Honda currently does not have any diesel car in its India portfolio. Due to the lack of diesel variants in Honda’s fleet of cars, consumers are opting for other options available in the market. Honda is aggressively working on the development of new line of diesel engines; the company has also deputed ex-Formula1 engineers for the development of these engines. A 1.6 Liter i-DTEC turbo diesel engine was recently unveiled by Honda, the engine can churn out 120 BHp of robust power and a splendid 300 Nm of toque. This engine is will power the upcoming 2012 Honda Civic sedan. Honda is also believed to be developing a small diesel engine which will be housed in the Honda’s hatchbacks, Jazz and Brio. If rumours are to be believed, Honda will exhibit another small size engine at the upcoming Geneva Motor Show.
Monday, 27 February 2012
Honda not coming with City diesel in 2012
In Pune 2012 BMW Golf Cup International
Dr. Andreas Schaaf, President, BMW Group India said, “It is with great pride that we introduce BMW Golf Cup International 2012 in India. BMW Golf Cup International has established itself as a leading amateur tournament in the country and seen tremendous success since it started in 2008. It is an event that our customers and other patrons of the game look forward to every year with enthusiasm and eagerness. In the last few years, the world of amateur golf in India has witnessed progressive development and advancement. Like every year, this year too, we hope to see great success from the participants.” BMW India dealers will identify amateur golfers amongst BMW owners and prospective buyers who would be interested in participating in the tournament. The tournaments will be held in accordance with the rules of the respective local golf club.
Mr. Vishal Agarwal, Director, Bavaria Motors said, “We are proud to host the BMW Golf Cup International 2012 in Pune. BMW Golf Cup International presents us with a great opportunity to enhance our relationship with our customers in a joyous and relaxed atmosphere. A lot of our customers are golf enthusiasts and BMW Golf Cup International provides them the perfect platform to showcase their talent.” The BMW Golf Cup International 2012 has three categories, A (for handicaps up to 12), B (for handicaps 13 – 28) and Ladies Category (for handicaps up to 28). The winners, runners-up and second runners-up of the individual handicap categories qualify for the national final. The winners in each of the three handicap categories of the national final qualify to take part in the world final of BMW Golf Cup International 2012.
5000 units of Sumo Gold sell by Tata every month
The company feels that Tata Sumo Gold will give a boost to the sales of Tata Motors. Presently Tata Motors sells about 3000 units of Sumo Gold, and four months earlier they could manage to sell only 1100 units per month. The company is aiming at higher sales in next couple of months, by increasing the sales figure to 5,000 units per month. At the moment Tata Sumo Gold is manufactured at Pune plant, and is producing 3000 units per month, the production capacity levels at Pune plant could be increased in future depending upon the response from the market. Tata Motors is facing a stiff competition from its competitors like Mahindra. The sales of Tata Aria crossover have been affected after the introduction of Mahindra XUV 500 last year in the market. However, the company earlier was selling only 200 units of Tata Aria in a month which now has touched the mark of 500 units. Tata Sumo Gold Bharat Stage 3 is available at a price of Rs. 5. 47 lakh and the top end variant is priced at Rs.6.89 lakh.
Romney's wealth emerges as subtext in 'Cadillac' remark
In remarks Friday to the Detroit Economic Club, Romney highlighted his love of American-made cars by saying he owns a Ford Mustang and a Chevrolet pickup, while his wife, Ann, drives "a couple of Cadillacs."
Cadillacs typically retail between $36,000 to $74,000. One reason the Romneys may need multiple vehicles is that they own homes in Massachusetts and California, plus a vacation place in New Hampshire.
Romney's comments as he campaigned ahead of Michigan's Feb. 28 primary are reminiscent of the inability of U.S. Sen. John McCain of Arizona to remember during his losing 2008 presidential run how many houses he owned.
An NBC/Marist survey of likely voters in Michigan's Republican primary released Feb. 22 showed Romney had 37 percent support and former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania with 35 percent. A Romney loss in Michigan, where he spent his boyhood and where his father served as governor and CEO of American Motors Corp., would be a blow to his candidacy.
