Suzuki Alto A-Star: The Way of Life

Upping the cuteness quotient of the show with its pink paint scheme was Suzuki Motors' fifth-generation Alto for the world, which will be known as the A-Star to the Indian masses. Suzuki is hoping that the car will also make the company a serious player in the urban small-car segment worldwide in the long run.

One of the impressing features is its remarkable styling (inspired by Maruti Suzuki's A-Star Concept unveiled earlier this year at the Auto Expo in Delhi) and Suzuki's claims of strong performance in terms of fuel efficiency and emissions. The new Alto's roominess on the inside despite its compact dimensions on the outside should also lure urban commuters towards it.

At the heart of its economical and eco-friendly nature will be Suzuki threecylinder 1-litre petrol engine that is currently being seen in the Suzuki Splash in some international markets. The lowfriction engine will play a major part in achieving the promised 22 kmpl fuel efficiency figure. The new Alto will be no slouch either, with 68PS of power and 90Nm of torque at its disposal. Power to the front wheels will be transmitted via a 5-speed manual gearbox, and a fourspeed automatic gearbox option has also been made available considering the car's in-city ambitions.

Apart from its taut and curvaceous exteriors, the car focuses on maximizing interior space for the front two seats while still accommodating two adults in the rear comfortably. Creature comforts will be aplenty on the European version of the car, which will come with six SRS airbags and an Electronic Stability Program (ESP) option to ensure safety of the occupants. Rear bench comfort should be satisfactory as well, with Suzuki's 3-link rigid axle design. At the same time, a high-rigidity Macpherson strut suspension has been incorporated at the front to offer precise and exciting handling as well. With an overall length of exactly 3.5 metres, a width of 1.6 metres and a turning circle radius of 4.5 metres, the car should thrive in packed urban traffic environs.

The car will be launched in Europe in Spring 2009 in Europe, and Suzuki expects to sell around 60,000 units in its first year. The new Alto is a part of the second phase of Suzuki's new 'Way of Life' philosophy, focusing on dishing out cars that are economic and eco-friendly, but do not sacrifice on style, practicality and performance. After the success of the Suzuki Swift and the SX4 which formed a part of the first phase of this philosophy, Suzuki seems well on its way to delivering once again.

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Hyundai i20: The Individual Sleek Chic

The all new i20 sub-compact was unveiled officially at the Paris Motor Show. The car will make its Indian debut at the end of November.

Designed at Hyundai's European Design Centre in Russelsheim, Germany, the i20 can best be described as individual-chic. The sleek 5 door hatch, which incidentally replaces the Getz model worldwide, rides on a longer wheelbase than its predecessor, which immediately translates to the fact that the slick new i20 is expected to have a more spacious interior architecture. The car also features Hyundai's distinctive design motifs, namely, a bold chrometopped grille flanked by piercing teardrop headlamps at the front and striking stacked rear light clusters. Adding to the element of design attitude are the rather robust modern lines that accentuate a hint of sportiness in this sub compact hatch.

Interior levels are said to be class leading and will come with a generous amount of standard equipment. Fitting in with Hyundai's theme of producing global vehicles, the i20 has been designed and engineered to meet European standards. It's a new platform that boasts of better driving dynamics-something we'll get to know soon enough. Incidentally the i20, like its smaller sibling, the i10, will be manufactured at Hyundai Motor India's manufacturing facility in Chennai, which aligns with HMIL's plans of making India their small car manufacturing hub.

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Bentley Arnage Final Series - Exclusive Edition

Bentley Motors launched a limited edition of its stellar luxo-barge in order to celebrate 10 years of the Arnage, 50 years of its mighty V8 engine and 90 years of the marquee. Titled as the Bentley Arnage Final Series, the new model is literally a tribute or rather a grand finale to this legendary brand. The Final Series features a unique specification, and the company intends on making only 150 cars in this exclusive production run. The Arnage era comes to an end with this model and for Bentley lovers, this might be rather nostalgic, however do not despair for this change also ushers in a new generation with an all new Bentley flagship model.

