Mercedes GLE 63 AMG Coupe

The Mercedes GLE 63 AMG Coupe has been spotted testing on international roads, and this production ready mule shows typical AMG treatment. It was first previewed in concept form at the Beijing motor show 2014.

The GLE 63 AMG gets a aggressive front, thanks to the single-slat grille and the larger, wider air dam and the ventilated hood. Other cosmetic elements include plastic body cladding, side steps, metallic accents, rear spoiler, quad exhausts and bright red calipers for the brakes. The silhouette of the car closely resembles a mix between an SUV and a swoopy coupe, much like the BMW X6.

In terms of mechanicals, it will reportedly be powered by a 5.5-litre twin turbo V8 petrol engine that makes 518 bhp and 71.4 kgm of torque.

Ferrari FXXK

Ferrari has just taken the wraps off the race spec version of the LaFerrari hypercar, called the FXXK. The FXXK, where XX denotes Ferrari’s ultra exclusive racing program and K denotes Kinetic energy recovery makes 1050 PS of peak power from its 6.3-litre naturally aspirated V12 engine and electric motor combination.

The internal combustion engine makes 860 PS of peak power while the electric motor makes an additional 190 PS of peak power. The engine has been substantially overhauled for track duty, with new camshafts, redesigned intake manifolds and a set of mechanical tappets replacing the traditional hydraulic ones. Ferrari has also completely done away with the silencers on the exhaust system which results in the FXXK making a heaven like note.

Externally, the FXXK comes with a whole new aero package including huge front cannards, a new front splitter and two huge rear split spoilers. A massive rear diffuser that optimises the air flow from under the car rounds up the crazy exterior design on the FXXK. Ferrari claims that the aero adds about 50 percent more downforce than the original LaFerrari giving it a staggering 540 kg@130 mph. Although Ferrari hasn’t unveiled any priced on numbers on these cars, we think about 20 will be built, each at a cost of about ₹ 20 crore (before taxes). That said, these cars are strictly race spec automobiles and can never be legally driven on the road.

Maserati Alferi

Maserati has made it officially official that its gorgeous Alfieri concept previewed earlier this year will go into production.

Following months of speculation about the concept car, set to rival Jaguar's F-Type, the company confirmed that both it and the Maserati SUV will actually appear on a road near you in the future.

You can expect to see the Alfieri production car between 2016 and 2017, sporting either a V6 or V8 turbo engine powering the rear wheels, as seen in the Ghibli. Of course, you'll know all about this, because Top Gear's Paul Horrell told you as much as early as last summer.

Frankly, this is excellent news, aptly delivered in the year of Maserati's centennial celebration. "It is the year of the Alfieri," explains Maser CEO Harald Wester, "an amazing concept car built to mark the Centennial, named after our founder.

"It is the year in which customers and fans celebrate our glorious past, enjoy a present in which the product range is wider than ever, and look eagerly forward to the launch of the Maserati SUV, to be followed by the Alfieri, as the concept car goes into production," he added.

Porsche Cayenne facelift launch in India

Porsche has launched the Cayenne facelift in India starting at a price of Rs 1.04 crore (ex-showroom, Delhi). This facelifted version of Porsche’s SUV gets design changes, more standard equipment and a couple of mechanical tweaks.

Cosmetic changes include revised bumpers, redesigned head and tail lights, new air inlets upfront and new exhaust tailpipes. On the inside too, the 918-type steering wheel is new, there is a new Sport Plus driving mode, and the space in the rear has also been improved.

Standard equipment and features include bi-xenon headlamps, automatic bootlid, four-zone automatic climate control, panoramic sunroof, paddle shifters for the automatic transmission and Porsche’s air suspension.

The Cayenne diesel is powered by a 241.7 bhp 3.0-litre V6, while the Cayenne S diesel gets the 4.2-litre V8 that makes 380 bhp. Moving onto the petrol engines, the Cayenne S gets the 414 bhp 3.6-litre V6 that also powers the Macan. It replaces the naturally-aspirated 4.8-litre V8 petrol. The flagship Cayenne Turbo continues with the 4.8-litre V8 that makes a whopping 513 bhp.

