of which add up to the overall looks of the vehicle. The M Sport package features larger air inlets finished in high-gloss black and air curtains. The interior of X3 welcomes its owner with an open arm and boasts features like Multi-function Sport Steering Wheel, electrical seat adjustment with memory function, exterior mirror package and if you opt for M Sport then you are pampered by Sport seats, Sensatec perforated upholstery, M leather steering wheel with multifunction buttons, M interior trim adding the performance-oriented ambiance, panoramic glass roof, and Welcome Light Carpet to name a few.

The two-liter four-cylinder petrol engine is linked with an eight-speed automatic Steptronic sport transmission, which performs smooth and almost
imperceptible gear shifts, which produces an output of 185 kW / 252 hp and a maximum torque of 350 Nm at 1,450 – 4,800 rpm. The car accelerates from 0 -100 km /hr in just 6.6 seconds with a top speed of 235 km/h.

BMW with its latest safety features like six airbags, Attentiveness Assistance, Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) including Cornering Brake Control (CBC), electric parking brake with auto hold, side-impact protection, electronic vehicle immobilizer and crash sensor, ISOFIX child seat mounting, and integrated emergency spare wheel under the load floor makes driving sound and safe for its owners.

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Mahindra Roxor – Rugged and Reborn

Article: Javed Ali Khan

Mahindra Automotive North America (MANA) had conceived, designed, and engineered an ‘out and out’ off-road vehicle for the American market but ‘Roxor’ had to face heat when Jeep came up with a lawsuit. As per Jeep, the ‘Roxor’ had a resemblance to their very successful Wrangler SUV and this resulted in a ban on the sale of Roxor in the USA by Administrative Law Judge (ALJ).

Today in 2021, post the above-mentioned Fiasco, MANA has finally announced the launch of ‘All New’ Roxor which is redesigned, has a strong boxed steel frame, steel body, 2.5L turbo diesel engine by Mahindra. As per MANA, it is a perfect machine for farmers, ranchers, outdoor enthusiasts, and rural property owners.

Although, Roxor has 75’’ of height, 148’’ of length, and a wheelbase of 96’’ but still the vehicle looks quite rugged and strong. The Roxor has enough juice in it as it has a towing capacity of 3490 lbs which is the result of the 2.5L turbo diesel engine, pumping 144 lb-ft of torque.  Roxor is available in two models, the Base model which starts at 18899 dollars, and the All-Weather model which starts at 26299 dollars with the scope of customization from the options available on the Roxor website.

As per Mr. Viren Popli, President and CEO, Mahindra Ag North America and Mahindra Automotive North America, “The ROXOR brand has built a passionate following with off-road enthusiasts and rural lifestyle customers. We are excited to bring this unique SXS back into the market. We are redefining the SXS category with this strong and rugged machine. It is designed and built for reliability and performance that will exceed customer expectations.”

In the future Roxor may get introduced in the Canadian market as MANA has kept a tab for the same on their Roxor US website.

 

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Toyota & Suzuki Tie-Up, Baleno to be sold as Glanza by Toyota

By Admin

Pictures – Via WhatsApp

Suzuki and Toyota, in India, have been facing almost same problem but in different segment. Maruti Suzuki is not successful in selling premium cars beyond CIAZ segment and off lately is facing stiff competition right from selling Alto to Brezza. For Toyota Kirloskar it has been a very comfortable ride for them in the SUV segment but when it comes to hatchback segment, they have only one product to boast of – Etios Livia.

On 6th of February, 2017 both parties signed an MoU for sharing of ‘Toyota Hybrid System’ to Suzuki, widely spread hybrid electric vehicle technology in India, OEM supply of two new electrified vehicles built on Toyota platforms (RAV4, Corolla Wagon) to Suzuki in Europe, OEM supply of two compact vehicles built on Suzuki platforms (Ciaz and Ertiga) to Toyota in India.

Apart from this, Toyota to adopt newly developed Suzuki engines for compact vehicles, OEM supply of Suzuki’s India-produced vehicles (Baleno, Vitara Brezza, Ciaz, Ertiga) to Toyota – targeting the African market, drawing upon Suzuki’s expertise in developing vehicles in India, joint development of a Toyota C-segment MPV and OEM supply to Suzuki and Production of the Suzuki-developed compact SUV Vitara Brezza at Toyota Kirloskar Motor Pvt. Ltd. (TKM) from 2022.

The process of mutual collaboration has already started with Suzuki providing baleno model to Toyota, rebadged and renamed as ‘Toyota Glanza’ and will be officially launched in India in the month of June, 2019. We expect Glanza will be available in two variants – G & V, one with a Petrol-manual and the other with petrol-automatic combination. The heart of Glanza will be a 1.2 litre K series engine connected to a CVT automatic and a 5-speed manual gear box.

