Well I’m back after a long long lay off. Let me then start with one of the hottest topics in the Indian automotive scene. We all have been hit by the hike in fuel prices, which now occur more regularly then the monsoon hits our coast. So where does the poor common man run. His choices are:
1. Walk – Nah!
2. Use public transport – Do we have that in our cities? And where public transport does work, it seems to be hunting grounds for some fundamentalist psychopaths.
3. So, finally he is driven to the novel invention of one MR. Rudolf Diesel (now don’t tell me you can’t get the hint).
The stage seems to be well set then, for Bosch which has recently set up a 550 crore facility in Bangalore. The confidence that Bosch has in the diesel Indian market can be easily seen by the fact that the plant is geared up to produce 300,000 pumps a year, a quantum leap from the 40,000 it produces currently according to the present market demand.
And the initial signs are good. Maruti and M&M have already inked deals for different kinds of pumps that suit each company’s product’s requirements. Also Hyundai is in the foray and holding talks for using Bosch pumps in most of its products.
What further adds to the customer’s joy is that he will not only spend less on fuel, but also get the latest technology engines (well no one does it better than Bosch), cause less pollution and all this at a lower initial investment too. This is possible due to the high localization content in the Bosch products that help keep costs in check more than anything else.
So gone are the days when we used to associate diesel engine vehicles as noisy, uncomfortable, planet killing machines suited only to the rural environs. Instead now we’ll see them giving their petrol counterparts a tough time in any comparison whatsoever. So lets all just keep our fingers crossed as coming ahead are a flurry of great launches from all manufacturers (and some new too) in every price band and genres one can imagine.
Sunday, July 30, 2006
Friday, April 21, 2006
FERRARI 599GTB FIORANO
Someone once told me that writing an article about a Ferrari is rather stupid. Anyone even faintly interested in cars knows about them, people interested a little more will have their pics all over their walls and pc screens; but hardly any of them will be even able to ride it, let alone own it. So who would want to read an article about them? Sounds pretty logical, more so considering no one in my circle of influence is privileged enough to own one (well I don’t think that by me not buying a Reliance phone/fuel it’ll influence Mr. Ambani). But still, there was something about this car, the Ferrari 599GTB Fiorano, that compelled me to write about it.
Personally, I consider this recently launched Ferrari to be one of the most visually appealing design penned down by Pininfarina for the Maranello based company. I’ll put it right up there with a 250GT in my list of all time gorgeous looking Ferraris. Well while this point may be debatable, what is certainly not debatable, is the mechanical superiority of the car. Infact it is already being hailed as the best V12 Ferrari ever.
If I start writing about all its features, this article will become far too beg, so instead I’ll restrict myself to the main modifications which stand out. Officially, the replacement of the 575M, the car borrows its 65 degree, 5999cc V12 engine from the Enzo. The engine though is thoroughly reworked and detuned for greater reliability and fuel efficience (read that as more miles before you hit the workshop for engine repairs). This has come at a cost of 6% loss of power, which still at a staggering 612bhp is more than enough to take you to heaven (both in the literal sense and as a sense of euphoria). Ferrari took it mid way in the body deparment, making it entirely of aluminium (575M was steel, while the exclusive Enzo was carbon fibre). All this boils down to a 0-100 kmph sprint time of 3.7 sec and a top speed in excess of 330 kmph. Mindblowing! The car also produces a phenomenal 160kg of downforce (more than 10% of its own weight) after crossing 300 ks. But what is more significant is that the designers have achieved all this without any spoilers or ugly aerodynamic part protruding out (to aid airflow but spoil the curves of the car in the process), instead this has been achieved by a carefully contrived undertray giving a superb coefficient of drag, which is 0.34.
Now, for what probably is the most significant aspect of this car. Ferrari’s traditional double wishbones at each corner now carry magneto rheological (MR) dampers, a technology that a very few manufacturers can boast of (the recently launched Audi TT is one of the very few). Rheological fluids change viscosity in response to an applied electric field (electro-rheological), or magnetic field (magneto-rheological) as in the case of the Ferrari. The magnetic field is varied by electromagnets coiled around each damper. Ferrari says that the MR dampers react in 10milliseconds when the control information that determines the coil current required for each damper is updated every millisecond. Compare it to the earlier mechanical system where control information was updated every 10millisecond and the dampers took upto 4 times as long to deliver the required damping force.
Ferrari is yet to confirm the pricing on the 599, but a tag of Rs. 1,28,00,000 (excluding duties) is expected. But hold, just having the required green bucks won’t guarantee this beauty in your garage, as you have to convince Ferrari first that you status befits the car. In that case I think it is better for people like me, who cannot own it and so I won’t have to face the ignominy to be refused by the company even though I have the money. But certainly I don’t require Ferrari’s permission to buy a poster of it (or in our net savvy age, ‘to download a wallpaper of it’ will be more apt), or even write an article about it!!!
Monday, April 17, 2006
FUEL INJECTION PART II
Let’s continue from where we left yesterday and delve a little deeper to understand how the ECU does its calculations.
The engine control unit uses a formula and a large number of lookup tables to determine the pulse width for given operating conditions. The equation will be a series of many factors multiplied by each other. Many of these factors will come from lookup tables. We'll go through a simplified calculation of the fuel injector pulse width. In this example, our equation will only have three factors, whereas a real control system might have a hundred or more.
Pulse width = (Base pulse width) x (Factor A) x (Factor B)
In order to calculate the pulse width, the ECU first looks up the base pulse width in a lookup table. Base pulse width is a function of engine speed (RPM) and load (which can be calculated from manifold absolute pressure). Let's say the engine speed is 2,000 RPM and load is 4. We find the number at the intersection of 2,000 and 4, which is 8 milliseconds.
In the next examples, A and B are parameters that come from sensors. Let's say that A is coolant temperature and B is oxygen level. If coolant temperature equals 100 and oxygen level equals 3, the lookup tables tell us that Factor A = 0.8 and Factor B = 1.0.
So, since we know that base pulse width is a function of load and RPM, and that pulse width = (base pulse width) x (factor A) x (factor B), the overall pulse width in our example equals:
8 x 0.8 x 1.0 = 6.4 milliseconds
From this example, you can see how the control system makes adjustments. With parameter B as the level of oxygen in the exhaust, the lookup table for B is the point at which there is (according to engine designers) too much oxygen in the exhaust; and accordingly, the ECU cuts back on the fuel. Real control systems may have more than 100 parameters, each with its own lookup table. Some of the parameters even change over time in order to compensate for changes in the performance of engine components like the catalytic converter. And depending on the engine speed, the ECU may have to do these calculations over a hundred times per second.
This leads us to discussion of performance chips. Now that we understand a little bit about how the control algorithms in the ECU work, we can understand what performance-chip makers do to get more power out of the engine. Performance chips are made by aftermarket companies, and are used to boost engine power. There is a chip in the ECU that holds all of the lookup tables; the performance chip replaces this chip. The tables in the performance chip will contain values that result in higher fuel rates during certain driving conditions. For instance, they may supply more fuel at full throttle at every engine speed. They may also change the spark timing (there are lookup tables for that, too). Since the performance-chip makers are not as concerned with issues like reliability, mileage and emissions controls as the carmakers are, they use more aggressive settings in the fuel maps of their performance chips.
Various Injection Schemes
Multi-Port Fuel Injection (PFI or EFI or SEFI):
The goal of all fuel injection systems is to carefully meter the amount of fuel to each cylinder. On most gasoline applications, the system uses a single injector per cylinder and injects fuel immediately ahead of the intake valves.
Direct Injection:
Recently many diesel engines feature direct injection (DI). The injection nozzle is placed inside the combustion chamber and the piston incorporates a depression (often toroidal) where initial combustion takes place. Direct injection diesel engines are generally more efficient and cleaner than indirect injection engines, but tend to be noisier, which is being addressed in newer common rail designs.
Some recently designed hi-tech petrol engines utilize direct injection as well. This is the next step in evolution from multi port fuel injection and offers another magnitude of emission control by eliminating the "wet" portion of the induction system.
That’s it. I think after this you should not feel uncomfortable when the salesman talks to you about fuel injection and emmission control (infact you could teach him a thing or two now). Anyways if you want to know more or have any queries about the info above please feel free to mail me. Till next time them.
The engine control unit uses a formula and a large number of lookup tables to determine the pulse width for given operating conditions. The equation will be a series of many factors multiplied by each other. Many of these factors will come from lookup tables. We'll go through a simplified calculation of the fuel injector pulse width. In this example, our equation will only have three factors, whereas a real control system might have a hundred or more.
Pulse width = (Base pulse width) x (Factor A) x (Factor B)
In order to calculate the pulse width, the ECU first looks up the base pulse width in a lookup table. Base pulse width is a function of engine speed (RPM) and load (which can be calculated from manifold absolute pressure). Let's say the engine speed is 2,000 RPM and load is 4. We find the number at the intersection of 2,000 and 4, which is 8 milliseconds.
In the next examples, A and B are parameters that come from sensors. Let's say that A is coolant temperature and B is oxygen level. If coolant temperature equals 100 and oxygen level equals 3, the lookup tables tell us that Factor A = 0.8 and Factor B = 1.0.
So, since we know that base pulse width is a function of load and RPM, and that pulse width = (base pulse width) x (factor A) x (factor B), the overall pulse width in our example equals:
8 x 0.8 x 1.0 = 6.4 milliseconds
From this example, you can see how the control system makes adjustments. With parameter B as the level of oxygen in the exhaust, the lookup table for B is the point at which there is (according to engine designers) too much oxygen in the exhaust; and accordingly, the ECU cuts back on the fuel. Real control systems may have more than 100 parameters, each with its own lookup table. Some of the parameters even change over time in order to compensate for changes in the performance of engine components like the catalytic converter. And depending on the engine speed, the ECU may have to do these calculations over a hundred times per second.
This leads us to discussion of performance chips. Now that we understand a little bit about how the control algorithms in the ECU work, we can understand what performance-chip makers do to get more power out of the engine. Performance chips are made by aftermarket companies, and are used to boost engine power. There is a chip in the ECU that holds all of the lookup tables; the performance chip replaces this chip. The tables in the performance chip will contain values that result in higher fuel rates during certain driving conditions. For instance, they may supply more fuel at full throttle at every engine speed. They may also change the spark timing (there are lookup tables for that, too). Since the performance-chip makers are not as concerned with issues like reliability, mileage and emissions controls as the carmakers are, they use more aggressive settings in the fuel maps of their performance chips.
Various Injection Schemes
Multi-Port Fuel Injection (PFI or EFI or SEFI):
The goal of all fuel injection systems is to carefully meter the amount of fuel to each cylinder. On most gasoline applications, the system uses a single injector per cylinder and injects fuel immediately ahead of the intake valves.
Direct Injection:
Recently many diesel engines feature direct injection (DI). The injection nozzle is placed inside the combustion chamber and the piston incorporates a depression (often toroidal) where initial combustion takes place. Direct injection diesel engines are generally more efficient and cleaner than indirect injection engines, but tend to be noisier, which is being addressed in newer common rail designs.
Some recently designed hi-tech petrol engines utilize direct injection as well. This is the next step in evolution from multi port fuel injection and offers another magnitude of emission control by eliminating the "wet" portion of the induction system.
That’s it. I think after this you should not feel uncomfortable when the salesman talks to you about fuel injection and emmission control (infact you could teach him a thing or two now). Anyways if you want to know more or have any queries about the info above please feel free to mail me. Till next time them.
TECH STUFF: FUEL INJECTION
In this two part series i'll try and explain the modern fuel injection systems which have replaced carburetors (in India only in cars till date). I'll try and keep it as simple as possible so that everyone can appreciate it despite his/her engineering info level. Hope you find it interesting and informative, but as always pls do write back your suggestion/queries to me.
For most of the existence of the internal combustion engine, the carburetor has been the device that supplied fuel to the engine. On many other machines, such as lawnmowers and chainsaws, it still is. But as the automobile evolved, the carburetor got more and more complicated trying to handle all of the operating requirements. For instance, to handle some of these tasks, carburetors had five different circuits:
1. Main circuit - Provides just enough fuel for fuel-efficient cruising.
2. Idle circuit - Provides just enough fuel to keep the engine idling.
3. Accelerator pump - Provides an extra burst of fuel when the accelerator pedal is first depressed, reducing hesitation before the engine speeds up.
