BMW i8 Launched in India and won UKCOTY 2015!

The futuristic BMW i8, recently launched in India, has won the coveted UK car of the year - UKCOTY 2015 award. The i8 also won the the UKCOTY 2015 - Performance car of the year. It is the second consecutive win for the Bavarian automaker’s ‘i’ series vehicle in UK, last year it was the all-electric i3. The UKCOTY’s jury consist of  27 of Britain’s most-read motoring journalists. Each judge uses their expertise to pick out the top performer in 12 vehicle categories, before deciding the overall winner from their favourites in each class.

John Challen, Managing Director of UK Car of the Year Awards, and Editor of ukcoty.co.uksaid: “The term ‘game-changer’ is sometimes overused when talking about new cars, but in the case of the i8, it is totally justified. The latest ‘i’ model completely redefines the performance car segment, and is helped by a hybrid powertrain that is really quite special.”

Graeme Grieve, BMW UK CEO commented: “The BMW i8 is the culmination of many years of investment, hard work and commitment to create the world’s most progressive sports car. With our first two BMW i vehicles – the i3 and i8 – being named consecutive UK Car of the Year winners, our technology strategy is being recognised as truly game-changing for the car industry.”

Speaking of the i8 launch in India, BMW India launched the hybrid supercar at the whooping Rs. 2.29 crore pan-India price. And unquestionably, the i8 is India’s first hybrid supercar on sale. The vehicle consumes nearly 2.1-liters to 100 km (nearly 50 kmpl) and is available at BMW i dealerships in Mumbai, Delhi and Chennai.

Hyundai Reveals Specification and Pricing of i30

Hyundai Motor UK has officially revealed the specification and pricing of new i30 range including, for the first time, the i30 Turbo. The base model i30 S which will replace the Classic model is priced at £15,195 (INR 14.60 lac). The S model gets keyless entry, USB and AUX connections and Bluetooth connectivity.

The automaker also offers i30 SE which gets 16” alloy wheels, auto cruise control with speed limiter, drivers electric lumbar support, rear parking sensors, leather-wrapped steering wheel and gear knob. With all such goodies, the SE model gets a price tag of £16,495 (INR 15.80 lac). Also on offers is the i30 Premium which features HID headlights with auto leveling and AFLS, 17” alloy wheels, leather seat facings, dual zone climate control, heated seats, heated steering wheel and smart key with engine stop/start button.

For the enthusiasts, Hyundai for the first time is launching the dynamic i30 Turbo with 1.6-litre turbocharged engine giving an output of 177bhp. In terms of standard features, i30 Turbo flaunts 18” alloy wheels, Turbo sports bodykit, Turbo badge, perforated leather steering wheel with red stitching, sports suspension, satellite navigation, black and red cloth/artificial leather sports seats and LED rear tail lights. New i30 Turbo buyers can choose from either three-door or five-door bodystyles, while the rest of the i30 range will be available in five-door or Tourer form.

Tony Whitehorn, Hyundai Motor UK’s President and CEO, said “Current i30 has been a huge hit for us in the UK, and New i30 is set to build on that success thanks to its updated design and unbeatable levels of standard equipment. Thanks to its 7DCT, New i30 delivers an extremely competitive economical performance, meaning that i30 offers a compromise-free package. The revised range will further boost the car’s appeal to customers in the UK, ultimately strengthening its presence in the C-segment.

Mercedes-Benz To Launch B Class Facelift on 11th March, 2015

The luxury carmaker Mercedes-Benz India is ready with the second launch of this year and this time its B-Class facelift which is scheduled to be launched on March 11, 2015. The facelifted version gets cosmetic updates both inside out. This upcoming version was first showcased at the last year’s Paris Motor Show.

The 2015 Mercedes-Benz B-Class will now get redesigned front and rear bumper, LED DRLs with projector headlamps, side skirts, LED tailamps cluster, new alloy design and a bold front grille. The B-Class will now be offered in choices of 16 to 17-inch alloy wheels.

The interiors too get updates in the form of new steering wheel from C-Class, ambient lighting with a choice of 12 colors and an 8-inch touchscreen. The car will also boast start-stop option and larger buttons on the console.
Under the hood, power and engine remain the same and the facelift model will too house the potent 1.6-litre petrol engine for the B180 variant churning  a power of 120bhp. The car will also be offered in the diesel engine as it will  feature 2.2-litre, 4 cylinder motor in B200 CDI variant. Both the engines will transfer power through 7G-TRONIC automatic transmission. The facelifted model is already on sale in European market and will be brought in Indian auto sector en-route CBU.

