Audi Q3 specs revealed

Audi's much awaited baby SUV, the Q3 is finally here in India with bookings to start from April end and deliveries in May. The Q3 promises to bring in Q5/Q7 quality at a relatively affordable package.

The Q3 will initially be launched with a 2.0-litre TDI engine producing 176PS of power mated to a 7-speed S-tronic box, with the 2.0-litre TFSI scheduled for later this year.

Audi will also be providing optional paddle-shifters on the steering wheel as well. Standard features include daytime running lamps with LEDs, quattro and Start Stop system. The options list will include a panoramic sunroof amongst others.

The compact SUV measures 4.39 metres in length, 1.83 metres wide and 1.60 metres high. The boot space is 460 litres with the split seats in place. Tumbling the rear seats will increase storage space to 1365 litres.

There will be a single fully loaded variant and while Audi India is reluctant to reveal the prices, we expect the Q3 to be priced around Rs 28-32 lakh. While it's priced significantly higher than the X1, Audi aims to straddle the gap between the Bimmer and Range Rover Evoque.

Audi is initially expected to bring in the Q3 via the CBU route with CKD operations to start at a later date.

[IBNLive]

Read more »

Maruti Suzuki Ertiga Review: This MUV will appeal to a Vast Demographic

Out of the 15 million cars sold in India, Maruti Suzuki sells 10 million of them. That's the level of market share this manufacturer has in the Indian market. But in the MUV segment, Maruti dosen't have a strong vehicle. And this segment accounts for 14 per cent of the industry. More and more customers are looking to upgrade from a premium hatchback and this is the space which Maruti want the Ertiga to conquer. So will the Ertiga be able to establish itself?

Styling

The Ertiga has contemporary looks which will appeal to a vast demographic. Maruti's objective, which is to cater to maximum percentage of the population, will be achieved with this design. The vehicle was exhibited at the Expo and even then it had impressed with its clean look. The swept back headlamps, inspired from the Swift, the bonnet and grille taken from the Ritz, give it a car-like look and not a big MUV feel, which is exactly what Maruti want to project. From the side the pronounced wheel arch up front is the only indicator of this being a 'big' vehicle. From the rear, again the small cluster of the tail lamps (much smaller than either that of the Innova's or the Xylo's) adds to the whole car-like feel. It has a clean, uncluttered look with the rear spoiler adding a bit of sportiness.

Interiors

It's a Swift – that's the immediate conclusion when you step inside. The difference being that you get a brown and beige finish unlike the black interiors of the Swift. The beige gives you the feeling of space and there are small bits like the silver trims on the door and on the steering wheel which give it a classy look. And just like the Swift, It's a vehicle that you will slide into rather than having to climb in. The second row gets a 60:40 split, with the seats capable of sliding (240mm) and reclining, increasing the space available. The front seats have been carved out from the back to increase leg room. There is also a centre arm rest. Of course in terms of space the shoulder room is like a hatch so it is not comfy for three abreast at the middle row.

Now to the most crucial third row. And it must be said the space will be comfortable for short journeys, for medium sized adults. Access to third row is easily achieved by folding down the second row seat and sliding it forward. The recline of the third row seat helps increase the space. Third row passengers also get armrests along the side of the vehicle. In terms of storage space, with all the seats upright, you get 135 litres. You can increase it up to 735 litres by folding the second and third rows. There is a fair bit of storage space in term of cubby holes with even the third row passengers getting bottle holders. Overall, in terms of looks, Maruti have played the familiarity card well. Any customer looking to upgrade from a hatchback will not have any problem adapting to the Ertiga.

Engine and transmission

The Ertiga has two engine options. The new K14B petrol with variable valve timing – a 1.4-litre which produces 95PS of maximum power at 6000rpm and 130Nm of maximum torque at 4000rpm. And the trusted diesel from the SX4, 1.3-litre DDiS with VGT which produces 90PS of maximum power at 4000rpm and 200Nm of maximum torque at 1750rpm. The petrol engine has linear power delivery and it didn't feel underpowered during our drive though it didn't involve a lot of highway driving.

