ANOTHER NEW DATE FOR LAUNCH OF CHEVY SPARK

I am tired of keeping track of the proposed launch date for Chevy Spark. GM has been talking about it for a couple of years now, and the dates are always moving forward. Here they go again, and have announced a new date - first half of 2007. The previous date they had given was around last quarter of 2006, but this is not just the second time they are announcing new date.

GM failed to realize the importance of having a small car in India as quickly as they could. Now, I wonder if a Spark would be too outdated a car to launch in 2007. GM has missed the bus, and they better return to their design lab to make amends.

FUEL INJECTION TECHNOLOGY FOR BIKES COMES TO INDIA

Fuel injection technology has replaced carburettors in cars and has become de facto technology in India for a few years now. But bikes had stayed far behind and no bike in India had fuel injection for the engine so far. Things are finally changing. Hero Honda has now launched new Glamour, which uses fuel injection technology. It comes at a cost though - buyer will have to shell out an additional 5,500 for this bike now! Bajaj is following it up very soon, and they will be launching Pulsar with fuel injection, called Pulsar DTSI-FI.

An additional Rs.5,500 seems really steep, but once Hero Honda(and Bajaj) manages to achieve the scale, prices may come down. But till that happens, buyers may think twice to pay so much for a motorcycle that delivers only 9BHP and has only 4 gears. But Fuel injection is a worthy technology that helps reduce emission levels and also enhances the power delivery from the engine. Someday in future when stricter emission norms come into place, all bikes on the road may have to use fuel injection.

See Hero Honda's website for more details on the bike.

NEW VERSIONS OF CHEVY TAVERA

General Motors has launched two enhanced versions of the Tavera. They seem to be basically the same car with improved interiors. The new versions are called Tavera Neo LS B3 and Neo SS D1. The names seem to be as unintutive as it can get. The models are priced around 7.2 lakhs and 9 lakhs respectively. The most interesting thing about Taveras(not only the new models) for the buyer is the fuel economy, which GM claims to be(according to Overdrive magazine) 14.3kpl overall and 20.1 on the highway. That's definitely something to consider in the days of fuel price hike. See GM India website for more details on the models.

DRIVING TRIPS

Driving to some nice destination over the weekend was a hobby limited to the westerner a decade ago. We in India have caught up fast with this fancy, and it is indeed a great way to spend time. I have been doing this since the time I bought my first car, and have made several journeys so far. While most of them were weekend or three-day trips, there were two occasions when I have taken a week off and spent all of it driving in the hills of south India. I love these driving trips and keep looking forward to one all the time. It has been a while since I have made a trip, since I was spending six months travelling across India, but I intend to do more of them this monsoon season. Here are some trip reports from the past.

Driving from Bangalore to Goa via Jog and Murdeshwara
Riverside picnic - Places around Bangalore
Hampi
Hills of South India
Driving in rain: Jog falls, Karwar, Kali and Goa

A NEW ELECTRIC BIKE IN INDIA

After several years since we have had an electric car, we now have an electric bike. Brought out by Ace Motors, it costs a little above 26,000. Charging it is said to take around 6-8 hours and it can run for 70kms at a maximum speed of 25kph. What is interesting is that you don’t need to register the vehicle. See more of the story.

I wonder why market leaders do not make an attempt to go beyond traditional products. India's only electric car - Reva was not made by Maruti, Hyundai or the Tatas but a small unknown company in Bangalore. It seems to be the same story with bikes. I wonder if it is because they don't see much money in it?

INSURANCE TO GET COSTLIER

You have had fuel price hikes. And then manufacturers want to hike car prices because fuel prices have increased. Add to that, starting next January, you may end up paying more money to insure your car.

Car insurance in India has always been cheaper than global levels. Prices were regulated and there were only a few limited parameters that were used to set the premium. Things are going to change from January 2007. You may pay up much more if you are accident prone, or if your car is unsafe, or if it is bought in a region where car theft is more common, or if the model you have bought is prone to theft, or... Essentially, insurance companies will decide the premium on many such factors and the cost of insuring the car may go up considerably. So expect to pay much more for a car if you are planning to buy one in 2007 or later.