As of now, Porsche has introduced only four variants. The Turbo S, which is the most powerful of the Cayenne variants, could be introduced sometime later. When it does, it’ll boast of enough power and torque to rival SUVs from the Mercedes AMG wing.

Prices (ex-showroom, Delhi)

Cayenne diesel – ₹ 1.04 crore

Cayenne S – ₹ 1.18 crore

Cayenne S diesel – ₹ 1.21 crore

Cayenne Turbo – ₹ 1.78 crore

Prices (ex-showroom, Mumbai)

Cayenne diesel – ₹ 1.02 crore

Cayenne S – ₹ 1.16 crore

Cayenne S diesel – ₹ 1.18 crore

Cayenne Turbo – ₹ 1.74 crore

Honda Grace

Honda Motor Co. started sales of the all-new Grace hybrid sedan across Japan today. This car is very similar to the City in India, albeit with a few cosmetic changes, and a hybrid drivetrain.

 

The all-new Grace is equipped with Honda’s Sport Hybrid Intelligent Dual Clutch Drive (i-DCD) that combines a 1.5-litre i-VTEC engine, 7-speed dual-clutch transmission gearbox with a built-in electric motor, and the “Intelligent Power Unit” with a built-in lithium-ion battery. The Intelligent Power Unit was developed by the Japanese carmaker with the aim of making every component lighter, more compact and more efficient.

 

The all-new Grace offers a four-wheel-drive version in its series line-up. One of the major highlights of this car is its high fuel efficiency. It is expected to give 34.4 kpl which, Honda claims, is the best among all hybrid models in that market.

 

The only features on the exterior of the car that set it apart from our Honda City are a blue-tinted chrome trim on the front grille, a mildly revised front bumper for better aerodynamics, LED tail lights and a small bootlid spoiler. The Grace gets 15-inch steel wheels with hubcaps, while only the top-spec EX trim gets 16-inchers for two-wheel-drive models; the four-wheel-drive version gets 15-inchers.

 

As far as the interiors go, the only changes are the small blue gear selector in place of the one that comes on the City, and the instrument cluster to read out battery level information. Besides this, the interiors are identical. The Grace comes loaded with features such as Vehicle Stability Assist (which is Honda’s term for electronic stability control), hill start to make driving up slopes easier, heated front seats, and side and curtain airbags. Honda has also added a car equipped with a rotating front passenger seat to make things easier for people with special needs.

 

Honda has priced the base model of the Grace at Yen 1,950,000 (₹ 10.14 lakh,$ 16,159) and is targeting sales of 300 units a month.

 

Although the Honda Grace has a lot in common with the City sedan sold in India, we don’t expect Honda to bring in the Grace here anytime soon due to lack of significant benefits on offer on hybrid vehicles, which could result in a high sticker price.  

Tata Kite spied

Tata Motors has big plans for the Indian market and this test mule caught here is one of them. The Tata Kite sedan has been spied testing near Tata Motors’ Pimpri plant and will be a replacement for the Indigo eCS.

Both the Kite hatchback and sedan will be based on the old Indica platform and reports claim that the chassis has been reworked to reduce the weight as well as the NVH. The Kite sedan will measure under four metres and will come with both petrol and diesel motors. While the petrol will be the recently introduced 1.2-litre turbo Revotron, the diesel is expected to be an all-new 1.05-litre unit first featured in the Manza hybrid at the 2012 Auto Expo. It is also likely that the Kite sedan and hatchback will come with manual as well as automated transmissions.

The Kite sedan and hatchback will be slotted below the upcoming Bolt and the already launched Zest cars. Prices for the Zest range start from ₹ 4.64 lakh ex-Delhi, so expect the Kite sedan to be priced around the ₹ 4 lakh mark. At that price point, it may turn out to be quite a serious contender in the sedan segment and perhaps even undercut most of the hatchbacks as well.

