The Monster Motorbike.

• "Gunbus" called as the biggest motorcycle of the world by its manufacturer, is showcased at the Essen Motor Show on Friday.
• Nearly 550 exhibitors from 19 countries will present their latest offerings at the fair.
  

Tata to come out with Electric Indica.

• Tata Motors is carrying out a feasibility study to bring out the electric version of its compact carIndica in the domestic market.
• The company is currently developing the electric Indica with a Norway based firm to launch the car in the European markets by 2011.
• According to Tata Motors, the electric Indica would be launched in India after studying the market demand.
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Can students studying in Chennai, India get a lecence?

• Students in the age group 16 to 18 are eligible to get a driving licence provided their parents or grardians give an undertaking. This duiving licence will only enable them drive 5occ vehicles like TVS50 or Bajaj Sunny.
• It is mandatory for a student to get a Learner's licence atleast one month before they get a full driving licence. The learner should have an L-board accompanied by a person with a valid driving licence.
• Battery operated vehicles below 35HP do not need a licence.
• Once the student becomes 18 years old they can apply for a licence to drive a car or a motorcycle.
  

Future lies in cheaper electric cars!

• A few days back when I drove my car on the city roads I fumed within me seeing the traffic jams and the snail speed at which the vehicles were moving. My mind started calculating the cost involved on account of wastage of fuels, health hazards caused by the pollution, wear and tear of the car due to continous use of brakes and clutches and the wastage of valuabli time lost. If we calculate the total money lost on account of tall these factors it would work out to millions of dollars.
• I searched the web curious to know as to whether anything has been or is being done to mitigate this issue. The results were amazing.
• The days are not far off that we would have cheaper cost effective electuic car tailor made to commuting requirements of the urbanites, as research is progressing  in this regard.
• Carnegie Mellon University's Robotics Institute have come up with an novel approach of crstomising electric cars for cost effective commuting.
• Research is on as to how electric vehicles can be customised to cost effectively meet commuting needs,how the effecieney can be boosted and how the battery life can be extended.
• The researchers have converted the 2001xB Scion commercial vehicle into an electric car on a test basis.
  

Scorpio raids the Himalayas.

• The Scorpio has won the Raid De 2009 Himalaya  Adventure Trial - SUV category, a rally considered to be the toughest in the world.
• The Scorpio's achievement is not just limited to the Asian continent. Across the world even in Brazil too, the Scorpio had won the gruelling Rally Dos Sertoes.
• For 2 years in a row, the mighty Scorpio is continuing its legacy or domination.
• To know mire about the Scorpio click: mahindrascorpio
  

Honda CR-Z Hybrid.

• We have at last a cool looking car that won't just stop at the concept level.
• The Honda CR-Z Hybuid car is expected ro roll out on the roads of Japan by February 2010.
• The Honda CR-Z Hybrid car will come with a 1.5 litre engine coupled with motorassist technology used by Honda the major auto giant in its other Hybrid cars.
  

Honda has no plans to chase Tata Nano.

• According to the major Japanese auto giant car manufacturer Honda India and China are the promising automobile market for cars.
• According to Honda, the market would improve only on introduction of the small cars.
• Honda also confirmed that they woild not be intereated in manufacturing low cost madel of cars like Tata Nano which is already chased by auto makers like Hyundai, Renault Nissan alliance and GM.
  

Car sales record increase of 84% in October.

• Accordiing to SIAM the car sales soared 84% in October mainly on account of festive season and cheaper loans. This was the greatest increase in the last 3 years.  The sale of passenger cars in the domestic market was 1.32 lakh units in october this year as compared to 99052 units in the same month last year, showing the biggest increase in percentage since February 2007 when it jumped 46.5%. This October was the nineth month of growth following an increase of 21% in September, 26% in August and 31% in July.
• In the passenger car segment, the growth was led by the top 3 car manufacturers Maruti, Hyundai and Tata. Even the other car makers like Honda Siel, GM, Fiat and Ford reported that the demand for cars in the market is on the rise. In the utility vehicles sector Mahindra & Mahindra continued its strong performance with sales growth of 39%. 
• The boost in the car sales in the Indian markets at a time when very few global markets have shown double digit growth can be attributed to entry of new models in the small car segment, softer loans by financial institutions and measures bruoght by the government to boost the industry.
• In the two wheeler sector notor cycle sales also had a 14% rise with 6.1lakh units in October this year as compared to 5.4 lakh units in the same month last year with all major manufacturers Hero Honda, Bajaj and TVS reporting gains.
• Scooter sales were down by 13% as the major player HIMSI had to face strikes at its Manesar factory and had almost brought down its production by 50%.
• The commercial vehicle sector which was the worst hit during the slow down have shown a remarkable growth of 52% with sale of 42562 units in October this year as against 28019 units in the same month during last year. Interestingly the growth was in the meduum cum heavy duty vehicle segment indicating the revival of industrial growth.
  

