Audi e-tron

In the next couple of years, globe-striding automakers such as Nissan-Renault, Mercedes-Benz, VW Group, GM and Ford will begin cranking out tens of thousands of electric cars. Not just small electric city cars and mid-size family sedans (like GM's Volt and Nissan's Leaf) but powerful, dead-sexy sports cars.

The Audi e-tron, whose only shared component with the look-alike Audi R8 are the halfshafts, will at some point have company in the luxury electric sports car segment in the form of Mercedes' electric-version SLS gullwing (and no, I never thought I'd be writing those words).

This armada of electron-burners will not be diffident, under-baked beta-testers. No asterisks they. These will be -- they have to be -- fully fledged Nissans, Mercedes and VWs, built to these companies' exacting standards and sold at a price that economizes their global scale.

"Do you hear something, Elon?"

"Don't be silly, Henrik. It's just the wind."

Let's stipulate that Tesla and Fisker are fine companies with great people and ideas, and a not-inconsiderable $1 billion in public money between them. Both companies' business plans call for using the glamour of a sporty halo car (the Tesla Roadster and Fisker Karma) to build brand cachet and help fund development of more attainable, real-world cars: Tesla's Model S and Fisker's Nina.

While the majors were sitting on the sidelines, these electric car wildcatters could reasonably expect success.

But now the majors are coming fast. And the Audi e-tron, which took Ingolstadt all of nine months to build, insists that we reconsider the viability of these low-volume upstarts in light of their highly resourced imperial competitors.

The burn-in-hell red e-tron that Audi made available for test drives near Point Magu last week was last seen in September on the turnstile at the Frankfurt Auto Show. Typically, show cars are pretty hollow on the inside. Not this time.

The e-tron's alloy space-frame is production-ready; the adaptive climate- and visibility-sensing LED headlamps and taillamps work; the electric door closures and windows work; the motion-sensing door handles operate; the instrument console is already near production; the unique heat-pump system (to provide cabin warmth) is installed. The car's MMI (Man-Machine Interface) is already roughed in, with the liquid crystal display levitating out of the instrument console when the car is started.

The last Audi that was this cool was upstaging Will Smith in the movie "I Robot."

Among its many party tricks, the e-tron has a kind of morph-able exterior skin that changes shape to optimize aerodynamics and battery cooling as needed. When the batteries need a breeze, the clear acrylic panel over the front grille recedes into the grille opening, allowing fresh air in. Likewise, the flexible aluminum comb over the rear deck rises up to form a ram-air intake duct. That is just wicked, man.

BMW to Launch the Mini Hatchback in India

BMW, the world's largest premium car manufacturer is all set to launch the mini, three door luxury hatchback in India. The plans have been delayed from 2007 according to a senior official. The BMW Mini is set to be imported and would carry a hefty price tag of 2 million rupees.

Speaking about the proposed launch, the president of BMW India unit told reporters "Last year we decided to postpone the launch of Mini in India by a year, as we had doubts regarding the viability of the project. We would again take a look at it by the end of the third quarter of the calendar year".

The luxury hatchback market was not well developed in India and the investments would be substantial. He said "So we have to re-look at the potential business opportunity before launching it".

Kronschnabl said "BMW sold 1,747 BMWs in the first half of 2009, about a quarter of total Indian luxury car sales of 7,400, and its sales growth of 12 percent was better than the sector's 1.5 percent". He added "We are confident of delivering 3,000 cars to our customers in India in the year 2009."

BMW has increased the annual capacity at its Indian plant from 1,700 to 3,000 units. This was carried out on a single-shift basis at the cost of $750,000. BMW competes with European auto giants like DaimlerChrysler and Volkswagen. It makes the BMW 3 series and BMW 5 series in India and the BMW 7 series is sold by means of imported kits.

As talks about the German car maker being close to signing the agreement with global manufacturers were doing the rounds, Kronschnabl said "All I can say at this moment is that, we are very close to signing contracts with the global manufactures and it should be in place by December 2009."

BMW India has a slew of launches slated for 2009 like the new BMW 3 series, BMW 7 series, and diesel variant of BMW X3. In order to strengthen the dealership network of which presently there are thirteen, BMW will set up new dealerships in ten more cities by the end of 2010. $30 million is the investment it has made for the Indian market including the plant that was set up in Chennai.

New Ford Fiesta SXI Car Launched in India

Ford India raises the competitive bar with the new look and stylish Ford Fiesta SXI which brings added sophistication to the luxurious car with its chrome & silver finish.

The new front-fascia with the chrome facade and dramatic crystal barrel headlamps is visually strong and expressive, elevating Ford Fiesta's on-road presence.


"The new Fiesta SXI will make a statement with its premium new style persona. Based on our customer feedback, the new Fiesta SXI has been introduced to appeal to the young, suave and style-oriented professionals who want their cars to reflect their individual personality, signifying success, confidence and accomplishments," said Nigel Wark, executive director, Marketing, Sales & Service, Ford India.

Your browser may not support display of this image. Inside, the new Ford Fiesta SXI surrounds its occupants with eye-catching luxury and comfort with its grain beige leather interiors, mahogany wood-finished center console with brushed aluminum finish adorning knobs, vents and the steering wheel. The 2 DIN MP3 Player with Aux-in capability also unwinds the occupants with its whopping surround sound.