Tata Bolt

Carmakers generally follow the trend of introducing a hatchback into the market first, and then going on to offer a compact sedan that spawns from the same hatchback. With the new generation of their car in the Indian market, Tata followed the reverse approach. It introduced the Zest sedan a couple of months back and is now gearing up to launch, what’s essentially, its chopped-boot version, the Bolt hatchback.

Design

The Zest sedan was the beginning of a new design language for Tata cars. Not surprisingly, the Bolt follows suit. The face has the new grille that merges with the headlamps which are smoked projector units – a segment first. The Bolt’s front bumpers, lamp assemblies and fine creases give it a bolder, more stunning stance but retain the Tata ethos. The Blacked out C-Pillar gives the Bolt a floating roof look at the rear. Design elements on the inside are also inspired by the Zest.

Equipment

Like the Zest sedan, Tata is also expected to load the Bolt with adequate features. Some of the features on top-spec models include ABS, Front airbags, fog lamps, rear defogger, projector headlamps, remote central locking, 15-inch alloys, turn indicators on wing mirrors and a touchscreen-based infotainment system. In-depth information about the features will be available closer to the launch date of when the trim-wise breakup will be made available.

The Tata Bolt is expected in our markets in early 2015 and will be the carmaker’s renewed attempt to grab a chunk of the hotly-contested premium hatchback segment. It will be pit against the likes of the Maruti Swift, Volkswagen Polo, Fiat Punto and the Hyundai i20. 

Mechanicals

The Tata Bolt will come with both petrol and diesel engine options. The petrol model will be powered by the 1.2-litre Revotron turbocharged engine that also does duty in the Zest sedan. It makes 88.7 bhp and 14.3 kgm of torque, and is mated to a five-speed manual gearbox. This engine comes with the drive selector to choose between, Eco, City and Sport. The diesel engine is the tried-and-tested 1.3-litre Multijet, that makes 74 bhp and 19.4 kgm of torque. This engine too is coupled with a five-speed manual gearbox.

The Gallardo ‘FL2’ GT3 racer

ReiterEngineering's new Lamborghini Gallardo FL2 GT3 ‘Extenso' racer.

There's certainly more than a note of Vader about the Gallardo Extenso's haunches, you'll agree. And yes, we're aware that the Gallardo has been replaced by the Huracan, but Reiter Engineering is Lamborghini's official Gallardo GT3 partner, and is therefore tasked with keeping the ol' girl fit and fighty.

And anyway, says Reiter, with over 100 Gallardo GT3s built to date, boasting over 200 race wins and more than 400 podiums, it's still bloody quick and able, so ‘affordable evolutionary steps' is the key phrase here.

The FL2, then, gets a set of new front and rear lights, and a 13 cm wider rear axle with new carbon fibre rear quarter panels, replacing the old aluminium ones. The V10 engine too, has been tweaked; new race camshafts give it a better torque curve, while a set of Mahle pistons help reduce fuel consumption and better the reliability.

Then there's the noise, something Reiter was keen on improving. "Since the demise of the good old GT1 class," says Hans Reiter, "GT racing has lost emotion." There's no detail on what's been done to make it sound better, but we suspect a combination of exhaust tunery and harnessing of The Force.

Just ten Extenso Gallardos will be built, available in either carbon black or titanium grey, and each will cost €248,000.

Mercedes-Benz S-class wins Women's Car of the Year award

The winning cars for Women's World Car of the Year 2014 have been announced after women motoring writers from 15 countries voted for their favourite cars. These judges voted on 10 different criteria, which included elements such as design and function, style and appeal, comfort, storage and drive quality.

The Auckland, New Zealand office of international accountancy firm Grant Thornton received, collated and analysed the secret ballot. Four of the categories produced the closest voting seen in the five-year history of Women's World Car of the Year.

Paul McCormick, the Partner in charge of the process, said it was very interesting this year to see a common trend develop as votes were received. “This year, with more cars and more judges, the trend towards higher scores in the luxury and green car categories was evident very early in the voting. It was no surprise that the top three cars were in these categories in the final standings."

