I'm whack in the middle of a 'Blog Mela' hangover, thanks to an utterly enjoyable post from over at Yazad's. That being the case, I thought I'd fashion this post of mine on similar lines. What follows therefore, is an attempt to bring you the best of the web from over the past few days on what's been happening on the Indian car scene. So belt up, tilt that seat back, play your current favourite road-tune over in your head, stretch those legs deep into that footwell and enjoy the ride.
The folks at Autocar India have traded in their old Palio 1.6 GTX for a newer 1.2 nv which they'll be putting through their long-termer test in the months to come. Though they do miss their old, bigger-hearted buddy, it's smaller cousin hasn't done much to disappoint so far.
I wondered aloud a little while ago as to whether the Indian passenger car market had such a colourful history of 'auto recalls' as compared to the West. Well, evidently not - and more so, for a variety of interesting reasons.
There's a new Accent on the horizon - and am I the only one who likes the looks of it?
It seems like the beginning of a SUV-eet summer for sports utility vehicles in India - we just can't seem to get enough of them, their prices notwithstanding. Take your pick: the current hot favourite Honda CR-V, the 'freshened-up' Scorpio Sportz, the just-launched Hyundai Tucson or the upcoming Toyota Fortuner.
Ford India rolled out their 100000th unit of the Ikon sedan earlier this month. And as it is their wont to do everytime they reach a landmark of this kind, Ford's celebrating with a limited period, limited edition offer. This time it's called the 'Josh100' series. For me, Ford sets the bar when it comes to staying top of mind through consumer-driven promos and special offers. Remember the 'Ikon Anniversary' and 'March Masti'?
4 Indian cars - the Alto, the M800, the Hyundai Santro and the Tata Indica - are now in the 'over 100000 units sold in the year 2004-05' club.
A couple of fellow bloggers post on a couple of topics that are right down my alley. Jamshed Rajan of 'Ouch, My Toe!' goes people-watching and introspecting every time he spends 2 and a half minutes at a traffic signal. And Abhi of 'A Tyrovial Pursuit' (honestly, I'm still trying to figure out what kind of a chase that is) reckons that the least desirable part of Indian roads is, well, the people that drive on them.
And finally, would you sign up a deceased family member for one helluva joyride? =)
well toyota fortuner seems to be a distant dream for india as toyota keeps on postponding its launch
Posted by: saad | Tuesday, June 06, 2006 at 17:17