This is a pricing policy that is commonly used in the west. The new pricing method means that you need to be very careful with your car. Frequent crashes and problems can drive up the cost of insurance and owning the car may become prohibitive. At the same time, no claims for a long time may help you cut down insurance cost.

FORD FIESTA AGAINST HYUNDAI ACCENT VIVA DIESEL

Business standard has a story, comparing Viva and Fiesta diesel versions. Frankly, I don't see any reason why they should be compared at all. Everyone knows that Accents are a generation old car, already making way to the new version - Verna. But the Ford product is brand new and has got rave reviews from every corner. Here is the story, which throws up no surprises. Accent Viva is a more powerful and faster car, producing almost 15bhp more than the rival. But Fiesta beats the Viva in every other aspect.

LOOKOUT FOR A PLUSH MAHINDRA BOLERO

M&M is launching new versions of Bolero at the higher end, named Sportz and SLX. The new versions are going to make the Bolero slightly more refined, though changes don't seem to be significant. The additions include keyless entry, four speaker music system and a few other features. See Bolero website for more details on the vehicle.

TAX BREAKS FOR CARS RUNNING ON LPG, CNG

Just as the news of increase in fuel prices breaks out, government is planning to cut excise duty on small cars running on LPG and CNG by 8%. The small car definition is as it was stated in this year's budget.

The duty cut, of course would make no difference for cars that are retro-fitted with LPG or CNG. Interestingly, there is no car currently available in the market that is factory fitted to run on CNG or LPG. But Maruti is soon rolling out Wagon R which runs on LPG. Government is hoping that the duty cut will encourage other manufacturers also to look into alternate fuel options, and hence, may be eventually reduce some fuel consumption and pollution on our roads.

FUEL PRICES INCREASE AGAIN

It was expected to happen someday, and I am sure Government of India and the finance ministry must be thinking that they needed to increase the prices a little more.

Though every one seems to whine and fret, I doubt if anyone would try and cut down using their personal vehicles. At least for most people I know, there is no trouble in affording the additional price they have to pay up. I think that goes with most people. Some one who can spend Rs.40,000 on a two wheeler or Rs.500,000 on a car would well be ready to pay for the fuel too. The affected people would be the ones who use their vehicles as part of their work - like ones who need to be moving around in their bike, car or commercial vehicles for the whole day.

Personally, I have no complaints even if the hike was much higher. I have been trying for sometime to reduce dependency on my personal vehicle, and the hike will only become a motivator.

BARGAIN HUNTING

In case you are planning to buy a car sometime soon, it is better to check out possible discounts before you pay up what the dealer asks for. Economic times has a listing of discounts available this season on cars in all segments. Take a peek at it before you decide what to buy.

BARGAIN HUNTING

In case you are planning to buy a car sometime soon, it is better to check out possible discounts before you pay up what the dealer asks for. Economic times has a listing of discounts available this season on cars in all segments. Take a peek at it before you decide what to buy.

ROLLS ROYCE: NOW IN A SHOWROOM NEAR YOU

Yes, Rolls Royce is now sold in India, Mumbai to be precise. If you wanted to buy one but was worried about all the importing formalities, your time has come now. It will set you back by 3.5 crore, the money that can buy you more than a 100 Maruti 800s! And the numbers that the dealer is hoping to sell - 6 to 7 cars a year to start with! Read the story here.

NEW REPLACEMENT FOR ZEN IS MR WGAON?

Only a few days back, I was musing about what went wrong with the new remodeled Maruti zen that was launched a few years ago. The news is abuzz these days that Maruti has already zeroed in on a replacement they were planning for sometime.

MR Wagon, a Suzuki small car that was sold in Japan a few years ago will be sold in the name of Zen in India. Obviously Maruti does not want to kill a successful brand name. They say MR Wagon is not a relative of the Wagon R, but a look at the images and specifications indicates otherwise. It seems to be another tall car like the Wagon R and I doubt if it is a good alternative to the feminine looking Zen. While the new MR Wagon is being readied for the Indian market, check with your Maruti dealer, you may get some fat discounts on the Zen, with Maruti trying to clear up the inventory.

Also - June issue of Autocar India magazine has a first look at MR Wagon.