Both, Toyota and Suzuki are following the same approach which Renault and Nissan have done in India, sharing each other’s products with different names. Time will tell how successful this collaboration will be but one thing is for sure that in future, car makers in India, will be quite aggressive in approach which will definitely put market on fire.

 

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Mercedes Benz 230SL and Feroz Khan’s love for cars

By: Javed Ali Khan

Pictures: Faisal Khan & Screenshots from movie Dharmatma

Recently we came across a red Mercedes Benz 230SL which we saw in Mumbai city. This made us to dig deep and see if by any chance the beauty on wheels had any link with Indian film industry. The car was based on the Mercedes-Benz W111, a chassis code given to a range of Mercedes’ vehicles produced between 1959 and 1971 which included 4 door sedans (1959-1968) and 2 door coupés and cabriolets (1961 to 1971).

Our research resulted in some good outcomes not only about the make of the car but also the link it had with the Bollywood. Let’s talk about the Bollywood connection first. There is no denying of the fact that among all the actors we have seen in the Indian film industry, it was always Feroz Khan who used cars as a ‘Character’ in his movies. Instead of cars/bikes just being a part of movies for the sake of it, Feroz Khan used vehicles in his movies as a living character. Yes, there were actors like Rajesh Khanna, Dilip Kumar and few more who used cars as part of the movies integral story line but it was Feroz Khan who took the risk of bringing in expensive cars and then destroying them or using them for chase scenes in his movies.

The red beauty, a 230SL from Mercedes Benz, whose production started in June 1963 and lasted till 1967 had an option of either 4 speed manual transmission or a very responsive fluid couple 4 speed automatic transmission which was linked to a 2308cc, M127 inline 6 engine with a power of 148 horses and 196 NM torque. The 230SL with Mumbai registration was used by Feroz Khan in the super hit movie Dharmatma. The car was in Golden Champagne colour then and was used in one of the chase scenes for which a helicopter was also used.

Feroz Khan is also known for the very famous scene of 1980 movie Qurbani where a 50 paisa bet is placed by him on whether he can drive a Mercedes Benz 220 or not and ends up in destroying a brand-new Mercedes Benz. There were many chases sequence in the movie which involved car and motorcycles being crashed and this resulted in making it one of the most expensive movies, budgets wise, of the year 1980.

We hope you loved reading our article and the pictures we clicked. Please comment to let us know what you think and  share our article as it would encourage us to come out with more articles like these. We are on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Youtube.

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Mahindra S210 named ‘XUV 3oo’ – launch in Feb 2019

By Admin

Pictures: Mahindra

Mahindra has named S210 as ‘XUV3oo’ – pronounced as XUV, 3 double ‘Oh’ and with this, company has entered the very successful – ‘sub 4 metre’ – sub-compact SUV segment of Indian automobile market. Although earlier, Mahindra had launched Quanto which was later renamed as NuvoSport with an aim of achieving success like Ecosport did for Ford India.

    
The upcoming, all new, ‘XUV3oo’ will be pitched against the very successful Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza, Ford Ecosport and the Tata’s Nexon which recently achieved NCAP 4 star for adult safety and 3-star rating in child occupancy protection. XUV3oo is based on SsangYong Tivoli platform which has received multiple safety and ergonomic awards including a Grade 1 safety award from the 2015 KNCAP (Korean New Car Assessment Program), automotive safety test.

Indeed, XUV3oo resembles SsangYong Tivoli but the overall look and appearance is based on XUV5oo cheetah inspired design especially the headlamps, the fog lamps and wheel arches. The SUV will also boast of dual LED DRLs and LED tail lamps giving it a bold and charismatic road presence and yes one has to appreciate that boomerang effect to the DRLs at the front makes you stop doing everything and look at XUV3oo with deep breath.

XUV3oo will have – first in its class – dual zone FATC (Fully Automatic Temperature Control), all four disk brakes and seven airbags. The SUV will have a – expected – 1.2-litre petrol motor and the 1.5-litre diesel motor linked to 6-speed gear box and will have highest torque in its segment, as shared by the Mahindra team.

The interior straightway looks rich with premium upholstery and a touch screen infotainment system making driving surely a pleasure. The car also has ESP, ABS, cruise control apart from air bags as safety features. Not to forget, it will even have an option of Sun-roof but will be launched without an automatic transmission.

The car will be sold through the mainstream Mahindra showroom and not from premium store in store showroom specifically meant for selling Alturas G4. Mahindra, currently, is also working on the electric version of XUV3oo which will be out in 2020.


The sub compact SUV will be built in Nasik plant, will be available both in petrol and diesel and will be available in the Indian market in the first half of 2019.

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The Name is Harrier, Tata Harrier

By Admin

Pictures: Tata Motors

 Tata motors had already impressed everyone during the course of 2018 Auto Expo by giving a glimpse of their SUV code named H5X concept. And by naming this SUV as ‘Harrier’, which sounds quite impressive, Tata has indeed taken the right step towards making a connect with the prospective buyers. With the success of their recent products starting from Tiago to Hexa, Tata is riding high and is leaving no stone unturned for keeping the momentum in their favour.

