Indian Autos Thread

VikB · Post by **VikB** » 07 Sep 2009 10:15

rachel wrote:Ok, you clowns can keep on hijacking the thread... remember the thread title INDIAN AUTOS?? .....

Here is some useful links. Tata has reassured electrc Indica is 'on track'.. altho truly on track would ve meant a September launch as opposed to end of year...

It worries me .. the lack of details provided.. like most importantly PRICE POINTS.

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/Aut ... 973895.cms

Why does the smilies dont have a middle finger smilie in it ?? Or maybe that is not a smilie

The article is Rank 1 DDM.

Rachel ji, if you have any specific query (except price point) about the Electric Vehicle project by Tatas, let me know. I serve chai to the paanwallah in the know.

bart · Post by **bart** » 07 Sep 2009 10:50

pandyan wrote:Uno's third gear was "affectionately" called as an automatic...just put it in 3rd and it can crawl with the city traffic and climb all the way to 60kmph...

Are you talking about the Fiat Uno? You can do the same in the Indica Vista Quadrajet Diesel.

VikB · Post by **VikB** » 07 Sep 2009 12:00

bart wrote:
pandyan wrote:Uno's third gear was "affectionately" called as an automatic...just put it in 3rd and it can crawl with the city traffic and climb all the way to 60kmph...

Are you talking about the Fiat Uno? You can do the same in the Indica Vista Quadrajet Diesel.

I concur. Vista Quadrajet is simply awesome in the third gear.

I know a person who is a major car enthusiast who refused to take delivery of Fiat Grande Punto after driving the Quadrajet.

I consider this as one of the most under rated cars on the Indian roads.

manish · Post by **manish** » 07 Sep 2009 12:51

VikB wrote: Rachel ji, if you have any specific query (except price point) about the Electric Vehicle project by Tatas, let me know. I serve chai to the paanwallah in the know.

Good one! VikB, I think you have just coined a new term - Chaiwallah to Paanwallah

C2P!

Rahul M · Post by **Rahul M** » 08 Sep 2009 00:54

does maruti export to africa ? saw a gypsy in the african bush on an animal planet program.

KarthikSan · Post by **KarthikSan** » 08 Sep 2009 01:16

Rahul M wrote:does maruti export to africa ? saw a gypsy in the african bush on an animal planet program.

Maybe. Are you sure it was not an old Suzuki Samurai? They are one and the same except for the US/European versions with LHDs.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maruti_Gypsy

The Maruti Gypsy is a four wheel drive SUV based on the Suzuki Jimny SJ series long wheel base jeep.

Produced in India, it is also a common sight in Chile and Kenya. Within Europe, it is most often found in Malta and Hungary. In contrast to the Suzuki, the Maruti is available with 4 seats and a sizeable trunk.

Edit: Wikipedia link and quote added.

Rahul M · Post by **Rahul M** » 08 Sep 2009 01:22

think I saw the maruti logo.

VikB · Post by **VikB** » 08 Sep 2009 10:14

manish wrote:
VikB wrote: Rachel ji, if you have any specific query (except price point) about the Electric Vehicle project by Tatas, let me know. I serve chai to the paanwallah in the know.
Good one! VikB, I think you have just coined a new term - Chaiwallah to Paanwallah C2P!

Really ??!!!!! I feeling so proud of myself.

bart · Post by **bart** » 08 Sep 2009 11:46

pandyan wrote:yep...fiat uno diesel.

doesnt fiat grande punto and indica quadrajet share the same engine and transmission (i.e. fiat multi-jet + fiat transmission)? Unless the comparison was with grande punto petrol

The Fiat MJD engine is used in at least 6 cars in India:
Fiat Linea (Tuned to 90 BHP, with Variable Geometry Turbo)
Fiat Grande Punto
Fiat Palio Diesel
Maruti Swift
Maruti Swift Dzire
Tata Indica Vista

Of these, the Suzuki made licensed-copy is known for a sudden burst in performance after 2000 rpm and hence liked by so-called performance enthusiasts.