The diesel engine is peppy and has sufficient low end torque for comfortable city driving. It is one of the best diesels around, with a good top end, revs easily, and is refined. The VGT does its business in reducing the lag. But there is lag below 2000rpm made more noticeable since the kick you get once the boost comes on is much stronger than the 80PS Swift diesel. But you still get very good responses when the pedal is pushed. The gearbox is again the trustworthy unit from the Swift with slightly reengineered ratios to meet the larger vehicle's requirements and higher torque rating for the petrol. The gears snap into place and the short throw again gives you the whole car-like feel. NVH levels, especially on the diesel, are quite unlike what you would find in an MUV.

Handling

The Ertiga feels planted when pushing it around the corners. The suspension is softer than the Swift to account for the requirements of a vehicle of this class, which means you get more body roll than in a Swift. But this also means that it absorbs the undulations on the road better. The steering feels direct and sufficiently weighted to give you confidence at high speeds as on the highway. Within the city, the Ertiga shines because it feels light and agile, has better visibility, a better driving position, lighter controls (gearbox, steering, pedals) and easy manoeuvrability.

With an overall length of 4265mm, it is shorter than the Innova and Xylo by 320mm and 260mm respectively. Lesser in width too and this aids handling. The turning radius of 5.2m helps in easy manoeuvrability. Again all of this helps in the car-like feel. When driving the Ertiga, you tend to forget that it is actually an MUV which is a good thing. Behind the wheel it feels like a compact car which is what Maruti set out to do. They didn't want to have a van or CV-like feel and they have succeeded.

Verdict

Maruti is claiming an incredible mileage of 16.02kmpl for the petrol and an even better 20.77kmpl for the diesel. With these figures itself, Maruti have a winner on their hands. Because that they will price it competitively is a given. Though the Ertiga is shorter than its competition the cab-forward stance means that in terms of wheelbase it's only 10mm shorter than the Innova making it a vehicle which doesn't look big but has a lot of space inside. It's a vehicle which can accommodate the growing aspirations of a family and in providing a familiar, car-like environment, Maruti have ensured that the customer will want to upgrade to an Ertiga. They are a mass volume player and this one looks certain to bring in the numbers.

It's a new segment for Maruti and with the Ertiga in India they have attempted to 'eliminate the negative image of the commercial vehicle'. The trick will be to appeal to the private customer as much as the fleet taxi people. Versatility is a key factor which will work in favour of the Ertiga. You can drive it to work daily like you would a Swift or Dzire, it has more rear leg room, it can take seven people when required and you can take it on a month-long driving expedition. It can do it all, and does all that without the compromises - poor dynamics, poor efficiency, heavy to drive traits - inherent in a MUV. They are calling it a Life Utility Vehicle. You got to LUV that approach.

[IBNLive]

Read more »

Maruti-Suzuki to invest Rs 2,000 cr in Gurgaon facility

Indore: Car major Maruti Suzuki on Saturday said it plans to invest Rs 2,000 crore in diesel engine manufacturing facility at its Gurgaon plant to meet the demand for Swift and Desire models.

The company would manufacture 1.5 lakh diesel engines for Swift and Desire in the current year to meet the growing demand, Shashank Srivastava, chief general manager (marketing), said at a press conference after launching the new model Ertiga in Madhya Pradesh in Indore.

To a question whether the hike in excise duty by 2 per cent had any impact on car sales, CGM said it was across the board for every sector. The car production in last FY was 26.2 lakhs, against 25.2 lakhs in FY 2010-11, he pointed out.

In the last three months of 2011-12, 50 per cent of the cars sold were diesel engine ones, which was much higher than the expected, he said.

To another question, he said the company would start exporting Ertiga to south east Asia, mainly Indonesia, by April end.

In rhe recent years, Multi-Purpose Vehicles have emerged as the fastest growing sub-segment among UVs (utility vehicles), with a growth of around 20 per cent, he said. MPVs presently account for around 10 per cent share of the Indian automobile industry, he added.

[IBNLive]

Read more »

Two item songs in 'Zanjeer' remake, Mahie gets one

Mumbai: Item songs have almost become a staple in Bollywood films, and Amit Mehra who is producing the remake of 1973 film 'Zanjeer' too plans to cash in on the trend by including two item numbers, of which one will be featured on actress Mahie Gill. "We will definitely have item numbers in the film. In fact, we have decided to go with two item numbers," Mehra told IANS.

