Meet the Porsche Macan small SUV

The small Porsche SUV that goes on sale about 18 months will wear the Macan nameplate, the German automaker said on Thursday.

 

Until now, the SUV project had been known by the code name Cajun, created from the concept of “Cayenne Junior.”

 

Porsche says Macan is “derived from the Indonesian word for tiger and combines suppleness, power, fascination and dynamics.”

 

The Porsche Macan will share a platform with the Audi Q5 and will be built at the Porsche plant in Leipzig, Germany, that now builds the Cayenne.

 

Porsche is spending $650 million to expand the Leipzig plant, adding a body shop and a paint shop. Production of the new Macan SUV is set to start in fall 2013.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bajaj RE 60 four wheeler unveiled

Bajaj RE 60, the much discussed ultra low cost car has been finally unveiled ahead of 11th New Delhi Auto Expo. But according to Rajiv Bajaj, the top honcho of  Bajaj Auto RE 60 is not a car but just a four wheeler. Bajaj RE 60 is company’s maiden product in four wheel category and  which is (according to company)  going to redefine city commuting. Bajaj RE 60 is powered by a 200cc fuel injected DTS-i  engine which produces a maximum power of 16 PS. There are two variants (a passenger variant and a cargo variant) of RE 60 on offer and company has not yet announced the prices of RE 60. But we expect the base variant will carry a price tag of  less than one lakh.

 

Bajaj RE 60 boasts 35 km/liter fuel efficiency and emits just 60gm/km which looks ultra eco friendly. The top speed of  Bajaj RE 60 which weighs 400 kg is limited to 70 kph. Bajaj Auto will be producing RE 60 in their Aurangabad plant. The same plant rolls out Bajaj Auto’s three wheelers as well. By sharing manufacturing facility with three wheelers, Bajaj RE 60 managed to save 350 Cr for the company. Bajaj will produce almost all components of RE 60 in house. A CNG powered Bajaj RE 60 is also available.

 

The concept of  Bajaj RE 60 sports a set of  body colored bumpers and stylish alloy wheels. The dashboard houses  a central speedometer cluster, in-built fare meter (similar to auto rickshaws) and seat belts. Bajaj RE 60 has 44-liter boot space and  95-liter under seat storage  which could be sufficient for city commuters.

 

“Last century was scooters, this century was motorcycle. We have made a remarkable transition from a scooter to a motorcycle company. We’ve gone from selling cheapest scooters in the country to some of the most expensive motorcycles. For the last 8-9 quarters, Bajaj Auto has been the world’s most profitable auto company. There has been valid criticism that Bajaj has not done justice to its 3 wheeler business even though we are largest in world. We have been urged to do something dramatic for the 3 wheeler business, as dramatic as the transformation from Chetak to Pulsar. These are a host of features that are not normal for this segment just like when we launched Pulsar. It’s a testimony to our engineering,” said Rajiv Bajaj, M.D of Bajaj Auto during the launch ceremony.

 

So who would be the targeted customer..? Nano buyers? we doubt. Bajaj RE 60 comes nowhere near to Tata Nano in many aspects. Be it overall design, styling, build quality or engineering. Probably Bajaj RE 60 may soon eat some market share of  three wheelers which is again ruled by Bajaj Auto. We think it is a sensible alternative for auto rickshaws. RE 60 will definitely give improved commuter comfort by protecting them from weather.

 

By the way another candidate is expected in this segment is from Piaggio. Piaggio MT3 was made it’s debut last year in Italy and is expected to hit India in 2-3 years down the line.

 

Alfa Romeo Brera Review

The Alfa Romeo Brera is a stylishly designed car launched for the elite class of customers. This car is expected to be launched in the Indian automobile market in 2010. The car will be launched in C+ segment through Fiat.