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Italian marquee - Lamborghini Estoque

The spanking new Estoque from the Lamborghini stables is a concept car which literally works out to be the Lamborghini that fits in the wife and kids! Possibly the top showstopper at the Paris Motor Show, the stall was visited by throngs of people who wished to see the four door Lamborghini.


Conceptualized to become the final word against similar attempts by other big names such as the Porsche Panamera and the Aston Martin Rapide, the Estoque is the Italian marquee's first ever four door model.

Lamborghini really intends on driving in their point here with this car which will incidentally form the third car in their model line up. Still in the concept stage, the Estoque's technical specifications remain a mystery, however one thing is for sure that it will feature a front-mid mounted engine, meaning that the engine will lie behind the front axle. As far as the engine is concerned, Lamborghini has a pedigree to choose from, or they could opt for a whole new heart. What we see as likely contenders for underbonnet space are the Gallardo LP560-4's V10, turbocharged V8, maybe with a hybrid mode or even a highperformance TDI courtesy the Audi connection.

Once again, like with all premium sportscar marquees, the critics have booed the four door design, stating that it is very unlike Lamborghini, but what needs to be understood is that times are changing and cars like the Estoque are ushering in a whole new breed of supercarnamely the super-sedans, which isn't really such a bad thing after all!

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Italian marquee - Ferrari California

The Ferrari stand at the recent Paris Auto Show was jampacked with journalists and enthusiasts alike. Also spotted in the crowd was none other than Ratan Tata who also wished to steal a peak at the much awaited Ferrari California coupecabriolet.

Though the air was a little solemn, due to the loss of Andrea Pininfarina, whose design house was responsible for the California lines, the new Ferrari has been welcomed with open arms. The stunning addition to the prancing horse stable is a literal powerhouse on wheels and its drop dead gorgeous looks had show goers mesmerized.

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So what our ancestors used as an automobile? (1/3)

Our ancestors were really brilliant and legendary... They saw an opportunity even in big problems... In early days, everyone was struggling with effective and less-tiring ways of transport, but no one really came out with a feasible idea...

However, a few of our legendary leaders came out with automobiles powered by steam! It followed by electric cars, then gas cars, then the famous Ford cars, and later Toyota cars, and now we have hybrid cars...

STEAM CARS


This picture shows how the early steam cars look like... Starting with the first theoretical plans for a motor vehicle that had been drawn up by both Leonardo da Vinci and Isaac Newton.

In 1769, the very first self-propelled road vehicle was a military tractor invented by French engineer and mechanic, Nicolas Joseph Cugnot (1725 - 1804). Cugnot used a steam engine to power his vehicle, built under his instructions at the Paris Arsenal by mechanic Brezin. The vehicle had to stop every ten to fifteen minutes to build up steam power. The steam engine and boiler were separate from the rest of the vehicle and placed in the front. The following year (1770), Cugnot built a steam-powered tricycle that carried four passengers.

Steam engines powered cars by burning fuel that heated water in a boiler, creating steam that expanded and pushed pistons that turned the crankshaft, which then turned the wheels. During the early history of self-propelled vehicles - both road and railroad vehicles were being developed with steam engines. Steam engines added so much weight to a vehicle that they proved a poor design for road vehicles; however, steam engines were very successfully used in locomotives.

After Cugnot Several Other Inventors Designed Steam-Powered Road Vehicles

• Cugnot’s vehicle was improved by Frenchman, Onesiphore Pecqueur, who also invented the first differential gear.
• In 1789, the first U.S. patent for a steam-powered land vehicle was granted to Oliver Evans.
• In 1801, Richard Trevithick built a road carriage powered by steam - the first in Great Britain.
• In Britain, from 1820 to 1840, steam-powered stagecoaches were in regular service.
• Steam-driven road tractors (built by Charles Deitz) pulled passenger carriages around Paris and Bordeaux up to 1850.
• In the United States, numerous steam coaches were built from 1860 to 1880. Inventors included: Harrison Dyer, Joseph Dixon, Rufus Porter, and William T. James.
• In 1871, Dr. J. W. Carhart, professor of physics at Wisconsin State University, and the J. I. Case Company built a working steam car that won a 200-mile race.

Part 2 coming soon...

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