It is also mated with a great Suzuki gearbox that makes it fun to drive. However below 2000 rpm, at typical city speeds it might need more frequent gear changes than it's cousins.

The Indica Vista is tuned more for normal city and highway use, it is probably the most practical config. It has a gearbox developed with Fiat, that is pretty good, and the gear and engine is tuned for linear power delivery. Which means its not really that much of a go-kart type vehicle but it is great for normal driving. It also has terrific interior space and rear seat comfort that is not found in any car south of 10 lakhs.

The Fiats on the other had seem to have missed the bus with tuning their engines right for Indian conditions, and the gear shift is also supposed to be not that precise. Their strong points are solid build, looks, features, VFM, and most importantly handling and steering feedback.

kmkraoind · Post by **kmkraoind** » 08 Sep 2009 14:03

Indian Car Exports Beat China’s

VikB · Post by **VikB** » 08 Sep 2009 14:31

Bart ji - bang on.

Another vehicle having this engine-gearbox combo will be Vista Sedan.

The tuning of the engine and the gear ratios chosen are surely screwed up in case of Fiat cars. But the place where they score other than what mentioned by Bart is - the free bies inside. No other platform at sub 10 lakh package has kind of features that Linea is giving.

One more place where Tata and Fiat have kicked their own musharaf is - the engine size. For the HUGE Linea, the 1.3 litre diesel engine is puny by all standards. Imagine a Vista and Linea both being powered by the same size engine! To compound it all - the Vista sedan is also coming with the same 1.3 l

.
Good part - both Linea and sedan are planned to come with the 1.6 litre version soon. Though the cost will go up. I wish the Tatas could have brought the Vista sedan faster - I hate the hind sight of the Vista but love the drive of the car. If they get the sedan right - it will be priced around 6-7 lakh bracket - it will be a sure shot killer.

VikB · Post by **VikB** » 08 Sep 2009 14:35

Rahul M wrote:think I saw the maruti logo.

Maruti, Tata and Mahindras have been exporting vehicles to Africa for a long time. The change to Suzuki logo is recent for Maruti so quite possible what you saw.

John Snow · Post by **John Snow** » 08 Sep 2009 21:33

Even SA these brands are very popular i.e Tata and Mahindra.
The only complaint I heard was spare parts are very expensive and the dealer really goug the customers.

Katare · Post by **Katare** » 08 Sep 2009 22:47

Auto industry recovers from slump....

India logs 26% spurt in car sales

According to the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), 120,669 units were sold last month, compared to 96,082 units in August 2008. SIAM said two-wheeler sales similarly surged 25.11 percent to 776,777 units from 620,883 units.

This is wrong, China has seen 58% drop in export but domestic sales growth is better than anyother country.

Globally, China has seen a 60% decline in automobile sales while the dip has been 43% for Thailand and 31% for South Korea. In the US, General Motors, which had dominated the global auto industry last century, even had to file for bankruptcy.

uddu · Post by **uddu** » 09 Sep 2009 07:23

^ Nano effect.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 09 Sep 2009 09:11

honda.in is getting greedy and lazy - raising the price of civic by 30k again just when I was sharpening my focus on it. and all this for octogonal rear lamps, kaajal smoked front lamps, a new eco fuel meter! for 50K more you can get window visors, a rear spoiler and a couple more gee gaws

and they still havent fixed the low suspension issue of fully loaded civics tending to scrape bottom on our wolf-std speed breakers / road reefs

suddenly I like the Altis a lot more

has the charm of a well dressed lady who is not showing off flesh, but the promise of good stuff if you can get your hand inside the clothing.

p.s. and before anyone jumps on me - real men are only allowed to drive 1945 willy's jeeps with a cheetah print top canvas and pink upholstery.

