Bharat Rakshak

that's not correct...check the t-bhp review. infact, it is exactly opposite; ertiga diesel is a strong mid range performer and can cruise 120 comfortably.

Correct, I stand corrected. The ertiga has excellent power to weight ration with 72 BHP for every ton of its weight. From what I have read in the review I understand 120 shouldnt be tough for it. And then there is the pete's kit which can increase its power to 105-110 easily. A good chart here --> http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/attachments/official-new-car-reviews/920368d1335415726-maruti-ertiga-official-review-ertiga-specs-comparo-screenshot.png

Does the Maruti Ertiga have a provision to have the last row of seats side-ways? (like in jeeps). At least on their official web site, the image was a of a vehicle with three rows of seats all facing the front. Where as if the last set of seats were placed side ways, there would be more boot space. Or else is there a provision to tilt the last seat row completely to the front so that, we have a bigger boot space?

This vehicle is on my radar, but if the only purpose of it is to ferry more people then I may hold on for a while. Currently a vehicle to carry 4 regular passengers is enough. But lots of boot space and is what I look for.

^^
You can fold the last row of seats.

Tata Motors tests vehicles running on air.

Tata Motors, India’s biggest auto maker, on Monday said it had successfully tested vehicles running on compressed air on two of its products.

It has tied up with Motor Development International (Luxembourg) to produce and sell cars powered by compressed air.Both companies had signed a licence agreement in 2007.The agreement covered two phases of activity, encompassing the technology transfer and proof of the technical concept in the first phase and completing detailed development of the compressed air engine into specific vehicle and stationary applications in the second phase.

The first phase of this programme, which included proof of the technical concept in Tata Motors vehicles, has now been successfully completed, with the compressed air engine concept having been demonstrated in two Tata Motors vehicles.The company said in the second phase of the development, the two companies were working to complete detailed development of the technology and required technical processes to industrialise a market-ready product application over the coming years.

Whatever happened to the electric cars that Tata motors has been testing for more than 5 years now. Why arent they plying on Indian roads yet? And now we have compressed air?

And therein lies the biggest weakness....

If you fold the last row seats (for boot space), the middle row gets cramped. The last row head rest design is so screwed up that it takes six inches off the middle row (which has to move forward) to fold the last row.

But because it is made by Maruti, there will be 6 month waiting for it...

With the last row folded, it's not even a 5 seater.

in normal cars the headrest if any of last row can be removed for folding, it doesnt look good if a 7L+ car ....

Singha saar, the headrests can be removed. Per the pics on Team BHP, this will still use about three to four more inches due to the curve of the back seats. I'd expect a few folks to customize the last row and replace it with folding seats. Fabrication is not an issue - this was done earlier even for Swifts. What I really fail to understand about the claimed lack of space is this - the middle row slides 24 cms in all, so how could the last row occupying a few inches affect the legroom in the middle row? It should still be ok if placed in the original position. People being people will claim different things. We're going to TD to the VXi model this weekend. If they had an auto version on this, it would have been a cinch. Am waiting for the Sunny AT to make up our minds.

Hmm. Motorcycle Polo in Rwanda

Something looked very familiar in the pictures. Yes , on reading the article, I realized it was the motorcycles. They were all TVS 125cc bikes we see in India all the time.

I looked further and it seems like the likes of Bajaj, TVS and others have got a pretty strong handle on this African market and the bikes are used as "Bike Taxis" there . Cool!

They are new entrees. Tata commercial vehicles had a decent presence in Africa even decades back. A senior colleague (when I was in the company) was posted in Kenya, Uganda etc in the 80s.

Thats why when 8 years back there was talk of cheap Chinese Bikes in Chennai for 15000 beteer than Indian Bikes I did not belive people, since I told them Indian bikes compete in International Bikes. It turned after a few months that those meant to be sold were stolen CHinese Bikes.

what happened to the chinese bikes Xenitis was supposed to assemble in west bengal?

Hyundai car probed after air bag cuts owner's ear



And I thought it was only wimmen who cut men's ear inside car onleee.

This is not related to India, but to automobiles.
A Chinese farmer designs and builds a wind powered electric car in 3 months with 1000 pounds.




Someone in youtube commented that this is an absurd idea and violates the laws of physics.

Finally, the Chinese have a worthwhile competitor to the Habib Sitara.