Alfa Romeo Brera Specifications
The Alfa Romeo Brera review indicates that the car has a 1742cc petrol engine. This engine delivers power of 197 bhp at 5000 rpm and peak torque of 320 Nm at 2000 rpm. The length of the car is 4410mm and its width is 1830mm while its height is 1341mm. 4 individuals can comfortably sit in the car at a time. The engine is mated with 6-speed manual transmission feature.
The Alfa Romeo Brera review shows that the car has quadrilateral front suspension along with multilink rear suspension. The kerb weight of the car is 1430 kgs and it has fuel tank limit of 70 litres. The car has front and rear disk brake system. The car comes with electronic system that helps in monitoring and controlling of important parameters like braking as well as road holding. The top speed of the car is 235 km/hr.

 

Alfa Romeo Brera Mileage
The car can deliver mileage of around 14 km/litre on an average.

 

Alfa Romeo Brera Interiors
The Alfa Romeo Brera interiors are quite stylish and sophisticated. The materials used in the interiors are of high quality and the car has wide glass roof which allows for greater natural light to become available. The interiors are also quite spacious and the car has air conditioner with climate control feature. The driver’s seat can be electrically adjusted. The car has decent legroom but the seat height is on the higher side. The car has CD player, leather upholstery and cruise control system.

Alfa Romeo Brera Safety features
The Alfa Romeo Brera has several safety features and these include seven airbags and stability control feature. The car also has antilock brake system and electronic brake force distribution feature.

 

Alfa Romeo Brera Price and design variations
The Alfa Romeo Brera price starts at Rs 32 lakhs and the car is available in a single design variation.

 

Alfa Romeo Brera Colors
The car will be available in 10 different colors.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Aston Martin One-77 Screams ‘Money Is No Object’

Aston Martin’s 700-horsepower One-77 is to cars as John Steed is to civil servants — a proper English gent quite capable of kicking your ass without so much as breaking a sweat.

 

The super-exclusive, super-expensive supercar unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show seamlessly blends top-shelf luxury with race-car engineering to create what may be the finest automobile the quintessentially British firm has ever produced.

 

Of course, for $1.4 million, it damn well ought to be.

 

Aston Martin spared no expense with the One-77, so named because just 77 will be handbuilt at the factory in Gaydon, and says it represents the culmination of all the company has learned since its founding in 1913.

 

“Quite simply, it had to be the ultimate expression of Aston Martin,” company chief executive Ulrich Bez said in a statement. “As you can now see, we have achieved that goal in magnificent style.”
Indeed.

 

While the One-77′s funky ducts, oversize headlights and ribbed sides will prompt debate among aesthetes, few can deny the car’s mechanical beauty. Aston’s engineers looked long at hard at the hardcore race cars of the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters series when designing the One-77, and the car is packed with race-car technology. “We wanted to create something that wows you as much when you see what’s under the skin as the exterior styling itself,” said Chris Porritt, who led the car’s development.

 

The handformed aluminum body rests on a carbon fiber monocoque cradling a 7.3-liter V12 engine developed by Cosworth. Aston Martin is still nailing down the final figures but is quite confident the engine will produce at least 700 horsepower in production trim. Look for a zero to 60 time in the mid-three-second range and a top speed just north of 200 mph, although asking so basic a question as “What’ll she do?” is, as the Times found out, a touch vulgar.

 

“It goes fast enough,” Bez told the British paper during the show, with what we imagine was just a touch of indignation.

 

Power, the old advertising slogan goes, is nothing without control, so the One-77 features a fully adjustable suspension with pushrod-activated dampers. All those ponies flow through a six-speed paddle-shifted transmission developed exclusively for the One-77 and they are reined in with carbon-ceramic brake rotors.

 

The car was billed as the most expensive automobile on the planet when it was announced last year, but a slump in the value of the Sterling means the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 will retain the title. Aston Martin may be going through the same rough time as the rest of the auto industry, but Bez says the company has received “expressions of interest” from 250 potential buyers around the globe. It seems there are at least 77 people with the means to drop £1 million — $1.4 million at today’s exchange rate — on a car.