Satya_anveshi · Post by **Satya_anveshi** » 09 Sep 2009 09:37

During my recent visit to Desh, I met a friend of mine who bought FIAT Linea. For about 10L, it has nice features, rear AC, good space, power. Plus any TATA service center (available nationwide) can service your car.

After seeing it I thought it's a good value for that money.

Added later: VicB says the engine is 1.3. Didn't know that but perhaps OK for Indian roads?

vina · Post by **vina** » 09 Sep 2009 10:46

p.s. and before anyone jumps on me - real men are only allowed to drive 1945 willy's jeeps with a cheetah print top canvas and pink upholstery

Lock laser on Charlie , press button..----->> Wooooooshh.. Hellphyrr on it's way.

But for heaven's sake of all the thing the Corolla , the plain jane, girl next door car ?. Hmpph.. How boring. You need more "excitement" dude. I know you want an automatic. I think the upcoming City with paddle shift auto is what the doctor ordered for you. But if you are in that segment, why not check out the Cruze that is coming out. Should be a rocket with that 150 bhp diesel and I am sure it will have an auto option.

Also, I think Ford Fiesta replacement should be due early next year and also the VW Polo sedan. Those will be atleast the size of the Linea I think and will have strong diesel and petrol offerings and also autos I would think.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 09 Sep 2009 11:53

corolla was my first car in life. drove 112,000km in 6 yrs before r2i'ing. rock solid as expected. for last 2 yrs we had a used accord also, nice but the suspension components needed costly repairs. the corolla was butt ugly in comparison and had a choppier ride (old 1997 model) but just kept going like a tireless mule in all conditions. nothing failed at all.

I like that kind of solidity as a sw engr who knows how things hang by a thread in all manner of a 'big-iron/mission-kritical' costly gear. true love and reliability is hard to find, I will take what I can get...and darn the sexier but fickle beauties! take her who loves you rather than who you lust for.

VW is a no-no based on patriotic considerations. plus they always price higher than honyota. even skoda is so costly here.

City - too small and not VFM for the size.

Ford - ho hum.

I am looking for a open-n-shut 8-10 yr ownership plan and corolla seems to fit the bill. pity the honda pigs are getting greedy coz I just loved that glass cockpit look and the cool blue dashboard lighting.

per the mob in BHP forums , Altis is ahead on features too even simple ones
like audio controls on steering wheel and 6-Cd in dash changer plus headlight wipers and so on.

Raja Bose · Post by **Raja Bose** » 09 Sep 2009 21:11

^^^ Are you suar it does not have girly paddles/automatic tranny otherwise please join Singha as hellphyyrr recipient #2

Corolla is as butt ugly as it gets but is pretty darn solid - thats why I got GHQ to buy a used Corolla as her first (aka guinea pig) car (with promise to give her a ride on whichever car I am test driving, as long as it is a production vehicle). Better to have a plain jane in the house for the long haul who will be grateful and faithful rather than a Rakhi Sawant or Bipasha Basu who will have a 1000 whims and 1000s of admirers ogling/aiming to get into her.

Now back to moaning as to why boss is getting to go to Frankfurt phat-phati show ..... life is too paki

PS: WTH swapped the locations of the New Post and Post Reply buttons again??? Dont adminullahs have better things to do like roast some more mujahids on the Cheeni dhaaga

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 10 Sep 2009 20:30

well yak yak - altis got vetoed in last night's ops-review meeting. so looks like civic will win the mrca deal. trials in blr are requested.

altis is 10% more fuel efficient over a 1000km run (per a canadian test) using exactly the same displacement of engine but a 4-speed auto -vs- 5-speed auto in civic.

vintage corolla - last man standing when all else drop dead

its not
been the highest selling compact car over decades around the world without
good reason.

you win by not losing - Mao

Abhijeet · Post by **Abhijeet** » 11 Sep 2009 01:34

After a few months of driving in India I want an SUV that can take on speed breakers, unpaved roads and maniacal drivers every day and come out unscathed. The City is too low-slung and too civilized for many roads in India.

nikhil_p · Post by **nikhil_p** » 11 Sep 2009 01:53

Algeria Police uses TATA Safari as their car!

http://www.policeworldwide.com/en/galle ... ry=Algeria

Prasad · Post by **Prasad** » 11 Sep 2009 02:07

Abhijeet wrote:After a few months of driving in India I want an SUV that can take on speed breakers, unpaved roads and maniacal drivers every day and come out unscathed. The City is too low-slung and too civilized for many roads in India.