Mazda Kiyora.

• The concept from Mazda would run on the air with a SKY-G 3 litre engine.
• The engine reduces the mechanical friction and improves fuel enonomy by 5% compared to the current engines.
• The Kiyora also has the "i-stop" idling stop system and regenerative braking.
• Combined with all these and the use of the light weight material, Mazda's claim of 91 miles per gallon for the Kiyora appear to be quite genuine.
  

Maruti 800 Vs Tata Nano.

• When you enter into the Nano's driver seat you will be surprised with the space available. The leg space is quite comfortable for the car of this dimension. The dash board with unique design is extremely spartan. The curvy centre console has a high mounted speedo and digital fuel guard which are easy to read. At the driver's seat you get a good commanding view of the road ahead. Both the front and rear seats eventhough are moderately comfortable the lack of bolstering gives the feeling of a hard bench. The wide opening doors and the good ground clearance makes in and out of the car an easy task. The quality of the dashboard, steering and gear lever is quite o.k with the buttons and the other switch gear are quite crude. But one caun't expect more at this price.
  
• As compared to the Tata Nano, the space available in the Maruti 800 is very much uncomfortable. On the possitive side the seats are weell bolstered and hold you in place better than the Nano but lack sufficient leg space and back support. The quality of the dashboard in the Nano is much better as compared to the Maruti 800.
• The Maruti 800 has a much bigger sized engine as compared to the tiny one of the Nano and the pick up speed is quite faster.
  
• The Nano comes with servo brakes offering sufficient stopping power as compared to the 800 which comes with front disc brakes needing a heavy foot to make the car stop effectively.
• On the refinement front, the overall refinement levels of the Maruti 800 are much better as compared to the Nano.
• The Nano is a safe handling car as its weight is concentrated towards the rear with wider tyres fitted at the rear. The steering is reasonably accurate and imparts confidence at high speeds. On the highways the Nano is quite stable to drive.
  
• The steering wheel of the 800 is no doubt far superior as it is more accurate and needs far less effort.
• The Nano's ride can be choppy expecially on rough roads but is slightly better than the 800.
• Reliability wise the Maruti 800 has proven track record for many years now. The Nano is still relatively new. So how reliable it proves only time will tell. The 800 retails for Rs 2.47 lakhs on road, Mumbai much more than the Nano LX which retails at Rs 2.09 lakhs with an AC.
  

Alcatel Lucent launches connected concept cars.

• The car looks like any other Toyota Prius until you enter in the vehicle and sit behind the wheels.
• The car is termed as the Long Term Evolution Connected car. The car is fitted with 4 video screens viz one fitted on the dash board, the second one above the glove compartment and the remaining two on the back of the head rests enabling the passengers to access any information while travelling.
• The passengers except the driver can watch TV shows programmed on their home DVRs, play video games with friends through the internet, switch on lights and air conditioners before they reach their homes. The driver can access information about traffic jams ahead and information as regards maintenance and repairs.
• The connected concpt car was show cased to the public in Newyork yesterday highlighting the available benefits. Accorking to Alcatel-Lucent, the first car using this technology will be available in the market three years from now.

Hot rods move over, turn your car into a wi-fi hotspot

Flight type black boxes on carrs.

• The European countries are planning to make it mandatory to fix flight like black boxes on cars.
• The black box will be of the size of a pack of cards and can easily be fitted on the dash board of the vehicle.
• The black box will cost around 550 pounds. It can record around 20 kinds of informations including speed at which the car was travelling when an accident occurs.
• The black box information shall be useful to the courts and insurance companies and the driver cannot escape scotfree.
• The black box will surely make the drivers to drive more cautiously as every unwarranted movement of the vehicle shall be recorded.
• The black box must be fitted on all the vehicles and not only on cars and other countries must follow the same in due course.