Vettel takes European GP victory
Sebastian Vettel ended his victory drought with a comfortable win in the European Grand Prix in Valencia - while his Red Bull team-mate Mark Webber was fortunate to emerge uninjured from a massive accident that saw him vault Heikki Kovalainen's Lotus. Lewis Hamilton took second despite a drive-through penalty, with Jenson Button making it two McLarens on the podium. Ferrari's day was ruined by the safety car for Webber's crash, leaving Fernando Alonso only ninth and Felipe Massa 15th.
Webber's bad day began when he lost out severely during an unruly opening lap, which saw wheel-banging and run-off visits throughout the field. The Red Bull was immediately passed by Hamilton and then pounced on by the two Ferraris while out wide. His free-fall continued and by the end of lap one Webber had been elbowed all the way back to ninth. Unable to get through the traffic on-track, Webber made an early pitstop at the end of lap seven, where he lost a few more seconds as his left front wheel proved stubborn. That put him back out behind Kovalainen, and as he tried to pass the Lotus three laps later he went flying over the back of it on the fast approach to Turn 12.
The Red Bull wiped out an advertising board hanging over the track before landing upside down, rolling back onto its wheels and ploughing into the tyre barriers - though remarkably Webber climbed out unscathed. With the safety car called, most drivers from fifth-placed Button back immediately dived into the pits, while the top four had to complete a further lap. Vettel was already past the pit exit by the time the safety car emerged, but Hamilton was right alongside it. After a moment's hesitation, he accelerated past - but having passed the relevant line across the track meant he would later be penalised for overtaking the safety car.
Vettel and Hamilton were therefore able to rejoin first and second, while the Ferraris were caught behind the safety car and fell to 10th and 17th - leaving the team furious. By the time race control awarded Hamilton his penalty, he had enough of a gap over the third place Sauber of Kobayashi who was holding back Button. Hamilton started carving into Vettel's lead, but the German had pace in hand and was able to answer Hamilton with a new fastest lap five laps from home, putting his second victory of 2010 beyond doubt.
The FIA has handed five-second penalties to nine Formula 1 drivers for a safety car rules breach during the European Grand Prix. Jenson Button, Rubens Barrichello, Nico Hulkenberg, Robert Kubica, Vitaly Petrov, Adrian Sutil, Sebastien Buemi, Pedro de la Rosa and Vitantonio Liuzzi have been penalised for "failing to stay above the minimum time set by the FIA ECU when the Safety Car was deployed." The penalties mean Fernando Alonso is elevated from ninth to eighth, as he overtakes Buemi, and Nico Rosberg gets the final point from de la Rosa, 10th in the race.
It was a reasonable race for Karun Chandhok. The pace early on was reasonably good but then he started to struggle with the option tyres. The team decided to pit under the safety car and switch to primes which was a good decision as Karun was able to then settle into a rhythm and pull away from Bruno. At the end though, having done 47 laps on one set of tyres he didn´t quite have enough pace to fight against Timo and he managed to muscle past on the final lap. Karun ended the race finishing 18th.
[Via: AutoCarIndia]
Kia eyeing India entry by 2012
Corolla Altis diesel here in July
Toyota India will launch the Corolla Altis diesel in the third week of July in three trim versions. The Corolla will be powered by a 1.4-litre common-rail turbo diesel producing 90bhp mated to a 6-speed gearbox. According to Toyota, the Corolla diesel has achieved a fuel efficiency figure of over 21kpl in the Indian driving cycle.
There are a few cosmetic changes to distinguish the Corolla diesel from the petrol model. They include a redesigned grille and new lights. Prices are not known but according to the company sources, the diesel Corolla will be between Rs 75,000 to Rs 1,25,000 more expensive than the petrol model.
Honda Starts 2 Wheeler Plant Construction
Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India Private Limited. has started the construction of its second two wheeler production plant to meet increasing demand for its products. The company has acquired close to 240,000 square meters of land within the Tapukara Industrial Area (near Bhiwadi) in Rajasthan. This lies just 40 kms from the existing plant and 90 kms from Delhi.
The new plant is scheduled to start production in the 2nd half of 2011 with annual production capacity of 600,000 units. The Japanese two wheeler manufacturer has also expanded annual production capacity of its existing plant from the current 1.25 million units to 1.55 million units, with a further expansion to 1.6 million units already scheduled for this year. Once the second plant goes live, the company's annual production capacity will be 2.2 million units. The total investment for new plant will be approximately Rs. 5.0 billion.
[Via: Motorbeam]
Petrol, Diesel prices goes up
Government of India has announced a sharp increase in prices of petrol,diesel,lpg and kersone. No one is barred from common man to auto manufacturers are set to suffer. With the hike, price petrol is increased by Rs 3.73/litre, Diesel goes up by Rs 2, LPG by Rs 35 and kerosene by Rs 3/litre. The increase in price comes into effect immediately.
Also the government has decided to freed the prices of petrol and diesel from its control (which means it market driven from now onwards). This move is good for the Oil companies on the long run. At the same time as the inflation already hovering around 10%, it is surely a bad news for consumers. The demand for automobile may take a hit following the hike.