The new Ford Fiesta SXI comes with the advanced and efficient 1.6 Duratec (petrol) and 1.4 Duratorq (common-rail, turbo diesel) engines. Both engines are fuel efficient and produce class-leading performance.

The top-end Ford Fiesta SXI variant has been aggressively priced at Rs. 6.99 lakhs (petrol) and Rs. 7.99 lakhs (diesel) (Ex-showroom, New Delhi) and will be available at Ford dealerships across India starting 3rd August.

This new Ford Fiesta SXI will stand out amidst the upper midsize segment and will take Fiesta's premiumness to the next level, further strengthening what the brand Fiesta stands for - style, sophistication, quality, fuel-efficiency, unparalleled driving dynamics, advanced safety features and a head-turning chrome finish exterior look.

Apart from its style and sophisticated comfort, there is an equal emphasis on safety, which incorporates the latest in crash energy management systems with Anti-lock braking system (ABS) with EBD. Airbags are standard for driver and front passenger along with the collapsible steering column. A first in its class feature is the fuel cut-off inertia switch, which cuts off fuel incase of a crash. The SXI is secured with central locking and PATS (Passive Anti-Theft system) that immobilizes the engine when the key is turned off.

Ford Fiesta is a car known for its superior drivability and handling. Ford Fiesta continues to receive rave reviews from the auto experts and analysts. The Ford Fiesta was a runner up in vehicle dependability in the recent 2009 J.D Power Vehicle Dependability study in the mid-size segment with a score of 183 PP/100,* achieving significantly better than the segment average of 214. The awards and the accolades showcase the fact that Ford Fiesta delivers style, together with outstanding quality and performance that consumers desire.

Ford Fiesta comes with a 2 year/ 1,00,000 kilometers warranty and an option to purchase 'Extended Warranty' that covers the car against all electrical and mechanical failures for an additional period. Along with the new Scheduled Service Plan (SSP), first in the country Roadside Assistance (RSA) and other Ford Service initiatives, add on to make owning a Ford Fiesta a delightful experience.

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Nissan

Nissan has finally divulged the bottom line on its 2008 Altima Coupe: $20,490. That’s the base price for the shapely Japanese coupe in 2.5-liter, four-cylinder “S

2008 Nissan Altima coupe

2008 Nissan Altima coupe

MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota - While many manufacturers have shunned two-door coupes in recent forms, especially in the midsize category, Nissan is going in the positive direction. As an early 2008 model, a new Altima coupe is joining the existing Altima four-door sedan.

Now in its fourth generation, "Altima is the power brand for Nissan," said regional product manager John Curl. A coupe is expected to "add incremental sales to the Altima brand," attracting "young customers especially." Other coupes on the market, Curl believes, are "not very good, or not very interesting." Nissan's main target is the Honda Accord coupe.

Nissan "started with a clean sheet of paper" for the coupe, Curl said. It's not merely a two-door sedan. The only body panel shared with the sedan is the hood. "Everything else is completely unique to the coupe."

Wheelbase is about 4 inches shorter than the sedan's, and the roofline has been lowered by about 2 inches. Tiny rear quarter windows are installed, and the doors are considerably wider than those of a sedan. Overall, the coupe is 7.3 inches shorter than an Altima sedan, but widths are identical so the coupe gets a "wide, muscular stance" as well as interior roominess.

Powertrains match those of the Altima sedan. Placed on sale May 25, the Altima coupe has a choice of two engines: a 175-horsepower four-cylinder and a 270-horsepower, 3.5-liter V-6. Either a six-speed manual transmission or Nissan's Xtronic continuously variable transmission (CVT) may be installed.

Operation of the CVT is utterly refined, as demonstrated in a four-cylinder Altima coupe. This could be the best CVT yet. It's even snappy on takeoff, and as smooth as can be. There's no shortage of energy for merging or passing, either. Because the CVT is so masterful there's little tempation to use the manual-shift mode, which can run through a sequence of virtual "gears."

This coupe is quiet, too, even while accelerating. Altimas emit virtually no buzziness or sense of high engine revs - as in many CTV applications - waiting for the car to catch up.

Ride comfort also appeals. You can feel pavement separators, but they don't affect occupants much at all because the suspension fends them off so well. Steering feel is beautifully balanced: easy to turn and positive to control.

Snugly-bolstered front bucket seats seem appropriate for the sporty coupe. Illuminated gauges have big numbers, and are among the easiest to read.

Nothing is perfect, and the Altima sags at times in terms of sounds. Considerable tire noise (actually a buzz) occurs on certain surfaces; but on others, there's none to speak of. In some areas, a notable whine appears. Rear quarter windows don't help much with visibility, which isn't the best either rearward or over-the-shoulder.

Don't even try the backseat unless you're young and/or agile - or foolish. Not only is twisting needed to make your way back there, but leg space is minuscule unless front seats are pushed well forward.

A V6 Altima with manual shift delivers loads of exuberance, as expected, joined by an exceptionally swift-shifting gearbox and an easy-to-engage clutch. This suspension feels a lot tighter than the four-cylinder's on washboard surfaces and the like. In fact, you can expect nearly constant, annoying lumpiness on imperfect pavement.