Electric cars moving fast from prototype to the showroom

Gherardo Corsini, director of electric vehicle implementation at General Motors’ Opel/Vauxhall unit, made his way to Geneva from Germany more quietly than most.

Carmakers put up a good front

Even as car companies struggle to pull out of a deep crisis, they are not scrimping on auto show bombast. Volkswagen’s Audi unit went so far as to hire the pop star Justin Timberlake to introduce its new high-end subcompact A1 at the Geneva International Motor Show.

Hobby or investment?

Buying a collector car is an emotional decision and more of a hobby than an investment. But like other things in life, if you are making a significant investment, you want to use it for an intended purpose.

The back-up criterion

What’s the difference between a Honda Civic and Skoda Laura? Not much, unless you are a frequent highway traveller. Both cars have charisma. Both feel good when you are in the captain’s chair.

A rally for fun

Along the French Riviera in the south-east region of France, the Rallye Automobile Monte-Carlo takes place every year. Since its inception in 1911, this rally, under difficult and tough conditions, was a great way to unravel the potential of new automobiles. Winning it meant a lot of credibility for the car and its maker.

The monster with a soul

As I hop from one saddle to another there is something else that aches more than my you know what. So I’ve stopped sitting for long and try to keep it short and simple, like a straight espresso shot.

A dummy’s guide to buying a vintage car

Pride of ownership and pleasure of use. These are the answers commonly received when collectors are asked what they like most about the collector car hobby.

‘If you have power, it’s easy to lose them’

While driving, he hates wearing a jacket. That’s one of the few things that Peter Kronschnabl, the 43-year-old president of BMW India, gave away when we went for a drive in his spanking new X6.

The XL wonder

The 2008 Honda Accord, which has been one of the best-selling mid-size sedans for many years, has been completely redesigned for 2008.

Driven to distraction

To the dismay of safety advocates already worried about driver distraction, automakers and high-tech companies have found a new place to put sophisticated Internet-connected computers—the front seat.

Defending the turf

Sitting inside his company’s stall ––the largest at the just concluded Auto Expo 2010 in New Delhi’s Pragati Maidan––the stoic, almost Zen-like expression on the face of Shinzo...

Value for money and more

As one opens the driver’s door and gets inside, reassurance is immediate and gratifying. The new Skoda Laura 2.0 diesel shouts quality from the very core of its being.

A two-stroke revival, without the blue haze

No new car marketed in the United States has been powered by a two-stroke engine since Saab phased out its hard-to-housebreak 3-cylinder in the late 1960s, when federal air...

The ride through 2009

Mercedes Benz commences operations at its new plant in Chakan, near Pune. The Chakan plant has the capacity to produce 5,000 cars and 1,200 trucks and buses annually.

Two to tango

“Fiat Diesel Drives India” may sound too bold on the face but the company surely holds the right to make the claim.

A rally for the new rajas

If the official number of Indian billionaires has doubled from 27 to 52 last year, the real number of Indian crorepatis must be well over 200,000 and they are no longer ashamed of flaunting their wealth.

'We want to sell 70,000 cars by the end of 2011'

FIAT is on the road to do a turnaround in India. With two new launches—the Linea sedan and the Grande Punto hatchback, the company has of late, been clocking...

Setting the Beat

It just might be the beat missing in its India song. But come January and General Motors India might finally have the right notes flowing for it.

Cruising the new Cruze

The lion roar in its ads may be rather inappropriate in a land of tigers, but the snarl and aggression of the new Chevrolet Cruze is no joke.

‘Nissan India to export vehicles to over 100 countries’

Japanese auto major Nissan Motor Company has big plans for the Indian market. It plans to drive in nine models to the country by 2012.

Luxury takes on German muscle

Come December, Indians too will be bitten by the Beetle bug. But the original ‘people’s car’ from Germany won’t be so tagged in India. Nor would it come from Europe.

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