Volkswagen joins convoy to Gujarat.

Automakers seem to be heading for Gujarat en masse, encouraged by the ‘investment-friendly' environment in the State.

Volkswagen is the newest addition to a growing list of carmakers that are either already present in, or looking to move into the State. While GM and Tata Motors have operational plants in Gujarat, Maruti Suzuki has slotted mega expansion in the State.

Peugeot Citroen and Ford Motor have already been given tax breaks and have signed ‘state support' agreements.

Recently, a few officials from Volkswagen evaluated sites near Ahmedabad and Vadodara, State Government officials told Business Line.

“They (Volkswagen) saw multiple sites as part of their due diligence process. It's still in the early stages and they are supposed to soon meet the Industries Department officials again,” a Gujarat Government official said.

A Volkswagen Group India spokesperson said the company is “not as yet” looking at other States to set up a new car plant. Asked further about investment plans, he added: “We are looking at various options and, as and when we firm up our plans, we will share them with you.”

Though Volkswagen currently has two plants in Maharashtra (Chakan and Aurangabad) with a combined 1.3 lakh-unit annual capacity, a wrangle with the State authorities over discontinued VAT benefits may force it to seek alternatives. Maharashtra used to refund VAT paid on all vehicles made in the State, a practice modified last year to include only those vehicles sold within the State.

“Till we get the final proposal from the Government of Maharashtra, it will be difficult for us to decide on further investments,” the company official said.

Till date, the Volkswagen Group has invested Rs 3,800 crore at the Chakan plant (near Pune) in India, with another Rs 2,000 crore in the pipeline.

However, expansion is currently on hold, following the in the VAT decision, Volkswagen Group Chief Representative India, Dr John Chacko, has reportedly said. The Chakan plant makes cars for the Volkswagen and Skoda brands, while the Aurangabad plant additionally assembles premium Audi models. Other group brands present in the domestic market are Porsche, Lamborghini, Bentley and Bugatti. These are imported as completely built units.

Maruti to sign agreement with Gujarat government for proposed facility in Mehsana on June 2



Its reported 270 hectares (27,00,000 sqm) will be alloted at 647Rs per sqm. Maruti will pay 174.69cr upon possession.

http://theage.drive.com.au/motor-news/i ... 1zgo7.html




Kaaments:

Ive been meaning to ask fellow members. Does anybody own a XUV500?
Any feedback or comments about it would be greatly appreciated.TIA

^^^ <<< First up: I am not lucky (or rich) enough to own one >>>

Enough has been said about the positives of the model in the press and elsewhere, so I guess you are already well aware of those.

On the downside, I saw somewhere on Team-BHP that quite a few niggling gremlins have cropped up on many vehicles. I guess T-BHP ownership threads would be the right place to ask around on.

Here's a link... and the quote...


But I think these must be teething issues and am sure these things will get sorted out in due course. Overall, it appears to be a good vehicle IMHO.

OTOH for some reason, Mahindra seems to continue to struggle with suspension systems - the same has been their Achilles Heel with the Scorpio for a very long time!

Absurd alright, but does not violate the laws of physics. In fact, if you remember, sail powered ships traveled all over the globe and explored every inch of the seas, and also, there are solar powered cars.

The windmill/propeller, just like the sail, is an aerodynamic device used to convert wind energy into motive force.

The only quibble I have with that guy's engineering is to try and use a windmill/propeller to try and move the car via turning the wheels. He would have been better off putting a sail on the car, atleast he would have avoided the transmission losses and the other stuff and saved some money in the bargain.

Vina, would you put a windmill in front of the car, facing forward, if the idea is to harness wind power? It is the are old "perpetuum mobile" onlee. That is what the commentary/newsclips say as well.

No. This is not a perpetual motion machine (which violates 2nd law ). In fact, to answer your question, don't think of it as a "car" .

Take one of those giant wind generators you see. There the windmill faces the wind (ie facing into the wind) and suppose, you connect the power generated (either directly or from the generator ) to the wheels (either via a transmission or via electric motor), with the "Windmill Car" (with windmill facing forward) move ? Of course it will.

In fact it will reach a steady state where the power output of the windmill (which will drop as the windmill moves) and the resistance to motion of the car (which will increase at it picks up speed) reach equilibrium and that will be a few kilometers per hour.