4. Power enrichment circuit - Provides extra fuel when the car is going up a hill or towing a trailer.
5. Choke - Provides extra fuel when the engine is cold so that it will start.
In order to meet stricter emissions requirements, catalytic converters were introduced. Very careful control of the air-to-fuel ratio was required for the catalytic converter to be effective. Oxygen sensors monitor the amount of oxygen in the exhaust, and the engine control unit (ECU) uses this information to adjust the air-to-fuel ratio in real-time. This is called closed loop control - it was not feasible to achieve this control with carburetors. There was a brief period of electrically controlled carburetors before fuel injection systems took over, but these electrical carbs were even more complicated than the purely mechanical ones.
At first, carburetors were replaced with throttle body fuel injection systems (also known as single point or central fuel injection systems) that incorporated electrically controlled fuel-injector valves into the throttle body. These were almost a bolt-in replacement for the carburetor, so the automakers didn't have to make any drastic changes to their engine designs.
Gradually, as new engines were designed, throttle body fuel injection was replaced by multi-port fuel injection (also known as port, multi-point or sequential fuel injection). These systems have a fuel injector for each cylinder, usually located so that they spray right at the intake valve. These systems provide more accurate fuel metering and quicker response.
The gas pedal in your car is connected to the throttle valve - this is the valve that regulates how much air enters the engine. So the gas pedal is really the air pedal. When you step on the gas pedal, the throttle valve opens up more, letting in more air. The engine control unit (ECU, the computer that controls all of the electronic components on your engine) "sees" the throttle valve open and increases the fuel rate in anticipation of more air entering the engine. It is important to increase the fuel rate as soon as the throttle valve opens; otherwise, when the gas pedal is first pressed, there may be a hesitation as some air reaches the cylinders without enough fuel in it. Sensors monitor the mass of air entering the engine, as well as the amount of oxygen in the exhaust. The ECU uses this information to fine-tune the fuel delivery so that the air-to-fuel ratio is just right.
A fuel injector is nothing but an electronically controlled valve. It is supplied with pressurized fuel by the fuel pump in your car, and it is capable of opening and closing many times per second. When the injector is energized, an electromagnet moves a plunger that opens the valve, allowing the pressurized fuel to squirt out through a tiny nozzle. The nozzle is designed to atomize the fuel - to make as fine a mist as possible so that it can burn easily. The amount of fuel supplied to the engine is determined by the amount of time the fuel injector stays open. This is called the pulse width, and it is controlled by the ECU. The injectors are mounted in the intake manifold so that they spray fuel directly at the intake valves. A pipe called the fuel rail supplies pressurized fuel to all of the injectors.
In order to provide the correct amount of fuel for every operating condition, the engine control unit (ECU) has to monitor a huge number of input sensors. Here are just a few:
1. Mass airflow sensor - Tells the ECU the mass of air entering the engine.
2. Oxygen sensor(s) - Monitors the amount of oxygen in the exhaust so the ECU can determine how rich or lean the fuel mixture is and make adjustments accordingly.
3. Throttle position sensor - Monitors the throttle valve position (which determines how much air goes into the engine) so the ECU can respond quickly to changes, increasing or decreasing the fuel rate as necessary.
4. Coolant temperature sensor - Allows the ECU to determine when the engine has reached its proper operating temperature.
5. Voltage sensor - Monitors the system voltage in the car so the ECU can raise the idle speed if voltage is dropping (which would indicate a high electrical load).
6. Manifold absolute pressure sensor - Monitors the pressure of the air in the intake manifoldThe amount of air being drawn into the engine is a good indication of how much power it is producing; and the more air that goes into the engine, the lower the manifold pressure, so this reading is used to gauge how much power is being produced.
7. Engine speed sensor - Monitors engine speed, which is one of the factors used to calculate the pulse width.
There are two main types of control for multi-port systems: The fuel injectors can all open at the same time, or each one can open just before the intake valve for its cylinder opens (this is called sequential multi-port fuel injection). The advantage of sequential fuel injection is that if the driver makes a sudden change, the system can respond more quickly because from the time the change is made, it only has to wait only until the next intake valve opens, instead of for the next complete revolution of the engine. The algorithms that control the engine are quite complicated. The software has to allow the car to satisfy emissions requirements for 100,000 miles, meet EPA fuel economy requirements and protect engines against abuse. And there are dozens of other requirements to meet as well.
In the next part I'll we'll see how is this accurate fuel metering achieved, types of injection schemes and much more.
For most of the existence of the internal combustion engine, the carburetor has been the device that supplied fuel to the engine. On many other machines, such as lawnmowers and chainsaws, it still is. But as the automobile evolved, the carburetor got more and more complicated trying to handle all of the operating requirements. For instance, to handle some of these tasks, carburetors had five different circuits:
1. Main circuit - Provides just enough fuel for fuel-efficient cruising.
2. Idle circuit - Provides just enough fuel to keep the engine idling.
3. Accelerator pump - Provides an extra burst of fuel when the accelerator pedal is first depressed, reducing hesitation before the engine speeds up.
4. Power enrichment circuit - Provides extra fuel when the car is going up a hill or towing a trailer.
5. Choke - Provides extra fuel when the engine is cold so that it will start.
In order to meet stricter emissions requirements, catalytic converters were introduced. Very careful control of the air-to-fuel ratio was required for the catalytic converter to be effective. Oxygen sensors monitor the amount of oxygen in the exhaust, and the engine control unit (ECU) uses this information to adjust the air-to-fuel ratio in real-time. This is called closed loop control - it was not feasible to achieve this control with carburetors. There was a brief period of electrically controlled carburetors before fuel injection systems took over, but these electrical carbs were even more complicated than the purely mechanical ones.
At first, carburetors were replaced with throttle body fuel injection systems (also known as single point or central fuel injection systems) that incorporated electrically controlled fuel-injector valves into the throttle body. These were almost a bolt-in replacement for the carburetor, so the automakers didn't have to make any drastic changes to their engine designs.
Gradually, as new engines were designed, throttle body fuel injection was replaced by multi-port fuel injection (also known as port, multi-point or sequential fuel injection). These systems have a fuel injector for each cylinder, usually located so that they spray right at the intake valve. These systems provide more accurate fuel metering and quicker response.
The gas pedal in your car is connected to the throttle valve - this is the valve that regulates how much air enters the engine. So the gas pedal is really the air pedal. When you step on the gas pedal, the throttle valve opens up more, letting in more air. The engine control unit (ECU, the computer that controls all of the electronic components on your engine) "sees" the throttle valve open and increases the fuel rate in anticipation of more air entering the engine. It is important to increase the fuel rate as soon as the throttle valve opens; otherwise, when the gas pedal is first pressed, there may be a hesitation as some air reaches the cylinders without enough fuel in it. Sensors monitor the mass of air entering the engine, as well as the amount of oxygen in the exhaust. The ECU uses this information to fine-tune the fuel delivery so that the air-to-fuel ratio is just right.
A fuel injector is nothing but an electronically controlled valve. It is supplied with pressurized fuel by the fuel pump in your car, and it is capable of opening and closing many times per second. When the injector is energized, an electromagnet moves a plunger that opens the valve, allowing the pressurized fuel to squirt out through a tiny nozzle. The nozzle is designed to atomize the fuel - to make as fine a mist as possible so that it can burn easily. The amount of fuel supplied to the engine is determined by the amount of time the fuel injector stays open. This is called the pulse width, and it is controlled by the ECU. The injectors are mounted in the intake manifold so that they spray fuel directly at the intake valves. A pipe called the fuel rail supplies pressurized fuel to all of the injectors.
In order to provide the correct amount of fuel for every operating condition, the engine control unit (ECU) has to monitor a huge number of input sensors. Here are just a few:
1. Mass airflow sensor - Tells the ECU the mass of air entering the engine.
2. Oxygen sensor(s) - Monitors the amount of oxygen in the exhaust so the ECU can determine how rich or lean the fuel mixture is and make adjustments accordingly.
3. Throttle position sensor - Monitors the throttle valve position (which determines how much air goes into the engine) so the ECU can respond quickly to changes, increasing or decreasing the fuel rate as necessary.
4. Coolant temperature sensor - Allows the ECU to determine when the engine has reached its proper operating temperature.
5. Voltage sensor - Monitors the system voltage in the car so the ECU can raise the idle speed if voltage is dropping (which would indicate a high electrical load).
6. Manifold absolute pressure sensor - Monitors the pressure of the air in the intake manifoldThe amount of air being drawn into the engine is a good indication of how much power it is producing; and the more air that goes into the engine, the lower the manifold pressure, so this reading is used to gauge how much power is being produced.
7. Engine speed sensor - Monitors engine speed, which is one of the factors used to calculate the pulse width.
There are two main types of control for multi-port systems: The fuel injectors can all open at the same time, or each one can open just before the intake valve for its cylinder opens (this is called sequential multi-port fuel injection). The advantage of sequential fuel injection is that if the driver makes a sudden change, the system can respond more quickly because from the time the change is made, it only has to wait only until the next intake valve opens, instead of for the next complete revolution of the engine. The algorithms that control the engine are quite complicated. The software has to allow the car to satisfy emissions requirements for 100,000 miles, meet EPA fuel economy requirements and protect engines against abuse. And there are dozens of other requirements to meet as well.
In the next part I'll we'll see how is this accurate fuel metering achieved, types of injection schemes and much more.
Tuesday, April 11, 2006
EXCISE DUTY CUT – HOW MUCH A BOON?
In the recent budget the finance ministry gave the automobile industry a gift by reducing excise duty by 8% (from 24 to 16), on all cars within 4000mm length and having engine capacity no more than 1200cc for petrol & 1500cc for diesel power trains. But is everything really as rosy as it looks? Well, look deeper and I think you’ll find some flaws in it. To know more read on.
Before we dwell deep I would like to make it clear that everyone knows the benefits here, that of small cars becoming more affordable for the common man, so I’ll leave it at that. Instead I’ll focus on the not so obvious side effects.
Firstly, this really plays into the hands of Maruti-Suzuki (partly owned by the state, so do I smell a rat here….. nah), as most of its models stand to get benefited. No wonder then, that Jagdish Khattar was all smiles after the budget was announced. But other manufacturers were not so enthusiastic. These were the reactions of three big wigs of Indian car industry:
“The industry has seen maximum growth in the mid-size car segment, with small-car buyers upgrading to bigger cars. With a segmented duty structure, the gap between a small car and a sedan becomes larger, making the up gradation that much more difficult for the customer.”
Rajive Saharia, GM, Sales & Marketing, Honda Siel
“A level playing field is essential to encourage global manufacturers to participate more actively in India. An excise duty reduction across the board would have been aligned with India’s globalisation actions.”
Arvind Mathew, MD, Ford India
“We can’t understand why there are two conditions-engine and length-for the differential excise duty. There are new technologies available which make higher displacement engines more fuel efficient so why have the engine cut-off?”Rajeev Chaba, MD, GM India
What the General Manager of Honda says above is true. This certainly is a time, when due to the boom in economy people are shifting up a ladder in respect to buying cars (read that as cars which occupy more real estate and have bigger engines). See the increase in sales of Swift/City/Fiesta as compared to the 800/Santro and you’ll realise it (and I’m certainly not referring to those exotic cars which don’t mean anything to you and me other than fancy bedroom posters maybe).
Also this is forcing manufacturers to rethink (or maybe redesign is the word here) their upcoming launches. To name a few (which are the most anticipated ones), Fiat’s Grande Punto (4030mm) and Ford’s Fusion (4018mm, though already launched) are agonisingly close but still out of the tax relief (ah…that hurts). The same goes for GM’s Aveo UV-A, but this time the culprit are its petrol engines (1400cc & 1600cc, and so their MD’s frustration about the engine limit). Everyone’s trying whatever is possible to make their cars to adhere to the so called ‘magic figures’ (call it the making of ‘Honey I Shrunk The Car’!!!). In the case of Fiat and Ford, modifications to the bumper might be able to do the job, but things are not so simple for the General (I guess one can’t shrink an engine that easily). Hence it seems that the Aveo UV-A will now be launched with a 1200cc, 70bhp engine instead. Not only does this delay the launch, but the Indian customer just might lose out on two good engines which people in other parts of the world get to relish.
Talking of engines, with today’s technology, cubic capacity is not as relevant as before (as has been aptly brought out by the MD, GM) . Why, a 2 litre hybrid engine is more fuel efficient and gives out lower emissions than a conventional 1.2 litre petrol unit. Look at the engines of City and Octavia, both of which return better ‘kmpl’ figures and are much more environment friendly than many of the cars having much smaller engines as compared to them (and they certainly are a pleasure to drive too).