Yamaha Wants to Enter Four Wheeler Segment with the Motiv City Car

The renowned two wheeler manufacturer around the globe has decided to venture in the four wheeler segment. We are talking about the Yamaha, known for making bikes and scooter along with music instruments. Now the company wants to foray into the four wheeler segment with the Motiv city car. The Japanese two wheeler manufacturer had showcased the Motiv city car concept earlier at the 2013 Tokyo Motor Show. The concept Yamaha showcased was all-electric and they call it MOTIV.e!

Speaking of the Motiv, the small two seater vehicle was designed on be-half of Yamaha by the legendary British designer - Gordan Murray, the man who designed the exemplary McLaren F1 90’s supercar and the exuberant Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren. Adding more on the Yamaha Motiv, rumor has it, that along with the all-electric version, Motiv will also be powered by a 1-liter petrol engine.

Moreover, the Yamaha show-car at the 2013 Tokyo Motor Show was powered by a 33 hp electric motor which provides the vehicle a range of 100 miles (161 km). According to Yamaha, a full charge could be completed in about three hours from a regular, domestic socket or in just one hour, when using a quick charger. Now, the rumored 1-liter 3-cylinder petrol engine is expected to produce power in the range of 60-80 bhp. The power will be transmitted to rear wheels via a double clutch transmission. Furthermore, to build this car Yamaha will construct a new manufacturing facility in Europe and will majorly compete with Smart Car in USA.

Maruti Suzuki Swift Dzire Facelift Launched At Rs 5.07 lac

Now Delivers a Fuel Economy of 26.59kmpl

Maruti Suzuki has silently launched the facelifted Swift Dzire at Rs 5.07 lac while the ZDi (diesel top variant) costs Rs 7.81 lac (Ex-Showroom, Delhi). The most selling compact sedan from India’s largest passenger car seller is now offered with four new eye-catching shades in both petrol and diesel models. 

On the exterior, the car now gets single-chrome slat grille, smoked headlamps, chrome inserts on fog lamps, redesigned bumpers and new set of alloy wheels. While as seen in the swift facelift, it's bigger sibling, Swift Dzire too gets start-stop button, reverse parking sensors, rear power socket, electrically adjustable folding mirrors and a new music system. 

Mechanically, the car remains same as it still embraces Fiat sourced 1.3-litre DDiS diesel engine and 1.2-litre K Series petrol engine. The diesel engine churns a max power of 74bhp with 190 Nm of peak torque while the petrol engine gives a 83bhp of horses with 115 Nm of torque. 

Now comes the “kitna Deti hai” factor, well the diesel model gives an extraordinary mileage of 26.59kmpl, making it country’s most fuel-efficient car. While the petrol model delivers an average of 20.85kms in one litre of petrol.

Dealers across the country have already started taking booking of facelifted Swift Dzire and with the launch, the deliveries of the new model kicks-off. 

R.S. Kalsi, Executive Director Marketing & Sales, Maruti Suzuki India said, "We present new DZire as India's most fuel efficient car returning fuel efficiency of 26.59kmpl. While the compact combustion chamber and higher compression ratio on gasoline engine helps to improve engine efficiency, the advanced thermal management system in diesel engine along with low friction engine oil and modified fuel injection system help diesel engine in faster warm up and lower frictional losses."

Volvo To bring Self-Driving Cars by 2017

 By the year 2017, Volvo is planning to bring 100 self-driving cars on the roads around Gothenburg with real traffic conditions. As the company’s Drive Me project enters its second year, the automaker looks confident in integrating self driving cars into the roads with real time changing traffic conditions.

The system uses Sensor technologies, combined radar and camera, surround radars, 360° surround vision, multiple beam laser scanner, trifocal camera, long-range radars, ultrasonic sensors, high definition 3D digital map, high performance positioning and cloud services.

Apart from all the advance features, the car also gets a backup security function which will work when one or two system fails. “Making this complex system 99 per cent reliable is not good enough. You need to get much closer to 100 per cent before you can let self-driving cars mix with other road users in real-life traffic,” says Erik Coelingh. “Here, we have a similar approach to that of the aircraft industry. Our fail-operational architecture includes backup systems that will ensure that Autopilot will continue to function safely also if an element of the system were to become disabled.”
The upcoming Volvo car will also feature 76 GHz frequency-modulated continuous wave radar and camera which is placed in the windscreen. Four radars are placed on the front and rear bumper (one on each corner). The radar sweeps both the left and right direction thus monitoring an entire 360 degree of the car.
The car will also carry multiple beam laser scanner which scan the objects in front of car. The unique laser sensor has a range of 150 metres for vehicles and covers a 140° field of view.