What you need on indian roads is this -

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 11 Sep 2009 09:18

it comes with the detachable batpod assault bike option armed with 16 pack of micro-hellfire missiles ? [$450 value package]

also get the C3I wolfenstein package for $300 extra featuring:
- 5000V charging of cars outer skin to deter robbers
- sarin gas discharge grenades for crowd control
- remotely operated retractable 20mm cannon firing DU rounds

but true conoisseurs can stepup to the $1500 Transformer pkg wherein
at touch of a button, the vehicle transforms into StarScream, utters a
banshee scream and morphs into a fully armed F-22

KarthikSan · Post by **KarthikSan** » 11 Sep 2009 09:49

X-posting from Armored Vehicles Thread

India's first anti-terror armoured vehicle unveiled

From Rediff India

With the government of India increasing its focus on updating the defence forces with modern technology, a private Indian company has launched a range armoured vehicles for the Indian armed forces and police.

The range includes DHRUV-ATC (armoured troop carrier), DRONA--MPV (blast and mine protection vehicle) and VIPER (fast moving attack vehicle).

The high-end armoured vehicle, which is a first-of-its-kind in India with bullet, mine and blast proof capabilities will be showcased in New Delhi in October.

The company, Shri Lakshmi Defense Solution Limited, has commenced commercial production and is in the process of delivering its first bulletproof vehicle DHRUV-ATC to the Special Task Force from its new unit at Rahsupur, near Kanpur, in Uttar Pradesh.

The company currently is in talks with Indian paramilitary forces and also some high-value customers in India, Europe and the Middle- East who want their vehicles to be armoured with Level-B7 protection with bullet, mine and bomb-proof accessories. The armour could cost anywhere between Rs 50 lakh to over Rs 1 crore, depending upon the accessories embedded in the vehicle. The high-end armoured vehicles will be supplied to government officials, head of states, army, and prominent VIPs.

Dileep · Post by **Dileep** » 11 Sep 2009 11:04

I would be glad with an old villys jeep, with a crash guard all around, with a pneumatically controlled pinball paddle on either sides to whack the bikers who come close.

VikB · Post by **VikB** » 15 Sep 2009 16:43

http://indianautosblog.com/2009/09/tata-nano-fire

Parked Nano catches fire. The owner demands a Mercedes!!!!

rachel · Post by **rachel** » 16 Sep 2009 21:41

VikB. altho the story is funny... it is also extremely alarming if indeed a manufacturinbg defect caused this to happen.

If so, Tata and Indian auto industry credibility is damaged. People often laughed at the old Soviet Union with stories of TVs manufactured there which caught fire/ spontaneously combusted.

The anti India hate media (which includes all Indian and foreign outlets) will have a field day with this.

Not funny at all.

Suraj · Post by **Suraj** » 16 Sep 2009 23:01

Indian auto industry credibility damaged because one *alleged* claim about a Nano having an electrical incident, the story itself being of questionable credibility considering the owner's absurd demands ?

The western press has already had a 'field day' with claims about the Nano lacking airbags and other chi-chi safety features. Let the dogs bark.

AnimeshP · Post by **AnimeshP** » 16 Sep 2009 23:06

rachel wrote:VikB. altho the story is funny... it is also extremely alarming if indeed a manufacturinbg defect caused this to happen.

If so, Tata and Indian auto industry credibility is damaged. People often laughed at the old Soviet Union with stories of TVs manufactured there which caught fire/ spontaneously combusted.

The anti India hate media (which includes all Indian and foreign outlets) will have a field day with this.