So maybe the ministry has rushed through the decision and could have given it some more thought. One option would be to tax cars based on its emissions and fuel consumption, rather than size. Or maybe they could have increased the length restriction a little bit to at least take into account all upcoming basic hatchbacks.
In the end these are just my thoughts, and they certainly will vary from person to person. I would also like to bring out here that it is certainly a step in the right direction, and will bring cars within the reach of a much wider spectrum of people, only that maybe (just maybe) it could have been done in a slightly better way so as to benefit more people and encourage global companies to bring in new technologies into India. At the parting note I’ll request all of you who read it to please give it a thought and do write back to me about your views/ideas on it.
Before we dwell deep I would like to make it clear that everyone knows the benefits here, that of small cars becoming more affordable for the common man, so I’ll leave it at that. Instead I’ll focus on the not so obvious side effects.
Firstly, this really plays into the hands of Maruti-Suzuki (partly owned by the state, so do I smell a rat here….. nah), as most of its models stand to get benefited. No wonder then, that Jagdish Khattar was all smiles after the budget was announced. But other manufacturers were not so enthusiastic. These were the reactions of three big wigs of Indian car industry:
“The industry has seen maximum growth in the mid-size car segment, with small-car buyers upgrading to bigger cars. With a segmented duty structure, the gap between a small car and a sedan becomes larger, making the up gradation that much more difficult for the customer.”
Rajive Saharia, GM, Sales & Marketing, Honda Siel
“A level playing field is essential to encourage global manufacturers to participate more actively in India. An excise duty reduction across the board would have been aligned with India’s globalisation actions.”
Arvind Mathew, MD, Ford India
“We can’t understand why there are two conditions-engine and length-for the differential excise duty. There are new technologies available which make higher displacement engines more fuel efficient so why have the engine cut-off?”Rajeev Chaba, MD, GM India
What the General Manager of Honda says above is true. This certainly is a time, when due to the boom in economy people are shifting up a ladder in respect to buying cars (read that as cars which occupy more real estate and have bigger engines). See the increase in sales of Swift/City/Fiesta as compared to the 800/Santro and you’ll realise it (and I’m certainly not referring to those exotic cars which don’t mean anything to you and me other than fancy bedroom posters maybe).
Also this is forcing manufacturers to rethink (or maybe redesign is the word here) their upcoming launches. To name a few (which are the most anticipated ones), Fiat’s Grande Punto (4030mm) and Ford’s Fusion (4018mm, though already launched) are agonisingly close but still out of the tax relief (ah…that hurts). The same goes for GM’s Aveo UV-A, but this time the culprit are its petrol engines (1400cc & 1600cc, and so their MD’s frustration about the engine limit). Everyone’s trying whatever is possible to make their cars to adhere to the so called ‘magic figures’ (call it the making of ‘Honey I Shrunk The Car’!!!). In the case of Fiat and Ford, modifications to the bumper might be able to do the job, but things are not so simple for the General (I guess one can’t shrink an engine that easily). Hence it seems that the Aveo UV-A will now be launched with a 1200cc, 70bhp engine instead. Not only does this delay the launch, but the Indian customer just might lose out on two good engines which people in other parts of the world get to relish.
Talking of engines, with today’s technology, cubic capacity is not as relevant as before (as has been aptly brought out by the MD, GM) . Why, a 2 litre hybrid engine is more fuel efficient and gives out lower emissions than a conventional 1.2 litre petrol unit. Look at the engines of City and Octavia, both of which return better ‘kmpl’ figures and are much more environment friendly than many of the cars having much smaller engines as compared to them (and they certainly are a pleasure to drive too).
So maybe the ministry has rushed through the decision and could have given it some more thought. One option would be to tax cars based on its emissions and fuel consumption, rather than size. Or maybe they could have increased the length restriction a little bit to at least take into account all upcoming basic hatchbacks.
In the end these are just my thoughts, and they certainly will vary from person to person. I would also like to bring out here that it is certainly a step in the right direction, and will bring cars within the reach of a much wider spectrum of people, only that maybe (just maybe) it could have been done in a slightly better way so as to benefit more people and encourage global companies to bring in new technologies into India. At the parting note I’ll request all of you who read it to please give it a thought and do write back to me about your views/ideas on it.
Sunday, April 09, 2006
It’s official: Kawasaki have revealed that the ZZ-R1400 will be the most powerful series production bike in the world. When released next month, it will come with a whopping 200PS on tap, made at 9500rpm with the aid of the ram air system. Interestingly, Kawasaki also suggests that without the benefit of the high-pressure air intake system the bike would yet make 190PS, making the bike a power benchmark any which way in the world.
It may have the power but the Kawasaki boffins also wanted to make it a bike with impressive usage qualities in the real world. The 1352cc four develops 154Nm of torque at a low 7500rpm using relatively small 43mm throttle bodies – these units being 3mm narrower than those on the ZX-12R. To go along with the gut-wrenching torque with massive loads of bottom-end thrust is a clever fuel injection system with a twin butterfly set-up in the throttles. One of the two butterflys is rider-controlled while the other is computer-controlled, a system conceived to smoothen the massive rush of horses the engine is capable of unleashing.
What makes the ZZ-R1400 even more impressive is that while it appears large and bulbous, it is amazingly light. Power and weight figures Kawasaki hadn’t revealed at the bike’s launch late last year but now it can be told that the ZZ-R1400 weighs in at 215kg dry – a whole 21 kilos less than the old ZZ-R1200. But even more astonishing is the fact that this stonker even weighs one kilo less than the ZX-12R!
Kawasaki had clearly sought to keep many vital stats behind the ZZ-R1400 close to its chest until it had readied the bike for launch and now the figures are tumbling out thick and fast. Despite its visual and obvious length, its 1460mm wheelbase is just 10mm longer than a ZX-12R. It may be termed a sports tourer but it surely has the emphasis on sport because its steering rake angle of 23 degrees is steeper than many superbikes, and a full two degrees less than the ZX-12R. No wonder that the radial brake callipers and those wavy disc rotors suddenly justify their existence.
Much of the business behind the ZZ-R1400 hinges around the innovative manner of the Kawasaki’s monocoque frame construction and the way the mechanicals have been packaged. The compact nature of the four-cylinder in-line engine is the key ingredient – no wider than the ZX-12R unit even though it is larger in capacity. Kawasaki have adopted the mass centralisation theme on the ZZ-R1400 and there is virtually no weight positioned outside the central section of the bike barring the sub frame to mount the seat and the tail piece bodywork.
The way the Kawasaki designers have been able to mount the battery and the airbox inside the hollow monocoque frame (which runs over the engine like a backbone spine) is sheer genius towards attaining the compact form. The fuel tank resides under the front of the seat, keeping the variable weight low and close to the bike’s C of G.
From the specs alone, Kawasaki’s ZZ-R1400 seems to be a stonker and looks set to etch a new standard in overall performance terms. The competition should have a hard time just trying to stay in its wake this year.
Fast facts
Cost: Rs 7,19,600
Power: 197.3bhp
Torque: 114ftlb
Weight: 215kg (dry)
Thursday, April 06, 2006
TECH STUFF: CARBURETOR
The carburetor was invented by the Hungarian engineer Donat Banki in 1893. Fredrick William Lanchester of Birmingham, England experimented early on with the wick carburetor in cars. In 1896 Frederick and his brother built the first petrol driven car in England, a single cylinder 5 hp (4 kW) internal combustion engine with chain drive. Unhappy with the performance and power, they re-built the engine the next year into a two cylinder horizontally opposed version using his new wick carburetor design. This version completed a 1,000 mile (1600 km) tour in 1900 successfully incorporating the carburetor as an important step forward in automotive engineering. The word carburetor comes from the French carburet, meaning ‘carbide’. To carburet means to combine with carbin. In fuel chemistry, the term has the more specific meaning of increasing the carbon (and therefore energy) content of a fuel by mixing it with a volatile hydrocarbon.
The carbureter is a device which mixes air and fuel for an internal-combustion engine. Carburetors are still found in small engines and in older or specialized automobiles. However, most cars built since the early 1980s use computerized electronic fuel injection instead of carburetion. The majority of motorcycles still are carburated due to lower weight and cost. Most carbureted (as opposed to fuel-injected) engines have a single carburetor, though some, primarily with greater than 4 cylinders or higher performance engines, use multiple carburetors or multi-choke carburetors (the latter being a number of intakes in a single body). Older engines used updraft carburetors, where the air enters from below the carburetor and exits through the top. This had the advantage of never "flooding" the engine, as any liquid fuel droplets would fall out of the carburetor instead of into the intake manifold; it also lent itself to use of an oil bath air cleaner, where a pool of oil below a mesh element below the carburetor is sucked up into the mesh and the air is drawn through the oil covered mesh; this was an effective system in a time when paper air filters did not exist. Today, most automotive carburetors are either downdraft (flow of air is downwards) or side-draft (flow of air is sideways).
The carburetor works on Bernoulli’s principle: the fact that moving air has lower pressure than still air, and that the faster the movement of the air, the lower the pressure. Generally speaking, the throottle or accelerator does not control the flow of liquid fuel. Instead, it controls the amount of air that enters the carburetor. Faster flows of air and more air entering the carburetor draws more fuel into the carburetor due to the partial vaccum that is created. The goal of a carburettor is to mix just the right amount of gasoline with air so that the engine runs properly. If there is not enough fuel mixed with the air, the engine "runs lean" and either will not run or potentially damages the engine. If there is too much fuel mixed with the air, the engine "runs rich" and either will not run (it floods), runs very smoky, runs poorly (bogs down, stalls easily), or at the very least wastes fuel. The carb is in charge of getting the mixture just right.
- A carburettor is essentially a tube.
- There is an adjustable plate across the tube called the throttle plate that controls how much air can flow through the tube. You can see this circular brass plate in pic 1.
- At some point in the tube there is a narrowing, called the venturi, and in this narrowing a vacuum is created. The venturi is visible in pic 2
- In this narrowing there is a hole, called a jet, that lets the vacuum draw in fuel. You can see the jet on the left side of the venturi in pic 2.
The carb is operating "normally" at full throttle. In this case the throttle plate is parallel to the length of the tube, allowing maximum air to flow through the carb. The air flow creates a nice vacuum in the venturi and this vacuum draws in a metered amount of fuel through the jet. You can see a pair of screws on the right top of the carb in photo 1. One of these screws (labelled "Hi" on the case of the chain saw) controls how much fuel flows into the venturi at full throttle. When the engine is idling, the throttle plate is nearly closed (the position of the throttle plate in the photos is the idle position). There is not really enough air flowing through the venturi to create a vacuum. However, on the back side of the throttle plate there is a lot of vacuum (because the throttle plate is restricting the airflow). If a tiny hole is drilled into the side of the carb's tube just behind the throttle plate, fuel can be drawn into the tube by the throttle vacuum. This tiny hole is called the idle jet. The other screw of the pair seen in photo 1 is labelled "Lo" and it controls the amount of fuel that flows through the idle jet.
Both the Hi and Lo screws are simply needle valves. By turning them you allow more or less fuel to flow past the needle. When you adjust them you are directly controlling how much fuel flows through the idle jet and the main jet. When the engine is cold and you try to start it with the pull cord (choke in layman terms), the engine is running at an extremely low RPM. It is also cold, so it needs a very rich mixture to start. This is where the choke plate comes in. When activated, the choke plate completely covers the venturi. If the throttle is wide open and the venturi is covered, the engine's vacuum draws a lot of fuel through the main jet and the idle jet (since the end of the carb's tube is completely covered, all of the engine's vacuum goes into pulling fuel through the jets). Usually this very rich mixture will allow the engine to fire once or twice, or to run very slowly. If you then open the choke plate the engine will start running normally.
This is just the basics. If you want to know more please feel free to mail me. Along with data, I have couple of videos showing the working of a carb and choke plate (with audio explanation), which I can mail to anyone who is interested. This will make it easier for you to visualise the process. Hope this article aided in your understanding of an automobile engine, that would be mission accomplished for me. For more technical articles watch this space (maybe some of you could mail me any particular topic that you want to know about, I’ll be happy to help out).
