Indian Peoples' Car

New Hyundai Azera launches in Lebanon

2011-07-11T13:15:00.000-07:00

The all-new Hyundai Azera was unveiled before the media in Beirut, Lebanon, on July 6. The Azera is expected to arrive in the Sultanate’s markets at the end of this month, according to a press release.

With this launch, Hyundai has reiterated its ability to compete and launch a car with standard specifications of safety, quality and luxury that was clear in Azera, which has high standards in terms of the exterior style and quality as was evident when driving the car.

Azera, Hyundai Motor’s top-selling premium large sedan, returns with technology-rich features for enhanced comfort, convenience and safety; as well as sharper, more graceful styling.

The fifth-generation Azera, made with carefully selected premium materials and boasting detailed craftsmanship, arrives in the Middle East six years after its predecessor’s (Code Name TG) launch in 2005, filling the gap between Sonata mid-size family sedan and the Genesis premium large sport sedan. Since its launch in 1986, Azera has sold 1.25 million units worldwide.

The all-new Azera is the result of three-and-a-half years and 450 billion won ($420 million) of research, development and testing. The goal: To create a credible challenger in the luxury car segment with sufficient appeal in styling, significantly improved performance and ride and handling as well as cutting-edge safety and convenience features. The result of the project, code named HG, is the all-new Azera.

Grand Glide design concept

Hyundai Motor’s new ‘Fluidic Sculpture’ design language continues its evolution in the new Azera. Hyundai designers followed the product concept of ‘Grand Glide’ when developing the new luxury sedan design, seeking a majestic and voluminous form while maintaining a sleek and elegant view from any perspective. Based on this concept, the exterior styling of the Azera is realised in a grand and progressive style that harmoniously connects dynamic character lines and striking surfaces.

With the aggressive ‘Premium Wing’ frontal image and ‘Eagle Eye’ looking high intensity discharge Xenon headlamps (optional), the new Azera creates the look of a powerful and dynamic aircraft poised to takeoff. Its voluminous and wide rear view, restyled from its predecessor, projects strength and authority.

The ‘Grand Glide’ styling is carried to the new Azera’s interior as well, as the centre console, instrument cluster and dash are integrated into a form that recalls the image of expressive, outstretched eagle’s wings. The optional mood interior LEDs that are placed at key points around the cabin, generating a combination of direct and reflected lighting, add an atmosphere of tranquillity and refinement to the Azera.

Overall dimensions

The new Azera’s 4,910mm overall length is same as its predecessor, but the new version is 10mm wider, at 1,860mm, and 20mm lower, at 1,470mm. Moreover, a 2,845mm-long wheelbase -- 65mm longer than the previous version -- guarantees comfortable seating for up to five adults, offering generously increased head room, leg room and shoulder room for the driver and front-row passenger. The rear floor hump is lowered by 77mm, improving the comfort of the rear-row centre passenger. Compared to leading competitor models, the new Azera’s interior space is bigger by nearly every measurable indicator.

Aerodynamics

The new Azera’s drag coefficient (Cd) of just 0.28 is superior to its rivals, which average a 0.31Cd. Ground clearance lowered by 21mm. Deflectors in the front/rear wheel and centre floor and covers under the engine room and fuel tank minimise air resistance in lower areas and improve the Azera’s fuel economy.

Powertrain

The new Azera comes with a choice of two remarkably advanced and fuel efficient petrol engines: The six-cylinder Lambda-II 3.0-litre MPI (Multi Point Injection) and the inline four-cylinder Theta-II 2.4-litre MPI. Both are built on an all-aluminium body, which minimises weight, and use a roller chain drive system that significantly reduces engine noise levels. The system requires far less maintenance than the silent chain-drive system of previous engines.

The Azera features a new standard six-speed auto transmission engineered and manufactured entirely in-house alongside its engines. With an ultra-flat torque converter, the new transmission has highly compact dimensions and is extremely lightweight. Furthermore, a four-pinion differential enhances durability while adjustable solenoid valves guarantee precise shifting throughout the life of the vehicle.

Ride and handling

The new Azera rides on MacPherson struts up front and a multi-link suspension in the rear. Coil springs and high-performance amplitude selective dampers (ASD) installed on all four corners as standard equipment help maintain optimal damping and level qualities on smooth surfaces and offer more precise road contact for greater stability and control in corners and on rough surfaces.

Safety features

Maximum passenger safety is achieved through a cutting-edge chassis design that absorbs and distributes crash energy throughout the Azera’s body. In addition, key structures have been reinforced with ultra-high tensile strength steel for better crash protection.

To help the driver avoid accidents proactively, the new Azera offers a suite of hi-tech safety systems including electronic stability control (ESC) and tyre pressure monitoring system (TPMS). Braking performance also has been significantly upgraded with four disc brakes: two 16-inch (17-inch optional) discs up front and two 15-inch discs in the rear.

Up to nine airbags – including a driver’s knee airbag – are available in the new Azera. The Azera seeks to minimise neck injuries resulting from rear-end crashes by employing a new seat back-structure system and standard low-elasticity active headrests.

The new Azera not only features a standard automatic cruise control but also offers an optional advanced smart cruise control (ASCC), which automatically keeps a safe distance from a car ahead and provides automatic stop and restart functions in response to traffic flow.