"The songs are a part of the script and they will be situational. One item song will be featured on Mahie and for the other, we are yet to decide whom to cast," he added.

Mahie will also essay Bindu's iconic 'Mona Darling' in the 'Zanjeer' remake, to be directed by Apoorva Lakhia. The film will feature southern superstar Chiranjeevi's son Ram Charan Teja and Bollywood actress Priyanka Chopra in the lead.

Mehra is extremely confident about Teja's acting skills, and feels he will do justice to the role.
"When I saw his films, I decided to cast him. He is the best guy to launch. He is fluent with Hindi as well. I am sure he will justify the role," said Mehra, son of late filmmaker Prakash Mehra.
Priyanka will join the crew of his movie by May end.

"Priyanka is busy with her other commitments. She is confirmed for the film and will join the crew by May end. Presently we are shooting the scenes with the actors," said Mehra.

However, music being a crucial part of movies, Mehra is yet to decided who to trust with the musical score for the film.

"Music is certainly a crucial part of the film. But we are yet to decide who will compose the music for 'Zanjeer' remake. We still have some time to go to think about that," he added.

The shooting of the 'Zanjeer' remake began April 13 at Mumbai's Film city. It is expected to release by May 2013.


"We will finish the entire film by this December and we plan to release the film by May 2013," said Mehra.

 [IBNLive]

Read more »

Nitish in Mumbai, invites India Inc to Bihar

Mumbai: Visiting Mumbai after settling of a controversy stoked by Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) leader Raj Thackeray, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Sunday invited India Inc to invest in his state, touting the industrial policy announced by his government last year.

"The state offers tremendous business opportunities in sectors such as solar energy, education, healthcare etc," Nitish Kumar told the industrialists.

"The Chief Minister urged the industry captains to come and invest in Bihar as it offers a industry-friendly climate," sources said after Nitish's hour-long meeting with corporate leaders in Mumbai.
The meeting was attended by Vedanta Group Chairman Anil Agarwal, Bharat Forge Group Chief Baba Kalyanai, ICICI Bank's CMD Chanda Kochhar and Axis Bank's chief Shikha Sharma among others.

A war of words had erupted between Mr Thackeray and the Bihar Chief Minister after MNS threatened to disrupt Bihar's centenary celebrations to be attended by the chief minister.

Reacting sharply to MNS' stand, Nitish had said no one could stop him from attending the event and he did not require a "visa" to travel to Mumbai.

However, in a climbdown, Thackeray later said he has no objection to the celebrations following an assurance from the Bihar Chief Minister that the event has no political agenda.

Bihar government had last year announced a new industrial policy which focused on areas like power, food processing, agro-based industries, tourism, super speciality hospitals, IT, technical and higher education, electronics, hardware and non-conventional sources of energy.

The policy provides for a subsidy grant of 50 per cent for setting up captive power plants and 60 per cent in case of non-conventional sources of energy.

The Industrial Policy 2011-2016 also provides a capital subsidy of about Rs 5 crore to those making less than Rs 500 crore of investments whereas Rs 30 crore would be given as capital subsidy to industrial units that invest Rs 500 crore or above.

[IBNLive]

Read more »

Delhi Votes to Elect New Civic Bodies

New Delhi: Moderate polling was witnessed in the Delhi municipal elections, the first for the trifurcated civic body, on Sunday with 55-58 per cent of the 1.15 crore electorate exercising its franchise till late afternoon. 

The counting of votes will take place on Tuesday. There were no reports of violence during the election for three new Corporations, seen as a semi-final ahead of next year's Assembly polls in the state. 

The municipal polls is seen as crucial for Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit and Congress as well as opposition BJP with leaders believing that it could be an indicator for what is in store for the Assembly polls which is 18 months away. 

BJP, which has 164 councillors in the undivided MCD against Congress' 67 and BSP's 17, harps on alleged corruption by Dikshit government while Congress is targeting the saffron party on its "inefficient and corrupt" administration in MCD. 