Tuesday, April 04, 2006
DUCATI HYPERMOTARD
What you are looking at are the pics of the bike which won the Motorcycle Design of the Year for 2005, Bologna, February 2006. Another of Pierre Terblache’s gems, the bike is the Ducati Hypermotard concept. Slip my clutch, back me in and take my deposit – this is as deliciously hardcore as it gets. The outrageous Hypermotard concept is a mighty supermoto, designed to combine agility with the proper and speed single-cylinder supermotos can only dream of. Being a Ducati, there was no getting away from engineering and mechanical traditions. So while the vee-twin desmo engine had to be there, the same held true for the trellis frame as well. Type in 100bhp on call and a 175kg dry weight and you have a great power to weight ratio, Italian style with seamless power and torque.
The Hypermotard concept penned by Pierre Terblanche and using inputs from a few others first appeared at last November’s Milan Motorcycle Show and as concepts go, everything was built to the highest order. Money-no-budget bits adorned the chassis: large chunky Marzocchi front forks, an Ohlins unit at the rear, super lightweight Marchesini wheels and radial Brembo disc brakes plus of course the finest in Pirelli footwear. All these bits might just be obvious bolt-on bits on a top line Italian stunner, but when blended together on a tall fling-it-anywhere type of motorcycle makes one rut out of superlatives. Look closely if you are a Ducatista and one can imagine as a more stylish but slimmed down Multistrada.
All of Ducati’s concepts from the last five to six years have made production, given the response they generated and that for the Hypermotard was no different. Evidently works has begun on making this possible but expect bikes only in late 2007. It is stunners like this that makes the Bologna firm different from its Japanese competitors and infact puts it a level above them.
So now we have another Ducati to drool over (how many are there, lost count!), and if you are one of those lucky few who can afford one, then book now or you will miss out.
Wednesday, March 29, 2006
SCIENTISTS have built the smallest petrol engine - tiny enough to power a WATCH. The mini-motor, which runs for two years on a single squirt of lighter fuel, is set to revolutionise world technology. It produces 700 times more energy than a conventional battery despite being less than a centimeter long - not even half an inch. It could be used to operate laptops and mobile phones for months on end - doing away with the need for recharging. Experts believe it could be phasing out batteries in such items within just six years.
The engine, minute enough to be balanced on a fingertip, has been produced by engineers at the University of Birmingham. Dr Kyle Jiang, lead investigator from the Department of Mechanical Engineering, said: "We are looking at an industrial revolution happening in peoples' pockets. "The breakthrough is an enormous step forward. Devices which need re- charging or new batteries are a problem but in six years will be a thing of the past."
Other applications for the engine could include medical and military uses, such as running heart pacemakers or mini reconnaissance robots. At present, charging an ordinary battery to deliver one unit of energy involves putting 2,000 units into it. The little engine, because energy is produced locally, is far more effective. One of the main problems faced by engineers who have tried to produce micro motors in the past has been the levels of heat produced. The engines got so hot they burned themselves out and could not be re-used. The Birmingham team overcame this by using heat-resistant materials such as ceramic and silicon carbide.
Professor Graham Davies, head of the university's engineering school, said: "We've brought together all the engineering disciplines, both materials, chemical engineering, civil engineering, and mechanical engineering.”What better place to have the second industrial revolution - in nano-technology - than where the first took place, in the heart of the West Midlands."
But it makes you think where are we heading to. I mean tomorrow we just might be driving cars that run from a battery (saying fuel is expensive and it pollutes), and use gadgets that are powered by an internal combustion engine (because batteries are inefficient and have less life)!!! Guess this is what they mean when they say “One man’s dream is other’s nightmare”.
p.s.: sorry for the quality of photograph, couldn't get a better one.
Monday, March 27, 2006
TIPS FOR A BIKING TRIP
This is an assimilation of whatever I’ve learnt from my little experience after some trips and covering about 15000km on road. This may or may not be to every ones thinking, neither do I intend to project it as any set of rules, just what I felt. Finally it is up to the individual, how he thinks he can make best of his trip.
1. ALWAYS WEAR PROPER PROTECTION GEAR. Jacket, helmet, gloves, trouser (no shorts) and boots not only protect, but also add to the look, giving that biker attitude. And the same applies for the pillion too, in case you have one.
2. Try and go in a group. You enjoy more and also there is adequate help at hand if required.
3. It is advisable to take a nap (time varies from person to person) post lunch, as most of us feel most sleepy during this period.
4. Also avoid heavy meals when you have to drive.
5. In summers also wear a full shirt (if not a light jacket). It serves two purposes. Firstly it will protect you from sun burns and also provide some extra protection in case you kiss tarmac.
6. Check your bike visually at every halt.
7. Carry the required basic tools, some common spares and a first aid kit.
8. In border/extreme areas never shy asking the Indian army for help. They are the best support you can find anywhere and more often than not help generously.
9. Always carry a map along and stick to it. Having said that, also keep asking locals (especially if you are not too sure of yourself). They will tell you the most updated routes (roadblocks, diversions etc.).
10. Remember, taking unnecessary shortcuts may not always save time sand fuel. They are invariably confusing and have bad roads (blame it on Murphy’s laws!).
11. When passing through a city, remind yourself that the highway stretch is over and change your driving style accordingly.
12. Remember, night driving is a different ball game altogether and requires that much more concentration and judgement. So change mode (mentally) and your driving style.
13. Do not leave behind mementoes of your visit in a place. By this I mean that please remember to clean the place of any plastics, wrappers, cans etc, which you have used.
14. Remember that others too want to enjoy like you and get equally disgusted on seeing muck like this.
1. ALWAYS WEAR PROPER PROTECTION GEAR. Jacket, helmet, gloves, trouser (no shorts) and boots not only protect, but also add to the look, giving that biker attitude. And the same applies for the pillion too, in case you have one.
2. Try and go in a group. You enjoy more and also there is adequate help at hand if required.
3. It is advisable to take a nap (time varies from person to person) post lunch, as most of us feel most sleepy during this period.
4. Also avoid heavy meals when you have to drive.
5. In summers also wear a full shirt (if not a light jacket). It serves two purposes. Firstly it will protect you from sun burns and also provide some extra protection in case you kiss tarmac.
6. Check your bike visually at every halt.
7. Carry the required basic tools, some common spares and a first aid kit.
8. In border/extreme areas never shy asking the Indian army for help. They are the best support you can find anywhere and more often than not help generously.
9. Always carry a map along and stick to it. Having said that, also keep asking locals (especially if you are not too sure of yourself). They will tell you the most updated routes (roadblocks, diversions etc.).
10. Remember, taking unnecessary shortcuts may not always save time sand fuel. They are invariably confusing and have bad roads (blame it on Murphy’s laws!).
11. When passing through a city, remind yourself that the highway stretch is over and change your driving style accordingly.
12. Remember, night driving is a different ball game altogether and requires that much more concentration and judgement. So change mode (mentally) and your driving style.
13. Do not leave behind mementoes of your visit in a place. By this I mean that please remember to clean the place of any plastics, wrappers, cans etc, which you have used.
14. Remember that others too want to enjoy like you and get equally disgusted on seeing muck like this.
Sunday, March 26, 2006
DWARKA TRIP
I was sitting watching Kimi crash out of the 2006 Malaysian GP, when one of my friend barges in, “Tomorrow’s a holiday, windmills chale?” I thought 400 km n less than 24 hrs? What’s the doubt, let’s do it. After some desperate last resort ‘managing’, in under 3hrs we had 32 packets of Maggi, butter, 10kgs of firewood, a tent etc.
We left Jamnagar at 1730 hrs. For the initial 30 km the road resembled a dirt track which made us curse the organisation, our decision to came, the hot climate and anything concerned with the trip. At this point we reached Reliance greens, which incidentally is the world’s largest grassroots refinery. From here the roads were absolute bliss and all the previous thoughts reversed immediately. Actually speaking, the roads in Gujarat (and for that matter the entire western states) are one of the best you can find in India.
We reached windmills off Bhatia village at 2030 hrs, after covering a distance of about 120 km. Now for some info on the amazing windmills. Made by Enercon, a German company from the city of Aurich, each windmill as a tower of height 74m and 3 fan blades each 22m in length (that takes the overall length close to 100m!). Each of them is capable of producing 91kW of power and has an automatic monitoring and control system. Along with all the obvious environment and power benefits, they are a great sight to behold and certainly add to the beauty of a place which otherwise has little to offer.
We decided to set camp there for the night. The tent was set up below the only windmill having a light (at the top, so it was just enough to carry out our jobs, but didn’t spoil the night glory), and again the bikes served as the pegs. After that was the munching session and we had quite a lot on the menu. Butter Maggi, barbecue paneer n chicken, and some soft drinks to go along. The only problem was that paneer was a little excess and by the end everybody was quite sick of eating it (I didn’t feel like eating paneer for a week after that!). Our logistics support vehicle (an Esteem to be precise) provided some much needed music (keeping it soft, not to spoil the ambience). Once we lied down and faced the sky, we realised that there actually are a lot of stars up there. Don’t laugh on us, in which city today, is one able to see a lot of stars? That is if he gets to see any at all, after all that pollution! Well finally we slept at around 0300 hrs.
Got up hardly any time later, at 0530 hrs and freshened up. Then we moved ahead to Dwarka, which was only 30 km away. The stunning roads n pleasant weather (in summers, 0630 hrs is actually perfect to drive) ensured that we munched the miles in a jiffy. After visiting the famous lord Krishna temple there we went ahead to Nageshwar and Paushetra. We had expected some ferries to take us to the beautiful islands off Paushetra, but were bitterly disappointed to find out that no such service exists. The only way to visit the islands is either arrange your own boat or persuade one of the fishermen to ferry you till there (n back of course!).
So finally we started back and stopped to have lunch at Dwarka, which was some traditional Gujju food. But a surprise lay ahead of us. On our way back, about 25 km after Dwarka, we spotted the sea (at visual distance from the windmills). We sensed that there has to be a beach somewhere in the vicinity. Spotting nothing, (as there was a hillock alongside the road) we parked our bikes below the road, covered them with our sleeping bags (it was pretty hot, n none of wanted our beauties to get sun burns!) and set to search the beach on foot. As we reached above the hillock we were rewarded with spotlessly clean beach barely 200m away. I’ve never seen a beach this clean anywhere else. We could see the sea bed and our legs on it; I mean it was in the league of the beaches of Seychelles and Mauritius that we see on Discovery and Nat Geo. The sand too was so fine and clean. Actually no one visits this beach (not even fishermen and any kind of trawlers) and that is the reason for it being so clean. After a couple of ours of playing around, we finally dried ourselves, dusted the sand and hit the road again.
What followed was one of the fastest drives that I’ve driven till date. Finally by 1630 hrs we reached back to end a very fruitful and close to the nature trip. I would like to add one thing here. If anyone of you plan such a trip (do it, you’ll realise what you’ve been missing) please let the nature be as it is. I mean whenever you leave a camping place/beach or any other place please do not leave behind muck like polythene packets, wrappers, newspapers, cans, anything at all. We always have a bag dedicated for all the junk. So that who ever visits that place next (it might be us again) gets to enjoy nature in its purest form and is not disgusted by the accumulating junk and is driven away. It will boost our image among foreign tourists too (no point only blaming the authorities, lets do our bit).
On this note, I finish my travelogue. Hope you all enjoyed reading it as much as I liked writing it down. Looking forward to more such trips, so watch this space, and if you have any queries/suggestions, feel free to mail me.
We left Jamnagar at 1730 hrs. For the initial 30 km the road resembled a dirt track which made us curse the organisation, our decision to came, the hot climate and anything concerned with the trip. At this point we reached Reliance greens, which incidentally is the world’s largest grassroots refinery. From here the roads were absolute bliss and all the previous thoughts reversed immediately. Actually speaking, the roads in Gujarat (and for that matter the entire western states) are one of the best you can find in India.
We reached windmills off Bhatia village at 2030 hrs, after covering a distance of about 120 km. Now for some info on the amazing windmills. Made by Enercon, a German company from the city of Aurich, each windmill as a tower of height 74m and 3 fan blades each 22m in length (that takes the overall length close to 100m!). Each of them is capable of producing 91kW of power and has an automatic monitoring and control system. Along with all the obvious environment and power benefits, they are a great sight to behold and certainly add to the beauty of a place which otherwise has little to offer.
We decided to set camp there for the night. The tent was set up below the only windmill having a light (at the top, so it was just enough to carry out our jobs, but didn’t spoil the night glory), and again the bikes served as the pegs. After that was the munching session and we had quite a lot on the menu. Butter Maggi, barbecue paneer n chicken, and some soft drinks to go along. The only problem was that paneer was a little excess and by the end everybody was quite sick of eating it (I didn’t feel like eating paneer for a week after that!). Our logistics support vehicle (an Esteem to be precise) provided some much needed music (keeping it soft, not to spoil the ambience). Once we lied down and faced the sky, we realised that there actually are a lot of stars up there. Don’t laugh on us, in which city today, is one able to see a lot of stars? That is if he gets to see any at all, after all that pollution! Well finally we slept at around 0300 hrs.