Driver’s convenience

The Azera separates itself from other large sedans with a number of features including a wide panorama sunroof; top-quality Nappa leather seats; front-seat warmers; front air-ventilated seats; high-quality suede (tricot) interior; a power driver’s seat that can be adjusted in maximum 12 directions; a uniquely styled button-start smart key; and an electric parking brake, which replaces the traditional foot pedal or hand brake with a simple switch.

Mini Cooper racing version?

2011-07-11T12:57:00.000-07:00

Soon, you can buy a car off the shelf in India!

2011-03-30T06:08:00.000-07:00

Once, not so long ago, if one had to buy a car in India, one had to pay an advance for booking and wait for seven months to a year to buy one.
That was when only the Amby and Premier were the cars available. When I booked my first bike in 1988, I had to wait for three months before I got to ride it to college.
Then we saw the advent of Maruti Suzuki 800 and people made a killing just by booking one and giving the right to someone else to own it.
Later, when production of various models of cars started in India owning a prime car became a Owner's Pride and Neighbour's envy, to borrow the expression from the Onida commercial.
That soon changed with car finance becoming easily available. And you could book a car just walking into a showroom. Then they began booking just by putting up a kiosk on the footpaths in places such as Trivandrum.
Even today you can't walk in and drive off a car. May be the second hand car dealers offer such an option.
And now BigBazaar chains are going to feature Nano cars in their outlets through out India.
Wow. The consumer revolution has hit the roof. What would they offer next? A spouse to take home with you, for a price?

Burning car

2010-11-11T08:34:00.000-08:00

The Burning Train was a hit movie of the late seventies. Here is another story. Tata is offering its customers the option of providing additional protection to its world famous car Nano and has decided to inform all owners about its plans. “Beginning in the third week of November, each owner will be informed about these measures. The option lies with our customers on whether they would like avail these measures. This will be provided at no cost to customers,” a company statement said.
I wonder why it would not compulsorily recall the cars and fit the additional protection. Is it worth more than the most famous Tata tag?

Would anyone in India buy this car?

2010-11-01T05:44:00.000-07:00

Bugatti drives in India's most expensive car! When the Rolls Royce Phantom and the Maybach hit the streets of India I thought this is it. the most expensive car in India that any car enthusiast would aspire for.
That was not to be. Volkswagen Group company Bugatti Automobiles on October 28 launched its super premium sports car 'Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport', with price starting at Rs 16 crore.
With that the benchmark of luxury in the country hit a new high. And for the speedsters the specs are this: it has a top speed of 407 km/hour with an acceleration of 0-100km/hour in 2.7 seconds. That makes the Bugatti Veyron is also the fastest car on production that is allowed to drive on normal roads in the world.
Powered by an 8 litre engine with 16 cylinders and this beauty (or the beast) is assembled by hand at the company's headquarters Molsheim in France.
The Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport, priced at Rs 16 crore onwards, will be distributed by the company's Indian dealer Exclusive Motors. According to the company's agency in India Indian luxury car market growing at about 25 per cent there is an opportunity for such expensive cars.
"The Bugatti Veyron is four times more expensive than what's being sold in the India. So we are currently testing the customer response,"
With a delivery date about six to eight months from the date of order, Bugatti is aiming between 60 and 80 units of the car to be sold across the globe this year and there have been queries from three to four Indians globally.

Tata didn't want it stitched like shirt around button

2010-11-01T01:55:00.000-07:00

Finding suitable design solutions, getting engineering package right and managing everything within stringiest cost parameters were some of the challenges the Nano team faced while coming up with the Rs 1 lakh car but Ratan Tata did not want the vehicle to be built like stitching a shirt around a button, says a new book.
In "Small Wonder: The Making of Nano", writers Christabelle Noronha, Philip Chacko and Sujata Agarwal, chronicle the making of the small car saying it has been a struggle and a vindication, a long, arduous and expensive endeavour to cope with a wide range of problems.
"Ratan Tata was clear that the small-car team should not build the car around whatever engine it opted for; that would be, he said, like stitching a shirt around a button," the book says.
"It started by my spending a lot of time doodling at boring board meetings. Most of us are victims of the environment in which we are and...We lose sight of the fact that we have a greater responsibility - a responsibility to serve the communities we live in to improve the quality of life of people we work with," the book quotes Ratan Tata as saying.
"This was not a commissioned book. We first thought of bringing it out as an in-house book," says Noronha.
"But then we felt there was a need to chronicle the Nano success story for the people and so we decided to bring out the book which is about conceptualisation and creation of the car," Noronha told PTI.
It took the authors a year to write the book as "each of us had other things" to do.
"We had to do an inside story. And for this we had to do a lot of research and conduct interviews. We met several people including engineers and dealers of Tata Motors as well as Nano owners," she says.
According to Noronha, there were challenges too. "Getting inside the hearts and minds of engineers to cull out information was the biggest challenge."
She says the relevance of the book, published by Westland Ltd, is the global relevance of the car.
The book also has a chapter on the shifting of the Nano plant from Singur in West Bengal to Sanand in Gujarat.

Nano gets costlier by Rs 9,000

2010-10-31T12:10:00.000-07:00

The car that took the world by storm last year is now freely available at showroom in your city.
And the Rs1 lakh car will soon cost more.
Read it here