The run-up to the polls also saw some embarrassment for BJP when one of its candidates, a sitting councillor, was arrested for allegedly murdering a partyman, who was opposed to him. Councillor Madhav Prasad was granted bail on Friday. 

Delhi Congress Chief JP Agarwal said he was "100 per cent confident" about his party's victory while his BJP counterpart Vijender Gupta was "certain" his camp was going to win all the three Corporations. 

There are 104 each wards in South and North Corporations and 64 in the East, of which 138 seats are reserved for women. South has the highest number of 904 candidates followed by North (885) and East (634). 

A total of 55 polling stations were identified as hyper-sensitive while 275 were declared as sensitive out of 11,500 polling stations. 

Most of the hyper-sensitive and sensitive polling stations fall under Assembly segments of Jamia Nagar, Chandni Chowk and Seelampur. 

The main contenders are BJP and Congress, but smaller parties like Samajwadi Party and BSP are giving sleepless nights to them. 

Though in public both the parties make claims about clean sweep in the elections, leaders in Congress and BJP are keeping their fingers crossed as the polls are nearing.

Presence of rebels and independents are also keeping both the parties on their toes as they believe that they could play spoilsport for them. The two parties have also expelled a number of leaders to send a strong message to their cadre. 

As the campaign entered a hectic phase, Dikshit and her cabinet colleagues, Union Minister Ajay Maken and DPCC chief Jai Prakash Aggarwal had hit the streets. 

From the BJP side, almost all Delhi leaders, including Leader of Opposition in Delhi Assembly VK Malhotra and Delhi BJP chief Vijender Gupta are on campaign trail. 

Gupta has earned the wrath of a section of his partymen over denial of party tickets. There was also criticism from within the party about poll ticket to his wife Shobha from Rohini Central ward where she is pitted in a direct fight with Congress' Dr Monica Puri. 

While BJP has fielded Delhi Mayor Rajni Abbi, Leader of MCD House Subhash Arya and MCD Standing Committee Chairman Yogender Chandolia, it omitted prominent councillors like Jagdish Mamgain from the electoral scene. 

After BJP (272) and Congress (271), BSP has fielded the highest number of 254 candidates followed by Samajwadi Party at 105, NCP (81) and LJP (68). 

Kashmir-based National Conference, Orissa's Biju Janata Dal and Muslim League have fielded one each candidate while CPI(M), CPI and Forward Bloc have fielded 35 candidates together. BJP-ally JD(U) has fielded 43 candidates. 

Panthers Party has fielded 15 while JD(S) has 13 nominees in the fray, besides Lalu Prasad-led RJD's 23 and Ajit Singh-led RLD's 20. 

Congress leaders claim that they have fielded 110 candidates below the age of 40 years, including 30 who are below 30 years. BJP has fielded eight candidates who are below 30 years. 

One of the interesting fight will be in Zakir Nagar where terror accused Zia-ur-Rehman is fighting the elections from behind the bars. His family and supporters are campaigning on his behalf. 

An analysis by Association of Democratic Reforms (ADR) said that BJP has fielded the highest number of 39 candidates with criminal background followed by Congress (28). The report was done after the NGO went through 1,485 affidavits of poll candidates. 

On the assets front, it said Congress has fielded a maximum of 116 crorepatis while BJP has fielded 103 crorepatis. 

There are 342 crorepatis contesting the election and BJP candidate Satvinder Kaur Sirsa, contesting from Punjabi Bagh ward tops the list of crorepatis with assets worth Rs 112 crore followed by Karuna Bhalla, BJP candidate in Khyala with assets worth Rs 50 crore. 

[IBNLive]

Read more »

Sony Xperia S scores on design

New Delhi: Before everything else - what is great about this phone and how it manages to stand apart in the smartphone crowd - what is interesting is that the Xperia S is the first smartphone under the Sony's Sony Mobile Communications brand. Sony had acquired Ericsson's 50 per cent stake in the pair's former joint venture Sony Ericsson. 

Unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas earlier this year, the phone has finally hit the Indian shores. 

Priced at Rs 32,549, the phone comes in two colours – white and black. The review unit given to me was the black version. However, I have seen the Xperia S in both white and black colours and both have their own grace. 

Now on to a comprehensive review of the device. 

Read more »