Got up hardly any time later, at 0530 hrs and freshened up. Then we moved ahead to Dwarka, which was only 30 km away. The stunning roads n pleasant weather (in summers, 0630 hrs is actually perfect to drive) ensured that we munched the miles in a jiffy. After visiting the famous lord Krishna temple there we went ahead to Nageshwar and Paushetra. We had expected some ferries to take us to the beautiful islands off Paushetra, but were bitterly disappointed to find out that no such service exists. The only way to visit the islands is either arrange your own boat or persuade one of the fishermen to ferry you till there (n back of course!).
So finally we started back and stopped to have lunch at Dwarka, which was some traditional Gujju food. But a surprise lay ahead of us. On our way back, about 25 km after Dwarka, we spotted the sea (at visual distance from the windmills). We sensed that there has to be a beach somewhere in the vicinity. Spotting nothing, (as there was a hillock alongside the road) we parked our bikes below the road, covered them with our sleeping bags (it was pretty hot, n none of wanted our beauties to get sun burns!) and set to search the beach on foot. As we reached above the hillock we were rewarded with spotlessly clean beach barely 200m away. I’ve never seen a beach this clean anywhere else. We could see the sea bed and our legs on it; I mean it was in the league of the beaches of Seychelles and Mauritius that we see on Discovery and Nat Geo. The sand too was so fine and clean. Actually no one visits this beach (not even fishermen and any kind of trawlers) and that is the reason for it being so clean. After a couple of ours of playing around, we finally dried ourselves, dusted the sand and hit the road again.
What followed was one of the fastest drives that I’ve driven till date. Finally by 1630 hrs we reached back to end a very fruitful and close to the nature trip. I would like to add one thing here. If anyone of you plan such a trip (do it, you’ll realise what you’ve been missing) please let the nature be as it is. I mean whenever you leave a camping place/beach or any other place please do not leave behind muck like polythene packets, wrappers, newspapers, cans, anything at all. We always have a bag dedicated for all the junk. So that who ever visits that place next (it might be us again) gets to enjoy nature in its purest form and is not disgusted by the accumulating junk and is driven away. It will boost our image among foreign tourists too (no point only blaming the authorities, lets do our bit).
On this note, I finish my travelogue. Hope you all enjoyed reading it as much as I liked writing it down. Looking forward to more such trips, so watch this space, and if you have any queries/suggestions, feel free to mail me.
Friday, March 24, 2006
LIVERPOOL IN SEVENTH HEAVEN
If this is how Liverpool respond to playing two games in three days, Rafa Benitez must wish the derby was tomorrow night. The only fatigue on display here was in the home stands, as Birmingham's tormented fans grow tired of seeing their side getting battered. For Liverpool, the thrill of reaching an FA Cup semi-final for the first time since 2001 was eclipsed only by the manner in which they did so. After serving nibbles for much of the season, Anfield's strikers are now hosting banquets. Peter Crouch, Fernando Morientes and Djibril Cisse filled their bellies at St Andrews, although most of the helpings arrived courtesy of another inspirational performance cooked up by Steven Gerrard.
The seven goal deficit flattered Birmingham more than rampant Liverpool. Benitez's only concern must be that a few strikes have been kept in the bank for the weekend. By the end, records and reputations were tumbling with each attack. Not only did Liverpool register their biggest away win in the FA Cup, it was the most convincing away victory by any side in the last eight since 1890. The mighty Bootle were once demolished 7-0 by Blackburn Rovers. Who knows, perhaps this was a moment of revenge for the Carragher clan.
Benitez couldn't have scripted a more comfortable passage into the last four, as his side recovered from the pre-match blow of not having to face Emile Heskey to romp into the semis. Liverpool's first two attacks yielded headed goals as both Sami Hyypia and Crouch benefited from non-existent marking following perfect Gerrard crosses. St Andrews was full capacity for no more than four minutes, as the first deserters saw enough when Maik Taylor failed to hold onto Crouch's close range nod.
The home side's attempts to rally were brief. Liverpool were two-up before they'd even had to settle, and by the time the visitors completely found their form, Birmingham humiliation beckoned. The clinical edge which would have made numerous Liverpool victories more emphatic this season finally made an appearance. Crouch's second was exceptional. This was an evening when Luis Garcia’s party pieces paid off and his dribble and pass was dispatched with the confidence of a man who's averaged a goal every two games since November. That's 12 in 24 games for Crouch, who may soon earn the description 'prolific'.
One Birmingham fan had seen enough, rushing towards the home dug-out to shout obscenities and eyeball Steve Bruce from 10 yards. After being escorted out of the stadium, the 'fan' was at least consoled by being prevented from sitting through further punishment, although one might have thought he'd enjoy a rare chance to see some good football. The visiting supporters offered some sympathy to the Birmingham boss with a rendition of 'Steve Bruce, he's signing on next week'. To be fair to the home manager, who showed he hadn't lost his sense of humour by sending on his son for the last 15 minutes, he was courageous enough to accept the scale of embarrassment. Whatever Bruce said at half-time had a dramatic and surprising impact, as it made Birmingham play even worse and Liverpool excel more. Crouch's elegant strike was over-shadowed as the Reds staged their own goal of the round competition in the second half. With the number 15 still shaking his head after being denied the chance of a hat-trick, his replacement tapped in a scrumptious fourth.
Momo Sissoko wasn't the only player to benefit from the Edgar Davids style glasses, as Morientes tried them on while sat on the bench and clearly got a good look where the goal is. Garcia's dummy and Gerrard's unselfish pass ensured Morientes grabbed his second tap-in in two appearances. When he scores at rather more crucial times, a year of being frustrated by the skilful Spaniard will justifiably and willingly be replaced by a round of feet kissing. Lack of confidence certainly shouldn't be a factor now. In truth, Morientes was merely dishing out sweet deserts, while Crouch, Gerrard and company had already ensured the starters and main course were of Michelin star standard. John Arne Riise’s thunderbolt provided the cream.
Quite what that made the sixth and seventh is a matter for the hapless Olivier Tebily and Taylor to explain. The duo would certainly have welcomed a liquor or two to drown their sorrows, as an own goal and Taylor howler meant, by the end, Liverpool were after eight. The 4,000 visiting fans were delirious, revelling in the former Manchester United defender's shame.
For Benitez, a third cup semi-final in two seasons awaits, and his players won't care who they're facing if they can maintain this standard for the remainder of the campaign. Chelsea will want to avoid the Reds as much as vice-versa. Before getting swept away with pretensions of greatness, however, Benitez will be canny enough to acknowledge his team has just faced arguably the worst three defensive performances since Phil Babb, Torben Piechnik and Bjorn Tore Kvarme were in their prime. Even Sean Dundee and Erik Meijer might have fancied their chances last night.
Not that this should detract from the professional and ruthless manner the strikers have filled their boots. Liverpool can justifiably argue this beating was threatened for some time, and Birmingham have merely suffered where others should have tread. Benitez will be more content with the overall performance as much as the score, as his side has rediscovered the conviction it displayed during its mid-season peak. Sissoko's comfortable return in midfield freed Gerrard, while for the first time this season Benitez faces a striking dilemma because all of his forwards are scoring.
A week ago the derby was an accident waiting to happen. Today, it can't come soon enough for Liverpool. Well, providing someone can lock all the windows at Anfield and stop that form book being chucked out of one, that is.
INDIAN CAR HISTORY PART-II
In the early 80's, a series of liberal policy changes were announced marking another turning point for the automobile industry. The GOI entered the car business, with a 74% stake in Maruti Udyog Ltd (MUL), the joint venture with Suzuki Motors Ltd of Japan. The company entered in 1983 with a so-called "peoples" car and a more favourable policy framework.
MUL introduced 'Maruti 800' in 1983 providing a complete facelift to the Indian car industry. The car was launched as a "people’s car" with a price tag of Rs40,000. This changed the industry's profile dramatically. This car, which had a 800cc engine and the barest minimum that could make a car just about comfortable, holds the honour of actually bringing car to the common man in India and till not so long ago was the single largest selling car here. Boosted by this, second highest growth was recorded in 1985 at 42%yoy when Maruti had entered the market. In the very same year, the GOI announced its famous broad banding policy which gave new licenses to broad groups of automotive products like two and four-wheeled vehicles. Though a liberal move, the licensing system was still very much intact.
The de-licensing of auto industry in 1993 opened the gates to a virtual flood of international auto makers into the country with an idea to tap the large population base of 950mn people. As a result we saw many new manufacturers entering the market. First of the German giants to enter the country was Mercedes. With its exorbitant prices and impeccable quality, it soon went on to be looked upon as the pinnacle of automobile here, which was meant for only the select few to relish. Also came Peugeot, but failed miserably. Well, actually speaking, there was nothing wrong with the car as such, only that the market had not matured enough for an expensive (Rs. 5lacs was a huge sum then) sedan.
Another revolution was brought by 2 Korean and one local manufacturer. These were Hyundai, Daewoo and our very own Tata Motors (then TELCO). Hyundai’s Santro n Daewoo’s Matiz were a run away success. Though the Santro is still going great guns (also being exported out of here), Matiz went out with the fall of Daewoo in Korea (though its models now launched under the Chevrolet name by GM are doing pretty well). Tata has the honour of launching the first indigenous car, named Indica. This robust, low maintenance car, is today the best seller in the country.
Hyundai though, grew in leaps and bounds n today proudly stands as the second largest car manufacturer in the country, only behind Maruti Suzuki. This success can be attributed to the company’s constant upgrades, new launches and above all its endeavour to bring the latest technology into the country (long before other manufacturers even thought of it) and at a quite affordable price too. It pioneered technologies like CRDI, ABS, TCS, auto boxes etc. (of course not considering the Mercs who already had it since quite some time, but then how many people could own them?).
Since then the car scene seems to have gone into overdrive. The lifting of quantitative restrictions on imports by the recent policy is expected to add up to the flurry of foreign cars in to the country. Many companies have entered the car manufacturing sector, to tap the middle and premium end of car industry. The new entrants GM, Ford, Mitsubishi, Honda, Toyota, and Skoda entered the mid-sized car segment and Audi, Bentley, Volkswagen; Porsche is in the premium end of market. Though the exclusive brands r still fringe players and only few of them have assembly plants for CKDs, most taking the CBU route. But the mid size segment players have full fledged manufacturing plants here, n some even cater for exports.
As a result of all this, today we have cars ranging from Rs.2lac till Rs.5crore and cover all types of styles like hatchback, sedan, coupe, convertible, SUV, MUV etc. so something for everyone’s need, and considering the current economy growth trend (touch wood!) the only way from here is up. Now that certainly is music to everyone’s ears.
MUL introduced 'Maruti 800' in 1983 providing a complete facelift to the Indian car industry. The car was launched as a "people’s car" with a price tag of Rs40,000. This changed the industry's profile dramatically. This car, which had a 800cc engine and the barest minimum that could make a car just about comfortable, holds the honour of actually bringing car to the common man in India and till not so long ago was the single largest selling car here. Boosted by this, second highest growth was recorded in 1985 at 42%yoy when Maruti had entered the market. In the very same year, the GOI announced its famous broad banding policy which gave new licenses to broad groups of automotive products like two and four-wheeled vehicles. Though a liberal move, the licensing system was still very much intact.
The de-licensing of auto industry in 1993 opened the gates to a virtual flood of international auto makers into the country with an idea to tap the large population base of 950mn people. As a result we saw many new manufacturers entering the market. First of the German giants to enter the country was Mercedes. With its exorbitant prices and impeccable quality, it soon went on to be looked upon as the pinnacle of automobile here, which was meant for only the select few to relish. Also came Peugeot, but failed miserably. Well, actually speaking, there was nothing wrong with the car as such, only that the market had not matured enough for an expensive (Rs. 5lacs was a huge sum then) sedan.
Another revolution was brought by 2 Korean and one local manufacturer. These were Hyundai, Daewoo and our very own Tata Motors (then TELCO). Hyundai’s Santro n Daewoo’s Matiz were a run away success. Though the Santro is still going great guns (also being exported out of here), Matiz went out with the fall of Daewoo in Korea (though its models now launched under the Chevrolet name by GM are doing pretty well). Tata has the honour of launching the first indigenous car, named Indica. This robust, low maintenance car, is today the best seller in the country.
