DriveBlog

Forgot the Viva?

From rediff.com today:

"As it now stands, the diesel Fiesta is a decent option over the current C-segment king - the Honda City."

I wonder where (and if) the much-underrated Accent Viva CRDi fits into this whole equation.

Ain't that the truth!

Battle of the Tall Boys II

They fought it out then; they fight it out again. The Santro won then; the WagonR loses again.

The Driving Dutchman

Dig into this hilarious article that's evidently been written by an expatriate from Baan, Netherlands who spent two years in Hyderabad.

Driving in India for the benefit of every Tom, Dick and Harry visiting India

Having dared to drive on Indian roads, I am offering a few hints for survival. They are applicable to every place in India except Bihar, where life outside a vehicle is only marginally safer.

Indian road rules broadly operate within the domain of karma where you do your best, and leave the results to your insurance company.

The hints are as follows: Do we drive on the left or right of the road? The answer is 'both'.

Also see:
How the world drives
Why driving in Massachusetts and India is so much alike

Ford Fiesta rolls on

Things really do seem to be happening fast for the much-vaunted Ford Fiesta since its national launch only a couple of days ago. Observe, if you will, this sequence of developments that have since unfolded:

• Ford launches the Fiesta amidst much excitement and anticipation. The sedan has been in the news for being their 'global car' launch for developing markets, and India is admittedly one that is very high on their priority. The Fiesta is being seen as pitted against such deserving rivals on Indian roads as the Honda City, the Hyundai Accent, the Maruti Baleno and Esteem and the Chevrolet Optra. From what I've seen of the car so far, it seems like it's more than just your regular sedan and I tend to agree that it would be unfair to pit it against the more entry-level sedan options like the Ikon and the Esteem. The ones that should be worrying are the likes of the Honda City.  Moving on, retail sales are expected to kick in by mid-December with expectations of about 2000 units of the car going off the shelves every month. With sales of the Ikon dipping over the past few months and the Fusion failing to set the market afire, the Fiesta probably couldn't have come at a better time for Ford.
• They then proceed to knock almost everyone off their feet with the price announcements - the base (1.4 litre) petrol version can be yours for a little over 5 and half lakh rupees. That's not much higher than the base version of the Ford warhorse, the Ikon and definitely cheaper than their recently-launched super-hatch, the Fusion. A case of cannibalism? No, say Ford.
• They get current Bollywood wunderkind Abhishek Bachchan to 'Go Fida' over the Fiesta.
• And now, the announcement that the sticker tag on the Fiesta will go up by about Rs. 25000 more in the months to come as the prices being touted right now are only introductory prices.

Well, Ford's never been one to take new launches lightly, so methinks there's going to be plenty to hear from them in the days to come.

Now you know: In the market for a new car and with a budget of between Rs. 5 and 6 lakhs, you'd currently have about 30 options to choose from.

Tum dono judwa ho kya?

Ah, I was beginning to wonder when they would work the 'versatility' angle.

Love it or loathe it? Either way, if you want to, you could say something about it.

Also see:
'Innovaamir'.

To tow or not to tow...

Since moving to Mumbai, I've had many a chance to marvel at the almost manic singularity with which towing crews swoop in on an unmanned car 'violating a parking rule' and proceed to haul it away...all in a matter of seconds. Blink and you might miss the sight of the tow-truck slowly coasting to a stop as the gents standing in the back of the truck spot an 'offending' member of the general traffic, the almost lightning-like descent of said gents from the truck, the deftness with which the tow-truck driver backs his vehicle up closer to the unsuspecting culprit and the almost-invisible action with which the towing line is hooked up. Then one of the guys from the team proceeds to scrawl something with a piece of chalk ("Gotcha!"? "Guess who?"?) on the spot where the car was parked and before you know it, he's back on the truck and they're pulling out with the 'towee' obediently following. It's a quick, silent and effective operation and an exhibition of such stealth, skill and teamwork that I've had to convince myself a couple of times that I did see a car stand in that spot just a minute earlier.

So should you be worried about rushing back to that spot where you parked your car for just a minute ago while you nipped into the ATM or stopped to pick up a smoke and finding it gone? Well, apparently there's a bit of discrimination afoot - the probability of your car getting towed is in inverse proportion to its perceived value. (Link via India Uncut)

WagonR Primea launched

Er, the WagonR is a station wagon?

No hurrying please, we're Indians

Almost 40% of prospective car-buying Indians consider atleast 2 models before making up their minds, finds JD Power APAC's India Escaped(?) Shopper Study 2005. Price, financing options and fuel economy are their chief concerns and Maruti and Hyundai are the brands that are most often evaluated.

Also see:
India Online Auto User Trends 2004
Car-buying from the heart

'They woo' no more...

Fed up with all the red tape, General Motors has announced its decision not to pursue the acquistion of Daewoo's plant in India. They however continue to have designs on the small car market in India, plans for which even include setting up their own manufacturing facility in India.

Update: And here's news of another big partnership in the Indian wheelspace that isn't finding favour with some.

Also see:
GM's big small plans

Fiesta your eyes!

The upcoming Ford Fiesta in pictures.

Fiest-ah!

Ford India will launch its premium sedan, the Fiesta, next month. The car looks pretty good and will fill the gap in Ford's product portfolio that currently exists between the entry-level Ikon and the luxury Mondeo. Though there's no official conformation on the price just yet, experts reckon that it will be in the super-6 lakh, sub-7.5 lakh rupee region. The car will be launched with a 1.6 litre petrol engine and a 1.4 litre diesel engine.

Is the Fiesta the much-talked about, codenamed B 376, 'world car' project or is that something else altogether for later this year?

Update: The Fiesta is, in fact, Ford's new global car, to be launched simultaneously in India, Europe and someplaces in Asia.

Also, in case you were looking, there are discounts of upto Rs. 55000 on various variants of the Ikon, for just 2 days more. In case you're looking even harder, here's (the first of many, I'm sure) a roundup of the latest discounts and freebies on cars this festive season.

Also see:
Whither Focus?

(S)Milestones

Hospital ceilings are boring to look at. Avoid Accidents.

This and other interesting signs seen alongside the winding roads to Ladakh. (via Sepia Mutiny)

Getz, Set, Match!

Sania Mirza has been signed on as the new brand ambassador for the Hyundai Getz. Sania will endorse the Korean hatchback in India for the next 3 years and is claimed to be making quite a packet for it. Such a packet, in fact, that immediately after signing on Sania, they decided to hike the price of the Getz. =)

However, Hyundai must think it's money well spent as they hope that Sania will do for the Getz what Shahrukh did for the Santro.

And close on the heels of the endorsement deal are the obligatory newsbytes.

Also see:
Aamir Khan, the face of Innova

The Tata Palio?

Riding on a partnership that seems close to being finalised between their parent companies, Fiat India and Tata Motors will take the first step in the new relationship with plans to roll out the Fiat Palio from the Tata plant in Pune. A shot in the arm for the Tatas, who are largely perceived as diesel-driven, but can now up their appeal to petrolheads.

From a larger picture too, the partnership seems equally important for both companies  - Fiat will now be able to make use of the immense knowledge base that Tata has on operating in Indian markets - something that even Fiat has admitted it needs help on and something that is being seen the first step towards Fiat's revival in the country - and Tata's huge service network in India. Tata, on the other hand will have access to Fiat's technology knowhow and their enviable international marketing network.

Though a new phenomenon in the Indian marketplace, such collaborations have been quite the flavour in the global arena for some time now.

Also see:
The Fiat Palio takes on the Tata Indica
Tata Indica - an Indian Superbrand