Not funny at all.

So rachel ... does this news damage the credibility of Apple and the whole american technology industry ?

nikhil_p · Post by **nikhil_p** » 16 Sep 2009 23:09

Suraj wrote:Indian auto industry credibility damaged because one *alleged* claim about a Nano having an electrical incident, the story itself being of questionable credibility considering the owner's absurd demands ?

The western press has already had a 'field day' with claims about the Nano lacking airbags and other chi-chi safety features. Let the dogs bark.

Funny part in in ToI the pic of that guy had a base model Nano (White with Grey bumpers) and he says that it cost him 1.8 lacs...Seems this is all BULLSHIT....

How the helll is credibility damaged with 'one' incident...this could be due to an after market fitment of something on the car which shorted as well...in which case it is the owners fault!...

VikB · Post by **VikB** » 17 Sep 2009 11:01

Friends, there is a merit in what Rachel has said. Remember we are SDREs only. Whatever we do is seen by all the world with great envy and Nano certainly didnt only kick the auto Giants but the entire 'Western' world that how can such a revolutionary idea come from the third world country like ours. The concept of 'nano' has taken many myriad implications ever since Ratan Tata unveiled the four wheel beauty.

What i am surprised about is that how can ANY stationary car that has been parked since overnight (the car caught fire early morning) catch fire even by a battery malfunction!! Beats my mech engg brain. I mean, what can generate the spark? Stationary battery, with no heating up (night time), no demand of current - how can it catch fire?

I have seen an Indica go up in flames but it was being driven when smoke started coming out. Same news about Maruti esteem some years agon flaming out on a flyover in Delhi. But never have I come across a stationary car catching fire.

vishwakarmaa · Post by **vishwakarmaa** » 17 Sep 2009 22:07

VikB wrote:What i am surprised about is that how can ANY stationary car that has been parked since overnight (the car caught fire early morning) catch fire even by a battery malfunction!! Beats my mech engg brain. I mean, what can generate the spark? Stationary battery, with no heating up (night time), no demand of current - how can it catch fire?

Catching fire incidents have happened with American 'Chevrolet' SUV too. But western Gora press doesn't advertise such incidents. The media in West is controlled by private corporate families who knows how to censor bad things and market American products in a religious manner.

VikB · Post by **VikB** » 18 Sep 2009 10:15

Vishwakarmaa ji. Can you confirm if in case of the American Chevy SUV , it was case of catching fire while stationary or during use?

Rahul M · Post by **Rahul M** » 18 Sep 2009 10:27

is this nano story reliable ? DNA isn't the most believable source.

vera_k · Post by **vera_k** » 18 Sep 2009 10:35

Feds Probe Fire Complaints in Chevy Tahoe, GMC Yukon

VikB · Post by **VikB** » 18 Sep 2009 18:04

Rahul M wrote:is this nano story reliable ? DNA isn't the most believable source.

In this case, it is.

Gagan · Post by **Gagan** » 18 Sep 2009 18:13

What sort of tyres do these bullet proof and mine proof vehicles have? Tubeless tyres for sure. But is there any merit in the legend of the 'bullet-proof' tyres that we saw on Knight-rider?

nikhil_p · Post by **nikhil_p** » 18 Sep 2009 23:36

Gagan wrote:What sort of tyres do these bullet proof and mine proof vehicles have? Tubeless tyres for sure. But is there any merit in the legend of the 'bullet-proof' tyres that we saw on Knight-rider?

AFAIK ...the tyres are not Bullet PROOF
but Run Flats or resistant to getting flat
Two types - One which are filled with a type of Foam instead of Air. This does not let it 'Burst' and fall apart.

The other is where run flat inserts are placed between the rim and the tyre. In case the tyre loses air pressure completely the inserts act as a barrier between the metal rims and the road surface. Somewhat like the hard rubber rim on old ''tonga" wheels.
Gurulog...please correct the errors...this is all IIRC