Hyundai though, grew in leaps and bounds n today proudly stands as the second largest car manufacturer in the country, only behind Maruti Suzuki. This success can be attributed to the company’s constant upgrades, new launches and above all its endeavour to bring the latest technology into the country (long before other manufacturers even thought of it) and at a quite affordable price too. It pioneered technologies like CRDI, ABS, TCS, auto boxes etc. (of course not considering the Mercs who already had it since quite some time, but then how many people could own them?).
Since then the car scene seems to have gone into overdrive. The lifting of quantitative restrictions on imports by the recent policy is expected to add up to the flurry of foreign cars in to the country. Many companies have entered the car manufacturing sector, to tap the middle and premium end of car industry. The new entrants GM, Ford, Mitsubishi, Honda, Toyota, and Skoda entered the mid-sized car segment and Audi, Bentley, Volkswagen; Porsche is in the premium end of market. Though the exclusive brands r still fringe players and only few of them have assembly plants for CKDs, most taking the CBU route. But the mid size segment players have full fledged manufacturing plants here, n some even cater for exports.
As a result of all this, today we have cars ranging from Rs.2lac till Rs.5crore and cover all types of styles like hatchback, sedan, coupe, convertible, SUV, MUV etc. so something for everyone’s need, and considering the current economy growth trend (touch wood!) the only way from here is up. Now that certainly is music to everyone’s ears.
Wednesday, March 22, 2006
If this is how Liverpool respond to playing two games in three days, Rafa Benitez must wish the derby was tomorrow night. The only fatigue on display here was in the home stands, as Birmingham's tormented fans grow tired of seeing their side getting battered.For Liverpool, the thrill of reaching an FA Cup semi-final for the first time since 2001 was eclipsed only by the manner in which they did so. After serving nibbles for much of the season, Anfield's strikers are now hosting banquets. Peter Crouch, Fernando Morientes and Djibril Cisse filled their bellies at St Andrews, although most of the helpings arrived courtesy of another inspirational performance cooked up by Steven Gerrard. The seven goal deficit flattered Birmingham more than rampant Liverpool. Benitez's only concern must be that a few strikes have been kept in the bank for the weekend. By the end, records and reputations were tumbling with each attack. Not only did Liverpool register their biggest away win in the FA Cup, it was the most convincing away victory by any side in the last eight since 1890. The mighty Bootle were once demolished 7-0 by Blackburn Rovers. Who knows, perhaps this was a moment of revenge for the Carragher clan. Benitez couldn't have scripted a more comfortable passage into the last four, as his side recovered from the pre-match blow of not having to face Emile Heskey to romp into the semis. Liverpool's first two attacks yielded headed goals as both Sami Hyypia and Crouch benefited from non-existent marking following perfect Gerrard crosses. St Andrews was full capacity for no more than four minutes, as the first deserters saw enough when Maik Taylor failed to hold onto Crouch's close range nod. The home side's attempts to rally were brief. Liverpool were two-up before they'd even had to settle, and by the time the visitors completely found their form, Birmingham humiliation beckoned. The clinical edge which would have made numerous Liverpool victories more emphatic this season finally made an appearance. Crouch's second was exceptional. This was an evening when Luis Garcia’s party pieces paid off and his dribble and pass was dispatched with the confidence of a man who's averaged a goal every two games since November. That's 12 in 24 games for Crouch, who may soon earn the description 'prolific'. One Birmingham fan had seen enough, rushing towards the home dug-out to shout obscenities and eyeball Steve Bruce from 10 yards. After being escorted out of the stadium, the 'fan' was at least consoled by being prevented from sitting through further punishment, although one might have thought he'd enjoy a rare chance to see some good football. The visiting supporters offered some sympathy to the Birmingham boss with a rendition of 'Steve Bruce, he's signing on next week'. To be fair to the home manager, who showed he hadn't lost his sense of humour by sending on his son for the last 15 minutes, he was courageous enough to accept the scale of embarrassment. Whatever Bruce said at half-time had a dramatic and surprising impact, as it made Birmingham play even worse and Liverpool excel more. Crouch's elegant strike was over-shadowed as the Reds staged their own goal of the round competition in the second half. With the number 15 still shaking his head after being denied the chance of a hat-trick, his replacement tapped in a scrumptious fourth.
Momo Sissoko wasn't the only player to benefit from the Edgar Davids style glasses, as Morientes tried them on while sat on the bench and clearly got a good look where the goal is. Garcia's dummy and Gerrard's unselfish pass ensured Morientes grabbed his second tap-in in two appearances. When he scores at rather more crucial times, a year of being frustrated by the skilful Spaniard will justifiably and willingly be replaced by a round of feet kissing. Lack of confidence certainly shouldn't be a factor now. In truth, Morientes was merely dishing out sweet deserts, while Crouch, Gerrard and company had already ensured the starters and main course were of Michelin star standard. John Arne Riise’s thunderbolt provided the cream. Quite what that made the sixth and seventh is a matter for the hapless Olivier Tebily and Taylor to explain. The duo would certainly have welcomed a liquor or two to drown their sorrows, as an own goal and Taylor howler meant, by the end, Liverpool were after eight. The 4,000 visiting fans were delirious, revelling in the former Manchester United defender's shame. For Benitez, a third cup semi-final in two seasons awaits, and his players won't care who they're facing if they can maintain this standard for the remainder of the campaign. Chelsea will want to avoid the Reds as much as vice-versa. Before getting swept away with pretensions of greatness, however, Benitez will be canny enough to acknowledge his team has just faced arguably the worst three defensive performances since Phil Babb, Torben Piechnik and Bjorn Tore Kvarme were in their prime. Even Sean Dundee and Erik Meijer might have fancied their chances last night. Not that this should detract from the professional and ruthless manner the strikers have filled their boots. Liverpool can justifiably argue this beating was threatened for some time, and Birmingham have merely suffered where others should have tread.
Benitez will be more content with the overall performance as much as the score, as his side has rediscovered the conviction it displayed during its mid-season peak. Sissoko's comfortable return in midfield freed Gerrard, while for the first time this season Benitez faces a striking dilemma because all of his forwards are scoring. A week ago the derby was an accident waiting to happen. Today, it can't come soon enough for Liverpool. Well, providing someone can lock all the windows at Anfield and stop that form book being chucked out of one, that is.
Saturday, March 18, 2006
INDIAN CAR HISTRY PART-II
In the early 80's, a series of liberal policy changes were announced marking another turning point for the automobile industry. The GOI entered the car business, with a 74% stake in Maruti Udyog Ltd (MUL), the joint venture with Suzuki Motors Ltd of Japan. The company entered in 1983 with a so-called "peoples" car and a more favourable policy framework.
MUL introduced 'Maruti 800' in 1983 providing a complete facelift to the Indian car industry. The car was launched as a "people’s car" with a price tag of Rs40,000. This changed the industry's profile dramatically. This car, which had a 800cc engine and the barest minimum that could make a car just about comfortable, holds the honour of actually bringing car to the common man in India and till not so long ago was the single largest selling car here. Boosted by this, second highest growth was recorded in 1985 at 42%yoy when Maruti had entered the market. In the very same year, the GOI announced its famous broad banding policy which gave new licenses to broad groups of automotive products like two and four-wheeled vehicles. Though a liberal move, the licensing system was still very much intact.
The de-licensing of auto industry in 1993 opened the gates to a virtual flood of international auto makers into the country with an idea to tap the large population base of 950mn people. As a result we saw many new manufacturers entering the market. First of the German giants to enter the country was Mercedes. With its exorbitant prices and impeccable quality, it soon went on to be looked upon as the pinnacle of automobile here, which was meant for only the select few to relish. Also came Peugeot, but failed miserably. Well, actually speaking, there was nothing wrong with the car as such, only that the market had not matured enough for an expensive (Rs. 5lacs was a huge sum then) sedan.
Another revolution was brought by 2 Korean and one local manufacturer. These were Hyundai, Daewoo and our very own Tata Motors (then TELCO). Hyundai’s Santro n Daewoo’s Matiz were a run away success. Though the Santro is still going great guns (also being exported out of here), Matiz went out with the fall of Daewoo in Korea (though its models now launched under the Chevrolet name by GM are doing pretty well). Tata has the honour of launching the first indigenous car, named Indica. This robust, low maintenance car, is today the best seller in the country.
Hyundai though, grew in leaps and bounds n today proudly stands as the second largest car manufacturer in the country, only behind Maruti Suzuki. This success can be attributed to the company’s constant upgrades, new launches and above all its endeavour to bring the latest technology into the country (long before other manufacturers even thought of it) and at a quite affordable price too. It pioneered technologies like CRDI, ABS, TCS, auto boxes etc. (of course not considering the Mercs who already had it since quite some time, but then how many people could own them?).
Since then the car scene seems to have gone into overdrive. The lifting of quantitative restrictions on imports by the recent policy is expected to add up to the flurry of foreign cars in to the country. Many companies have entered the car manufacturing sector, to tap the middle and premium end of car industry. The new entrants GM, Ford, Mitsubishi, Honda, Toyota, and Skoda entered the mid-sized car segment and Audi, Bentley, Volkswagen; Porsche is in the premium end of market. Though the exclusive brands r still fringe players and only few of them have assembly plants for CKDs, most taking the CBU route. But the mid size segment players have full fledged manufacturing plants here, n some even cater for exports.
As a result of all this, today we have cars ranging from Rs.2lac till Rs.5crore and cover all types of styles like hatchback, sedan, coupe, convertible, SUV, MUV etc. so something for everyone’s need, and considering the current economy growth trend (touch wood!) the only way from here is up. Now that certainly is music to everyone’s ears.
MUL introduced 'Maruti 800' in 1983 providing a complete facelift to the Indian car industry. The car was launched as a "people’s car" with a price tag of Rs40,000. This changed the industry's profile dramatically. This car, which had a 800cc engine and the barest minimum that could make a car just about comfortable, holds the honour of actually bringing car to the common man in India and till not so long ago was the single largest selling car here. Boosted by this, second highest growth was recorded in 1985 at 42%yoy when Maruti had entered the market. In the very same year, the GOI announced its famous broad banding policy which gave new licenses to broad groups of automotive products like two and four-wheeled vehicles. Though a liberal move, the licensing system was still very much intact.
The de-licensing of auto industry in 1993 opened the gates to a virtual flood of international auto makers into the country with an idea to tap the large population base of 950mn people. As a result we saw many new manufacturers entering the market. First of the German giants to enter the country was Mercedes. With its exorbitant prices and impeccable quality, it soon went on to be looked upon as the pinnacle of automobile here, which was meant for only the select few to relish. Also came Peugeot, but failed miserably. Well, actually speaking, there was nothing wrong with the car as such, only that the market had not matured enough for an expensive (Rs. 5lacs was a huge sum then) sedan.
Another revolution was brought by 2 Korean and one local manufacturer. These were Hyundai, Daewoo and our very own Tata Motors (then TELCO). Hyundai’s Santro n Daewoo’s Matiz were a run away success. Though the Santro is still going great guns (also being exported out of here), Matiz went out with the fall of Daewoo in Korea (though its models now launched under the Chevrolet name by GM are doing pretty well). Tata has the honour of launching the first indigenous car, named Indica. This robust, low maintenance car, is today the best seller in the country.
Hyundai though, grew in leaps and bounds n today proudly stands as the second largest car manufacturer in the country, only behind Maruti Suzuki. This success can be attributed to the company’s constant upgrades, new launches and above all its endeavour to bring the latest technology into the country (long before other manufacturers even thought of it) and at a quite affordable price too. It pioneered technologies like CRDI, ABS, TCS, auto boxes etc. (of course not considering the Mercs who already had it since quite some time, but then how many people could own them?).
Since then the car scene seems to have gone into overdrive. The lifting of quantitative restrictions on imports by the recent policy is expected to add up to the flurry of foreign cars in to the country. Many companies have entered the car manufacturing sector, to tap the middle and premium end of car industry. The new entrants GM, Ford, Mitsubishi, Honda, Toyota, and Skoda entered the mid-sized car segment and Audi, Bentley, Volkswagen; Porsche is in the premium end of market. Though the exclusive brands r still fringe players and only few of them have assembly plants for CKDs, most taking the CBU route. But the mid size segment players have full fledged manufacturing plants here, n some even cater for exports.