His comment Friday "once again emphasizes the difficulty he has connecting with people," said Jennifer Duffy, an analyst with the nonpartisan Cook Political Report in Washington. "Most people aspire to own one" Cadillac, she said.
He was forced to defend a Feb. 1 comment on CNN that, as he offers proposals to help the middle class, he isn't "very concerned about the very poor" because they have a "safety net" of government programs to aid them.
Former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich, another Republican presidential contender, was among those attacking Romney's remark, saying, "I really believe that we should care about the very poor."
In January, Romney told voters that he likes "being able to fire people who provide services to me." The comments sparked criticism, though he was referring to health-insurance providers, not employees.
He also faced questions after saying he would make a $10,000 bet with then-presidential rival Rick Perry, the governor of Texas, to settle an issue dispute during a Dec. 10 nationally televised debate. Romney later said in a Fox News interview that he had offered "an outrageous number to answer an outrageous charge."
Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts who helped form a private equity firm in Boston, estimated his wealth to be as much as $250 million on financial disclosure statements. He earned $21.6 million in 2010, mostly from investments, according to tax returns he released in late January.
Romney in his speech Friday also sought to establish his connection to Michigan by saying it was good to be back in a state where "the trees are the right height" and "the streets are just right." He didn't elaborate.
Citroen unveils DS4 Racing Concept
Revealed on our Internet ahead of its Geneva motor show debut in March, the DS4 Racing is a replay of the company's work on the DS3 Racing: take a fizzy, funky posh hatch-coupe-thingy, and apply many layers of speed.
The DS4 Racing uses the same 1.6-litre turbocharged four-pot petrol engine from PSA, but ratchets up the power to a rather dizzying 256bhp, making it the most powerful car the company has produced. Powerful, but clean, too: Citroen reckons it emits just 155g/km of CO2.
Though no performance figures have been released, you could bet some pounds that it'd hit 100kph in less than seven seconds; perfect ammunition for its potential sparring partners, the upcoming Vauxhall Astra VXR and Megane RS.
Citroen has lowered the car by 35mm and widened the track front and rear by 55mm and 75mm respectively, so we live in hope that the car's squishy handling will have been rectified, what with 256 horses running amok. The brakes have been beefed up, with four-piston fixed calipers at the front with 380mm discs, sitting snug inside 19in alloy wheels.
You'll also notice some new carbon fibre goodness too, like that air diffuser, front splitter and flared arches. The matt grey paint job looks rather tasty too, doesn't it? We'll have more details from the Geneva show, but don't be too disheartened at the ‘concept' tag. Citroen did the same with the DS3 Racing. And now we have one.
Dartz Prombron Black Dragon
These guys have a long history of building some of the most unique armored cars you’ll ever come across, and their latest offering strikes those same very chords. Limited only to the Chinese market, the Prombron Black Dragon is as imposing and intimidating as its name sounds.
Similar to what Rolls-Royce did when it built the Year of the Dragon Phantom, the Prombron Black Dragon is being built as an homage to the Chinese calendar. As you can expect from Dartz, these guys know how to bling their vehicles like nobody’s business and the Prombron Black Dragon, with all the scattered diamonds, rubies, and gold motifs, is yet another sparkling example of Dartz’s affinity for fancy customizations.
In addition to all the bling, the Prombron Black Dragon also features a 3+1 door configuration, an additional 23" in length to provide more legroom, satellite television, mobile WiFi, a 42" LCD monitor, and electrochromic glass just in case you’re going to need some privacy.
According to Dartz, only 12 models of the Prombron Black Dragon are expected to be built with one model expected to fetch a ridiculous price tag of $7 million.
Hey, if you wanna roll around town in a diamond-studded, armored SUV, you better have that kind of moolah to pony up.
GM restarts EV Volt production
According to reports, the new Chevy Volts have been modified with a steel structural reinforcement surrounding the battery module and new sensors and are said to conform to changes recommended by its engineers in conjunction with the NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration). The modifications to the Volt were deemed necessary after the NHTSA identified the potential for a fire to occur in the battery module in crash testing last year.
According to reports, GM's decision to ship all new models to California likely stems from concerns about publicity regarding the vehicle's safety after the potential fire issue was discovered.