Well, you are right if the purpose is to demonstrate that it is possible to move against the wind using the same wind's power. I don't think the designer's intention is that.

Hear the commentary. It says, once the car reaches 40kmph, the turbine rotates and generate electricity. There is no mention of harnessing the energy from "natural wind". It is clearly an attempt of perpetuum mobile, by harnessing energy from the "wind" felt when the car moves.

If your intention is to harness power from the natural wind, you would mount the turbine above the car on a turret or something, so that it can work with wind from any direction. The simple fact that the turbine is facing forward, clearly indicate 'perpetuum mobile', nothing else.

I must confess that I didn't even watch that clip or read the comments in that. All I did was take a look at the "preview picture" and saw comments dismissing it as against "laws of physics" . Yes, it is goofy to put a propeller in front like an airplane, but that thing will move and does not violate the laws of physics.

Yup. The video was not in PPT format. I forgot Now, please watch them, hear the commentary, and realize what is being claimed.

Of course, NOTHING can violate the laws of physics, can they?

The correct statement would be "In order to perform the way it is claimed to be, it will have to violate the laws of physics (which is impossible)"

And if you still want to debate the merits/demerits of this invention, please tell me, what exactly is the role of that fan, and if it does make any technical or commercial sense.

But that wasn't your question. Your question was, to "Harness the energy in the wind, will you put the propeller in front , facing the wind"



In the way the Chinese dude is doing, he is actually wasting energy (the energy generated by the fan will always be much less than what the battery/prime mover which is moving he vehicle will be putting out) and he can safely remove the fan and improve his performance.

But to answer Your question, yes, the optimum place to put the fan will be on the nose of the car, facing the wind (assuming of course, the wind is always blowing in one direction and the Chinese dude wants to laws drive into the wind.).sort of you are driving BLR-Hosur, (North-South), and the wind is always blowing Hosur-Blr (South-North) and you are bent on using a propeller and not a sail (which like you said can be turned to harness wind blowing from any direction).

Who's got an Enfield Bullet here? What are the advantages and disadvantages of a Bullet with say, a Bajaj Pulsar ?

This is the reason why i decided to wait for a good time after the initial launch.Will hopefully book it this weekend if i can convince dad.I absolutely love it.
@ mahadevbhuji my advice to you would be to buy a Royal Enfield if you are passionate about it.The new Desert Strom looks promising.But if are not that into it the Pulsar would be a better choice.

Bullet is known as an enthusiast's bike. If you are looking for the pure thrill of owning and riding a Bullet and dont care about mileage and maintenance then it is for you. OTOH if you are a normal munna looking for just a bike with a pretty good mileage to commute to office I would suggest you to stick with Pulsar.

I owned one, it was 12V but right hand side Gear shift type

Advantages

1) Macho Look

2) Lovely ride feel

3) Beautiful engine noise

Disadvantages

1) Needs to be taken good care off especially when compared to 100-200CC bikes, maintaince costs will be higher and needs to service with regular time intervals

2) Braking can be pretty poor and needs a guy who is experienced with Bikes

3) not very nible in taffic and can be difficult to park

4) Expensive to Buy.

5) Poor Mileage


A few things from back of the head.

^^Check out Royal Enfield Thunderbird 500. It was showcased in Autoexpo 2012, and I believe it will be launched at the end of 2012. There are quite a few improvements over Thuderbird 350 and the styling is very refined. Probably the most refined one from the Enfield stable.

Boss thunderbird is poor copy of Harley davidson, would prefer a Classic 500

Saar... Royal enfield is older than Harley Davidson, in case you don't know this info. If you consider that, we can call Harley, a copy of Royal Enfield in the first place. You are going to find similarities between these 2 brands.

Anyway, it is not copying. It is called being inspired. I am happy that Royal enfield is beginning to refine its products. there will always be a market for the classic versions. There will be a bigger market for the refined versions, IMO and it will ensure that the company survives and grows bigger.

mahadevbhu, get bajaj avenger if you want a tourer minus the hassles of RE.

Nah the Bajaj Avenger is not the real deal. RE is great fun, only thing it is not the correct bike for guys int he 18-22 range trying to overtake all and sundray on road in cities. RE hs its own delights.

I own a Bullet. In the past i did a lot of solo biking across the country. My max trip was a 2000 km one South to North. Enfield is a cruiser bike. I don't think one can compare a Pulsar and a Bullet.