As a result of all this, today we have cars ranging from Rs.2lac till Rs.5crore and cover all types of styles like hatchback, sedan, coupe, convertible, SUV, MUV etc. so something for everyone’s need, and considering the current economy growth trend (touch wood!) the only way from here is up. Now that certainly is music to everyone’s ears.
Friday, March 17, 2006
INDIAN CAR HISTORY PART-I
The first motor car on the streets of India were seen in 1898. Mumbai had its first taxicabs in the early 1900. Then for the next fifty years, cars were imported to satisfy domestic demand. Many were Rolls Royce to fulfil the needs of the Indian royalty. Then India accounted for a big chunk of the British company’s cars and some of its all time classics (like the Hyderabad Pearl) were made on order placed by some Indian king. Between 1910 and 20's the automobile industry made a humble beginning by setting up assembly plants in Mumbai, Calcutta and Chennai. The import/assembly of vehicles grew consistently after the 1920's, crossing the 30,000 mark in 1930. But still only the extremely well heeled could afford a car.
Then in 1946, Premier Automobile Ltd (PAL) earned the distinction of manufacturing the first car in the country by assembling 'Dodge DeSoto' and 'Plymouth' cars at its Kurla plant. Soon it got into collaboration with Fiat and produced the PAL Padmini (more commonly known as just Fiat). This was meant to be the first common man’s car, though the weak economy just after independence meant that from royalty, cars came within reach of the rich, but still away from average Joe. The car continued till the late 80s n received a couple of updates, thereafter it died in the face of competition. But one place it is still popular, is as Mumbaiya taxis. Actually they r so popular that whenever u think of Bombay, they r bound to come in ur mind.
Another pre independence manufacturer was Hindustan Motors (HM), which started as a manufacturer of auto components in 1942 n graduated to manufacture cars in 1949. In 1957 it released its best selling model till date, the Ambassador. This vehicle was again meant for the masses and had very robust build. It went on to become the official carrier of India and to this day, anyone who is someone in a government office uses this as his official mode of transport. The list includes heads of institutions, military top brass, bearcats and above all, the Prime Minister of India!
In 1952, the GOI set up a tariff commission to devise regulations to develop an indigenous automobile industry in the country. After the commission submitted its recommendations, the GOI asked assembly plants, which did not have plans to set up manufacturing facilities, to shut operations. As a result General Motors, Ford and other assemblers closed operations in the country. The year was 1954 and this decision of the government marked a turning point in the history of the Indian car industry. The GOI also had a say in what type of vehicle each manufacturer should make. Therefore, each product was safely cocooned in its own segment with no fears of any impending competition. Also, no new entrant was allowed even though they had plans of a full-fledged manufacturing program. The restrictive set of policies was chiefly aimed at building an indigenous auto industry. However, the restrictions on foreign collaborations led to limitations on import of technology through technical agreements.
The other control imposed on carmakers related to production capacity and distribution. The GOI control even extended to fixation of prices for cars and dealer commissions. Simply put, the three decades following the establishment of the passenger car industry in India and leading unto the early 1980s, proved to be the 'dark ages' for the consumer, as his choice throughout this period was limited to two models viz Ambassador and Padmini.
NEXT POST: START OF THE GOLDEN ERA (‘80s TILL DATE)
Then in 1946, Premier Automobile Ltd (PAL) earned the distinction of manufacturing the first car in the country by assembling 'Dodge DeSoto' and 'Plymouth' cars at its Kurla plant. Soon it got into collaboration with Fiat and produced the PAL Padmini (more commonly known as just Fiat). This was meant to be the first common man’s car, though the weak economy just after independence meant that from royalty, cars came within reach of the rich, but still away from average Joe. The car continued till the late 80s n received a couple of updates, thereafter it died in the face of competition. But one place it is still popular, is as Mumbaiya taxis. Actually they r so popular that whenever u think of Bombay, they r bound to come in ur mind.
Another pre independence manufacturer was Hindustan Motors (HM), which started as a manufacturer of auto components in 1942 n graduated to manufacture cars in 1949. In 1957 it released its best selling model till date, the Ambassador. This vehicle was again meant for the masses and had very robust build. It went on to become the official carrier of India and to this day, anyone who is someone in a government office uses this as his official mode of transport. The list includes heads of institutions, military top brass, bearcats and above all, the Prime Minister of India!
In 1952, the GOI set up a tariff commission to devise regulations to develop an indigenous automobile industry in the country. After the commission submitted its recommendations, the GOI asked assembly plants, which did not have plans to set up manufacturing facilities, to shut operations. As a result General Motors, Ford and other assemblers closed operations in the country. The year was 1954 and this decision of the government marked a turning point in the history of the Indian car industry. The GOI also had a say in what type of vehicle each manufacturer should make. Therefore, each product was safely cocooned in its own segment with no fears of any impending competition. Also, no new entrant was allowed even though they had plans of a full-fledged manufacturing program. The restrictive set of policies was chiefly aimed at building an indigenous auto industry. However, the restrictions on foreign collaborations led to limitations on import of technology through technical agreements.
The other control imposed on carmakers related to production capacity and distribution. The GOI control even extended to fixation of prices for cars and dealer commissions. Simply put, the three decades following the establishment of the passenger car industry in India and leading unto the early 1980s, proved to be the 'dark ages' for the consumer, as his choice throughout this period was limited to two models viz Ambassador and Padmini.
NEXT POST: START OF THE GOLDEN ERA (‘80s TILL DATE)
Tuesday, March 14, 2006
Renault brings F1 to the road
Renault has taken up the old adage of win on Sunday, sell on Monday. Well actually, Tuesday in their case. Following the firm's success in the season-opening Grand Prix comes the New Megane Renaultsport 225 Renault F1 Team special edition, to quote the car's full convoluted title! Based on the standard three-door Megane 225, the F1 edition comes in a unique blue with black alloy wheels that are lighter and wider than the standard car's. You'll also find stiffer suspension and beefier front brakes, while you can brag to your mates about the limited edition numbered plaque. The price of all of this exclusivity is £19,500.
TECH STUFF: FUEL CELL
Picture this. U r on a long drive on a hot summer afternoon. Then in the middle of nowhere, u feel thirsty, only to find that u r out of drinking water. So what do u do, just walk down n open your exhaust pipe (which was closed till then) & just pour out some pure consumable water! Astonished. Think I’ve gone cuckoo. NO, actually this just might be possible in the near future. To know more read on.Maybe some of u wud have already understood I’m referring to fuel cell powered vehicles. So what exactly is this fuel cell? Well it is basically a stack of Proton Exchange Membranes (PEMs), which take in hydrogen (stored as fuel onboard) and oxygen (abundant in the atmosphere) & carries out a reaction we all r so familiar with
2H2 + O2 Ã 2H2O + ENERGY
(though all this is not so easy to achieve practically)
This energy in turn can be used to power the vehicle, or (as in most cases) produce electricity to charge batteries which power the electric motors running the vehicle.
You’ll ask, y go about all this trouble? Firstly, as we all know petrol & diesel r becoming dearer by the day (the nightmares one gets nowadays r that govt has again hiked the prices), n fuel cell cuts out our dependence on them. Then there r ZERO EMISSIONS (yes u read it right). Infact the exhaust is actually desirable! Now, it can either be consumed, or better still, sold back to ur fuel station (now this is interesting!) so that they can break it down to produce H2 and O2 (n ensure we don’t run out of air to breathe). Also, as there r no explosions going on in the fuel cell, there absolutely no noise. Apart from the whizz of the electric motors’ the vehicle is absolutely silent! Now this may not be music to everyone’s ear (people love vehicles for their sound too, remember RX100), but goes down well with the regulations.
But hold ur horses, u can’t buy the stuff just yet. There is a catch err…there r catches. Fuel cell tech is not commercially viable on mass production level, as yet. The only way it can be made more accessible to the common man is by producing it in millions (quite a vicious circle, I say). Another problem is that there is no system in place (let alone being safe) for storage and distribution of H2. It is so because H2 is one of the most explosive gases (well has to be, considering it powers the SUN). But contrary to the myth, producing H2 though is not very difficult/expensive.
Things have started moving though. UK just got its first H2 supply station & Mercedes has leased some fuel cell cars to Deutsche post. Well the signs r good & technology has an uncanny knack of surprising everyone with its blistering advances. Who knows, a few yrs later on our kids may actually be drinking out of the exhaust of their bikes. And that’s just a small part of the big story.
P.S.: pic is of the Mercedes fuel cell car.
Monday, March 13, 2006
Match report: Arsenal 2 - Liverpool 1
Steven Gerrard, the architect of the crucial move - Thierry Henry the finisher. It may read like a Roman Abramovich transfer fantasy, but instead it was the decisive moment in an extraordinary match that handed Arsenal the initiative once more in the race for the fourth Champions League place. And it was a twist in the season that Liverpool's inspirational captain will want to forget. Steven Gerrard, so often the hero for the Anfield side, assumed the unaccustomed role of villain after his inexplicable backpass gifted Thierry Henry the winning goal six minutes from time. It was a moment that replicated his mistake in England's Euro 2004 first-round defeat to France in all but the conclusion. But blaming Gerrard for this second successive defeat would be to conveniently ignore the fault lines that run through a Liverpool team that is in danger of ending a campaign that promised so much with precious little.Jens Lehmann, the hero of Highbury against Real Madrid on Wednesday, was at fault for Luis Garcia’s's equaliser. What was not in question was the supremacy of Cesc Fabregas in midfield who outshone even Alonso and made an eloquent case for his inclusion in Spain's World Cup squad. The dismissal of Alonso was, as Rafael Benitez said, the match's turning point. The midfielder had been booked for a foul on Fabregas four minutes earlier when, on 81 minutes, he slipped as he approached Mathieu Flamini - and appeared to be signalling his apology in the act of falling - before going straight through the Arsenal man. At first glance it merited a straight red, on further examination it was clumsiness compounded by ill fortune.
At the other end a dazzling piece of work from Fabregas and Henry had given Arsenal the lead on 21 minutes. Fabregas' through-ball was weighted so perfectly that it beat the lunges of four Liverpool players to arrive on Henry's toes. Cutting in from the left flank the striker struck a shot just beyond Reina's reach and inside the goalkeeper's far post. Twice Henry missed chances to seal the game before Liverpool equalised - a goal which Wenger believed should have been disallowed for a foul by Alonso on Fabregas. Gerrard's fierce shot was punched into the air by Lehmann and, of those dashing into the box, Luis Garcia was first to head the ball into the net. Henry's winner left Arsenal in fifth place and one point clear of Blackburn Rovers. Arsenal can overhaul Tottenham when their rivals visit Highbury on 22 April. "It's a little hangover [for Liverpool] from their Champions' League exit," Wenger said. "You grieve a little after that." At Arsenal, the time for mourning appears to be over.
THE INDIAN BIKING SCENE (PART II)
Note: In the following article I have deliberately excluded limited edition bikes that Kinetic and Yamaha introduced in India between 2000-03. They reached only a privileged lot (who could as such import any super bike anyway), so they did not affect the masses and hence the overall biking scene (unlike the RD’s and Yezdi’s).
The late 80s and the 90s was the golden era of the scooter and the major players here were Kinetic Honda (another alliance, whew!) and Bajaj (now known for path breaking sports bikes). In this period, scooters outsold bikes by a big margin as they were more practical (could carry 3 with grocery, shopping, luggage) and the bikes had nothing to offer (also being more expensive).
In 1998, Hero Honda launched the CBZ. This proved to be the trendsetter in the Indian biking scene, a host of manufacturers quickly following suit. This 150cc bike was not only stunning to look, but had impeccable handling (I believe, till date, no other bike beats the CBZ in this respect). It captured the long dormant enthusiasts market and the company could hardly keep up with the demand.
This made Bajaj launch the Pulsar. The credit to bringing sports bike to the masses goes to this bike. It came in two engine sizes of 150cc and 180cc, had the looks of a naked monster and was the most powerful bike then. It received constant upgrades, firstly a bikini fairing, then dual spark plug ignition and later gas shocks. This bike was affordable, had great fuel efficiency and good power. No wonder it still is the market leader.
Hero Honda responded by launching the 225cc Karizma. This had great looks, was longer than the rest of the bikes, had accessories like digital meters, clock, big disc, great self starter etc; and was the most powerful bike (and continues to be so till this date). Its high sticker price and low fuel efficiency meant that it never achieved the sales figures of the Pulsars, but it still remains THE enthusiasts bike (so no points for guessing that I own this bike, well nothing else would do).