 

As per the posts made by Tata Motors on various social media platform, the #Tata Harrier will be launched in the first quarter of the next year. The SUV, as per the company, is based on ‘IMPACT Design 2.0’ philosophy and offers extraordinary exterior design, thoughtfully and intelligently designed plush interiors, future ready connectivity and best-in-class infotainment.

The monocoque SUV is being called as Born of Pedigree as it is engineered on ‘Optimal Modular Efficient Global Advance’ architecture which is derived from Land Rover D8 architecture. Mr. Mayank Pareek stated that – ‘Tata Harrier’, yet another game changer, to offer our customers a product, that is not only exciting but that which will take our brand value to the next level.

 

The company defines the word Harrier as ‘A dominant beast imbued with endless stamina and strength. Gifted with unwavering instinct. Effortlessly conquers every challenge thrown its way’ and is going quite strong with its marketing. Its now to be seen how Tata Motors would price the SUV so as it helps the company to achieve the desirable targets.

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Mahindra U321 named ‘Marazzo’, to launched before Diwali, 2018

By Admin

Pictures: Mahindra Automotive

A re-tweet from Mr. Anand Mahindra on 28th July was more than enough for everyone to sit back and be ready for what was called as ‘Name-Revealing’ event or should we say ‘NamKaran’ of to be launched MPV which was code named U321. As per the tweet the event was to be held on 31st of July and it happened as planned.

Mahindra Automotive revealed the name of its soon-to-be-launched MPV which in Basque – a sub language of Spanish – means Shark. Scorpio, Bolero, Quanto Verito etc. all of them have letter ‘O’ as the end except Thar. So, it was expected that Mahindra would come up with a name which has ‘O’ at the last letter of the name and that has happened here too. Mahindra has named U321 as ‘MARAZZO’.

The name means shark and the similarity between car and shark is not upto the name but many design aspects of Marazzo are ‘Shark Inspired’. Mahindra while developing Marazzo has involved The Mahindra Design Studio and Italian design house Pininfarina. The ‘Shark Inspired’ Marazzo has a very aggressive but distinctive front frill which reflects the teeth of Shark. This makes the MPV very aggressive but in a beautiful manner. The tail light completely looks like the tail of a shark and that small antenna literally resembles a sharks fin.

The engine is new and will be efficient, robust and most importantly affordable to maintain. It is nothing what we have seen in the past in other Mahindra products. We expect it to be a 1500cc diesel engine initially. Also, the air-conditioning at the rear is not only ‘first in the segment’ but also ‘first in the industry’ which is based on ‘Surround Cool Technology’.

The interior, though an outline was shared, looks smooth and clean. The dashboard, the instrument cluster, the seats and design completely reflect the work which went behind the MPV by Mahindra Design Studio and Pininfarina. The expected date of launch is before Diwali this year i.e. 2018.  Dr. Pawan Goenka, Managing Director, M&M Ltd. said, ‘Marazzo is a brand new platform and is not a carry over from any existing product, Marazzo will not replace any of the existing product and it will fit into the current market very feasibly.

As per Mr. Goenka, 3 cars will be launched this year out of which 2 will launch before Diwali and one after Diwali. Also, the product to be launched after Diwali will be a premium product, namely G4 Rexton, which will be based and will be in direct competition with types of  Maruti Suzuki Nexa premium outlets.

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Is This The End? Tata Nano The People’s Car

By Admin

Pictures: Tata Motors

The dream of Mr. Ratan Tata of giving Indians the cheapest car in the form Nano which saw the light of the day way back in 2008 is now at verge of its end. Yes, you have heard it right. Tata Nano was called ‘People’s car’ by many, was also referred as ‘Lakhtakiya’ which means something which costs under 1 lakh. In June this year only one unit was produced and as far as exports are concerned, Nano could not even open up the account.

 

The car which indeed made its place into the hearts and garage of Indian car buyers was loved and hated by many at the same time. A few incidents of Nano bursting into flames gave it a negative image from which it could not recover till now. But it also gained love and admiration to an extent that famous American Talk show host Mr. Jay Leno bought one Nano for his garage and took it to America. The only problem was that as the Nano was not road legal, he had to use the track of LAPD for testing the car.

The best thing about Nano is that

  1. it is small
  2. easy to manoeuvre
  3. has space for four
  4. a person as tall as 6ft. can fit into it easily

and the most important thing was its air-condition which was so effective that even Jay Leno said that it is better when compared with his McLaren F1.

It is to be seen whether Tata motors would finally end the production of Nano or will revive the brand and the product by introducing it into electric form. We believe that Nano can, any given day, do well as compared to MS Alto, Renault Kwid or Datsun Go but for that Tata motors have to go back to drawing board and come up with a strategy which helps Nano in gaining customers confidence.