[Via: Vicky]
TVS axes Scooty Teenz Electric
TVS Motor Company recently announced that it plans to put its electric vehicles production on hold because of low market demand. The firm has introduced the Scooty Teenz Electric back in April 2008 with an ex-showroom price of Rs 29,900 and hoped to sell close to 40,000 units per annum. But the battery powered scooter received lukewarm response and TVS had to stop its production in May 2009.
While speaking to the media recently TVS Motor Co Marketing President H S Goindi said that the market is not good for electric two-wheelers in India and so the firm is concentrating on its regular scooters and motorcycles. To strengthen its grasp of the entry level bikes TVS will be launching Max 100 early next month. The new bike is expected to be a no frills, low cost four-stroke bike that is aimed at getting volumes for the company.
[Via: BIKE INDIA]
Hyundai Verna Transform Launched
Hyundai India has launched the Verna Transform in India. The new Hyundai Verna Transform will be available in two engine variants of 1.6 litre petrol and 1.5 litre diesel. It will be priced in between Rs 6.56 lakh and Rs 9.22 lakh (ex showroom Delhi). "The Verna Transform is all set to boost Hyundai's already superior line-up of products in India by raising the benchmark in the sedan segment" - H W Park, Hyundai Motor India Managing Director and CEO.
The New Hyundai Verna Transform features a revised front fascia with more agressive overall exterior look. Styling upgrades on the facelifted Verna/Accent include a pair of redesigned headlights, new signature grille with two bars and Hyundai logo placed atop. There is also a sportier front bumper with redesigned fog lights and larger air intakes. Styling changes at rear include redesigned tail-lights and redesigned rear bumper. Inside, the new Verna Transform sports a revised center stack. Material quality has been upgraded and interior instrumentation lightning has been changed from current green to blue.
Tata Winger Platinum Launched
Tata Motors has launched a new offering in the Winger range, the Tata Winger Platinum, in Kerala. The Tata Winger Platinum is a luxurious 7 seater, designed to provide an enhanced on-road experience with a perfect blend of comfort and space.It is to be mentioned that the Tata Winger Platinum has been specifically designed to fulfill the needs of passengers who look for carriers but have to depend on Utility vehicles. The innovative design of the Tata Winger Platinum ensures that for a similar vehicle size, it provides much more space in the passenger seating area. This ensures that passengers are equally comfortable even in the last row making it the most apt vehicle for the segment. The seven individual reclining captain seats provide private space for each passenger.
With adjustable head rests, soft wide adjustable armrests, best in-class legroom, individual AC vents and wide luggage space, the Tata Winger Platinum ensures every journey is a pleasurable experience. Passenger comfort has been further enhanced with well thought out features like collapsible grab handles, a side foot step for easy entry, coat hooks and two mobile chargers. In addition, a 2-Din music system with 4 in-built speakers and provision for LCD provide sufficient entertainment for long trips. The fully enclosed body, rugged engine sub-frame, anti-roll bars at both front and rear, retractable seat belts and child safety lock enhance safety. The 3-way adjustable driver's seat with power steering and a turning radius of 5.65 metres helps reduce driver fatigue.
Motorised headlamps, fog lamps and a demisting unit aid visibility while driving. The aptly designed suspension ensures ride comfort, while the monocoque design minimises NVH (Noise, Vibration & Harshness). The Winger is powered by a proven 2-litre turbo charged inter cooled diesel engine. The versatility of the Tata Winger Platinum allows it to be deployed for both long-distance transportation as well as intra-city needs such as transportation for working executives, holidaying families and other tourist usage.
The Tata Winger Platinum comes in two colour options - Pearl White and Cycus Grey. It is backed with a 1.5 lakh km / 18-month warranty. It would be available at a price of Rs. 6.94 lakhs (ex-showroom, Cochin).
Maruti Suzuki Zen Estilo Sports launched
Maruti Suzuki India Limited has launched a new limited edition version of its slow-selling Zen Estilo hatchback in Ahmedabad. The launch of this variant is aimed at boosting sales of this not so su[ad]ccessful product of Maruti's lineup.
The Estilo Sports variant only possesses certain visual enhancements over the regular top end Estilo VXi. The sports variant has body colored Outside Rear View Mirrors (ORVM's), full wheel covers and a roof mounted spoiler as the extra external embellishments. On the insides, the sports variant gets art leather seat covers, a steering wheel cover, an MP3 music system with Auxiliary input and USB, along with two speakers.
[Via: IAB]
Ford Starts Exporting Figo
Ford has redefined the small car segment in India and the Figo has taken the market by storm. With over 21000 bookings at hand, Ford is starting a second shift at their Chennai plant to meet the growing demand. This demand also comes from the overseas markets and Ford has also started exporting the Figo to potential countries like South Africa. Besides the Figo, Ford is also exporting engines to Thailand from their base at Chennai.
"We have recently started exporting diesel and petrol engines to Thailand. The monthly demand there is around 3,000 units" Michael Boneham, MD, Ford India. With a 40 percent increase in the number of dealerships across India, Ford is firmly establishing itself into a league which is ruled by Maruti Suzuki. The company is also exploring venues outside India where they can launch the Figo.
[Via: Motorbeam]