The Mercedes-Benz S-class was declared the 2014 Women's World Car of the Year, beating the Audi A8 by a tenth of a point. The Audi A3 sedan won the Family Car category, while the Audi S3 won the Sports Car category. The SUV category award was bagged by the Range Rover Sport, and the Honda Jazz (also known as the Honda Fit) won the Budget Car category. Tesla Model S was voted as the Green Car of the Year.

Another informal category, where the judges were asked to vote for their Dream Car - one that they would like to own themselves - was won by the Jaguar F-type coupé. 

Category	Winner
Family car	Audi A3
Sports car	Audi S3
Luxury car	Mercedes-Benz S-class
SUV	Range Rover Sport
Budget car	Honda Jazz
Green car	Tesla Model S
Dream car	Jaguar F-type coupe

Mercedes-Benz G 63 AMG extreme version coming in 2015

The Mercedes-Benz G 63 AMG 6x6 and 4x4, when they were launched internationally, kicked up some considerable dust in the off-roading community. The German manufacturer is now following them with a new, more extreme 4x4 trim. The new model will be given the same engine and gearbox combination as on the 6x6 version. The chassis and differential might however, be tuned to further enhance its off-roading capabilities.

Mercedes insiders are calling the 4x4, the Green Monster based on the vivid green colour scheme on the prototype. It is said to be powered by the same 5.5-litre V8 direct-injection petrol engine that powers the 6x6. This engine produces 537 bhp and a massive 77.5kgm of torque. To perform the transmission duties, it uses AMG’s seven-speed wet-clutch Speedshift gearbox, a separate transfer case, offering both low- and high-range gearing and three separate differentials to four wheels.

The main difference comes in the form of a substantially re-engineered suspension. It has been raised considerably to match ground clearance of the G 63 6x6, which is a vast 460 mm and fording depth of 1000 mm.

It is still unclear whether or not the new 4x4 will use the same 37-inch wheels which come on the 6x6, although the prototype's widened wheel house cladding and other styling changes hint that it will wear something more substantial than the standard G63 AMG’s 20-inch rims and 275/50 tyres.

Mitsubishi to launch the Mirage and Attrage in India in 2016

Mitsubishi is a name in India that isn't synonymous with small cars. However,  come 2016, that perception of the Japanese manufacturer is set to change. At the launch of the Pajero Sport automatic, Mitsubishi confirmed that it has big plans for the Indian market post the end of its contract with Hindustan Motors in 2015. Mitsubishi said that it plans to bring in new SUVs next year while its bread and butter models will come in starting 2016. While the names of the SUVs weren't disclosed, Mitsubishi did reveal the names of the other smaller models – the Attrage and the Mirage.

The booted version of the Mirage hatchback is longer than 4 metres

It had been  reported earlier that Mitsubishi will be bringing in these cars to the Indian car market in 2015. However, it is now understood that the launch has been deferred till 2016. The Mirage is a hatchback which measures less than 4m in length and it will compete with the likes of the Nissan Micra, Maruti Swift and Hyundai Grand i10. The Attrage is the booted version and measures more than 4m in length. It will compete with the Sunny, Scala and Etios.

The all-black theme lends a sporty feel to the interiors

Mitsubishi is expected to launch the Mirage and Attrage with a 1.2 l petrol motor tuned to make 78 PS of power and 100 Nm of torque. A five-speed manual transmission will be standard while the company may also offer automatic as a option. There is also the probability of a diesel motor later in the pipeline.

The CVT gearbox could be an option in India

After its contract with Hindustan Motors ends, Mitsubishi will make Tamil Nadu its manufacturing hub where both the Mirage and Attrage will be manufactured. The company also plans to expand its dealer network in India by the end of 2015. However, looking at how the goal posts have moved with advancements in the hatchback and sedan segment in India since Mitsubishi announced its plans, the Japanese company may be swimming against the tide.