But all this while, the only manufacturer that heralded the carefree biking spirit was Royal Enfield. Under its new, young CEO, the company stormed into the new millennium with a slew of new models. It had the 350cc Electra (staple Enfield), 350cc Thunderbird (stunning!!!), and a 500cc (also the now discontinued 535cc Lightning). All these bikes followed the upright biking stance, though their old engine design meant that they were only as powerful as the Karizma, but their attitude, looks and that trademark (gorgeous) thumping exhaust note gave them a cult following. People who liked Enfields would not even think of, let alone buy another bike. The company encouraged and provided support to form several Enfield biking groups (that the bike is ideal for mile munching, certainly helps the cause) and these are still the trendsetters for any biking activity in India. You can often see a group of riders on Enfields with luggage on a tour or another expedition. No wonder that people now perceive only Bulleteers to be die hard bikers and rest of the sports bike clan as just another bike rider. The attraction of a thumping Enfield has grown from strength to strength and even I am contemplating to buy an Enfield (and be eligible to join the REDS group).
I think I have written an exhaustive history of the Indian biking scene, but still if you have any queries (anything), or any valuable suggestions, please feel free to write to me at the mail ids given below (or just leave a comment here). If you are making a group or are planning that trip to the Himalayas please do inform me. Well that’s it, keep the biking spirit live and kicking.
My mail ids:
icexvi@gmail.com
meetalekh@rediffmail.com
meetalekh@yahoo.co.in
The late 80s and the 90s was the golden era of the scooter and the major players here were Kinetic Honda (another alliance, whew!) and Bajaj (now known for path breaking sports bikes). In this period, scooters outsold bikes by a big margin as they were more practical (could carry 3 with grocery, shopping, luggage) and the bikes had nothing to offer (also being more expensive).
In 1998, Hero Honda launched the CBZ. This proved to be the trendsetter in the Indian biking scene, a host of manufacturers quickly following suit. This 150cc bike was not only stunning to look, but had impeccable handling (I believe, till date, no other bike beats the CBZ in this respect). It captured the long dormant enthusiasts market and the company could hardly keep up with the demand.
This made Bajaj launch the Pulsar. The credit to bringing sports bike to the masses goes to this bike. It came in two engine sizes of 150cc and 180cc, had the looks of a naked monster and was the most powerful bike then. It received constant upgrades, firstly a bikini fairing, then dual spark plug ignition and later gas shocks. This bike was affordable, had great fuel efficiency and good power. No wonder it still is the market leader.
Hero Honda responded by launching the 225cc Karizma. This had great looks, was longer than the rest of the bikes, had accessories like digital meters, clock, big disc, great self starter etc; and was the most powerful bike (and continues to be so till this date). Its high sticker price and low fuel efficiency meant that it never achieved the sales figures of the Pulsars, but it still remains THE enthusiasts bike (so no points for guessing that I own this bike, well nothing else would do).
But all this while, the only manufacturer that heralded the carefree biking spirit was Royal Enfield. Under its new, young CEO, the company stormed into the new millennium with a slew of new models. It had the 350cc Electra (staple Enfield), 350cc Thunderbird (stunning!!!), and a 500cc (also the now discontinued 535cc Lightning). All these bikes followed the upright biking stance, though their old engine design meant that they were only as powerful as the Karizma, but their attitude, looks and that trademark (gorgeous) thumping exhaust note gave them a cult following. People who liked Enfields would not even think of, let alone buy another bike. The company encouraged and provided support to form several Enfield biking groups (that the bike is ideal for mile munching, certainly helps the cause) and these are still the trendsetters for any biking activity in India. You can often see a group of riders on Enfields with luggage on a tour or another expedition. No wonder that people now perceive only Bulleteers to be die hard bikers and rest of the sports bike clan as just another bike rider. The attraction of a thumping Enfield has grown from strength to strength and even I am contemplating to buy an Enfield (and be eligible to join the REDS group).
I think I have written an exhaustive history of the Indian biking scene, but still if you have any queries (anything), or any valuable suggestions, please feel free to write to me at the mail ids given below (or just leave a comment here). If you are making a group or are planning that trip to the Himalayas please do inform me. Well that’s it, keep the biking spirit live and kicking.
My mail ids:
icexvi@gmail.com
meetalekh@rediffmail.com
meetalekh@yahoo.co.in
Sunday, March 12, 2006
FORMULA 1 - BAHRAIN GP
So, one of the most eagerly awaited formula 1 season has finally begun. And what a start! The new qualifying format has certainly mixed things up, though personally I think the one lap format was better as there was less confusion. But at least now the drivers can get a second chance. Speaking of second chances, they don’t seem to apply for Kimi Raikkonen (he leaves no room for that, regardless of the format). The (un)reliability issues of last season have started to haunt him right from the first qualifying (talk about being jinxed!). But can anyone solve the mystery that why does only he get affected by these sudden failures and not his maverick team-mate? Anyway, like last season, McLaren had a single stop strategy for Kimi and the Finn duly obliged by driving the wheels off the car to finish 3rd in the race. He seems to be getting pretty consistent, from the back of the grid to podium’ and maybe sometime with just a little luck (Kimi and luck!!!) he might become the first driver to win starting last, though one wonders if he still remembers what it is like to start from the front.
Anyway enough on Kimi (you gotta give some extra attention to ur favourite). Alonso and Renault showed that they are as strong as last season, though the electronic failure suffered by Fisichella is unlike Renault. FERRARI ARE BACK. First they get a 1-2 in qualifying and then Michael does what he hardly did in 2005, lead a race! In the end however the dream start became a bit sour when Massa spun out of a possible podium finish and Schumi was beaten by Alonso to the finish due to some good pit work by the Renault crew. Nevertheless a foot ahead for them compared to the last season.
All three Jap teams (Honda, Toyota and Super Aguri) were disappointing, both due to driver errors (read Jenson Button) and mechanical problems (read Barrichello and Yuji Ide). The surprise packages were Williams and Red Bull Racing teams. Nico Rosberg (Williams) finished a strong 7th on his debut (guess what he wud have finished but for that unfortunate spin early in the race) and his team-mate a place above him, making Williams the only team other than Mclaren to have both its drivers scoring points. Meanwhile Christian Klien got the last point for Red Bull. Midland and Scuderia Toro Rosso had an average race (nothing much was expected from them also) and the same cud be said for Sauber BMW.
So the initial signals are here and it seems this time the fight is between Alonso/Kimi/Michael and their respective teams (though much closer than even last year).
Next race: Petronas Malaysian GP, Kuala Lumpur, 17 March
Results of Bahrain GP:
1. Fernando Alonso (ESP) Renault
2. Michael Schumacher (GER) Ferrari
3. Kimi Raikkonen (FIN) McLaren-Mercedes
Anyway enough on Kimi (you gotta give some extra attention to ur favourite). Alonso and Renault showed that they are as strong as last season, though the electronic failure suffered by Fisichella is unlike Renault. FERRARI ARE BACK. First they get a 1-2 in qualifying and then Michael does what he hardly did in 2005, lead a race! In the end however the dream start became a bit sour when Massa spun out of a possible podium finish and Schumi was beaten by Alonso to the finish due to some good pit work by the Renault crew. Nevertheless a foot ahead for them compared to the last season.
All three Jap teams (Honda, Toyota and Super Aguri) were disappointing, both due to driver errors (read Jenson Button) and mechanical problems (read Barrichello and Yuji Ide). The surprise packages were Williams and Red Bull Racing teams. Nico Rosberg (Williams) finished a strong 7th on his debut (guess what he wud have finished but for that unfortunate spin early in the race) and his team-mate a place above him, making Williams the only team other than Mclaren to have both its drivers scoring points. Meanwhile Christian Klien got the last point for Red Bull. Midland and Scuderia Toro Rosso had an average race (nothing much was expected from them also) and the same cud be said for Sauber BMW.
So the initial signals are here and it seems this time the fight is between Alonso/Kimi/Michael and their respective teams (though much closer than even last year).
Next race: Petronas Malaysian GP, Kuala Lumpur, 17 March
Results of Bahrain GP:
1. Fernando Alonso (ESP) Renault
2. Michael Schumacher (GER) Ferrari
3. Kimi Raikkonen (FIN) McLaren-Mercedes
Saturday, March 11, 2006
THE INDIAN BIKING SCENE (PART I)
The Indian biking scene in its early years had a local manufacturer Rajdoot, which catered for whatever little biking needs the market had. Other than these bulky and low powered bikes, there were only small mopeds in the two wheeler category. 1961 saw the launch Yezdi, made in collaboration with the Czechoslovakian manufacturer Jawa. This twin cylinder bike based on the BSA Goldstar became synonymous with strength, power, go anywhere ability and every enthusiast and milkman had one. Another twin cylinder bike launched was the legendary Yamaha RD350 in the early 80s (hey that coincides with my birth year, coincidence!!!). It was not only the Yamaha name, but the 32bhp power of the 350cc two stroke mille and the exhaust note sent all boys and their list of girlfriends (well a RD ensured you had a long one) going crazy. But even though these bikes were great, their high cost and fuel guzzling meant they never set the sales chart on fire in a country where the economy was rising after having taken the brunt of two wars and died a natural death in the face of what is described ahead.
So, in stepped Honda and forged an alliance with a local manufacturer, Hero motors. This particular alliance would go on to become the largest and one of the most trusted biking brands in the country (Honda seems to do it everywhere it goes). It hit the bull’s eye by meeting the needs of the average Joe with 100cc single cylinder, 4 stroke bikes which were cheap to buy and ran that extra mile on every single drop of fuel. The important thing here was that as these were the first 4 stroke bikes in the market (and were the only ones for a long time), their refinement and low maintenance costs were unparalleled. Another Japanese manufacturer stepped in through an alliance named TVS Suzuki. They too released some low capacity 2 stroke bikes. It also released the first 5 speed bike in India (though the RD already had 6, beat that!), the Suzuki Shogun. It had moderate power delivery, a stunning all black and red colour scheme (including the engine & exhaust) and was perfect for burning tarmac/stunts.
Meanwhile Yamaha launched the RX100, which still according to many people was the perfect enthusiasts bike ever released in India till the 21st century. It had awesome pick up and the most amazing exhaust note which still makes people weak in the knees. So no surprise that it went on to become one of the biggest success stories here. With time its engine was upgraded (in size), but the subsequent models never had the appeal of the original RX100 and went out with the demise of the 2 strokes. All along, there was another manufacturer named Royal Enfield. This British firm now under Indian control made 350cc, pushrod engine powered bikes inspired by the Triumph Bonneville. But no, they did not sell as retro bikes, on the other hand, due to their ruggedness, amazing abuse tolerance along with decent power, they found use in all military and police garages becoming their hot favourite (the military still uses them).
To be continued…
NEXT POST: 90’S - TILL DATE.
So, in stepped Honda and forged an alliance with a local manufacturer, Hero motors. This particular alliance would go on to become the largest and one of the most trusted biking brands in the country (Honda seems to do it everywhere it goes). It hit the bull’s eye by meeting the needs of the average Joe with 100cc single cylinder, 4 stroke bikes which were cheap to buy and ran that extra mile on every single drop of fuel. The important thing here was that as these were the first 4 stroke bikes in the market (and were the only ones for a long time), their refinement and low maintenance costs were unparalleled. Another Japanese manufacturer stepped in through an alliance named TVS Suzuki. They too released some low capacity 2 stroke bikes. It also released the first 5 speed bike in India (though the RD already had 6, beat that!), the Suzuki Shogun. It had moderate power delivery, a stunning all black and red colour scheme (including the engine & exhaust) and was perfect for burning tarmac/stunts.
Meanwhile Yamaha launched the RX100, which still according to many people was the perfect enthusiasts bike ever released in India till the 21st century. It had awesome pick up and the most amazing exhaust note which still makes people weak in the knees. So no surprise that it went on to become one of the biggest success stories here. With time its engine was upgraded (in size), but the subsequent models never had the appeal of the original RX100 and went out with the demise of the 2 strokes. All along, there was another manufacturer named Royal Enfield. This British firm now under Indian control made 350cc, pushrod engine powered bikes inspired by the Triumph Bonneville. But no, they did not sell as retro bikes, on the other hand, due to their ruggedness, amazing abuse tolerance along with decent power, they found use in all military and police garages becoming their hot favourite (the military still uses them).
To be continued…
NEXT POST: 90’S - TILL DATE.
Friday, March 10, 2006
WHATS NEXT
Someone who always reads my posts (thank god at least there is someone who bothers to spend time on what I think) gave a pretty good suggestion, that to write something about my country. Well I’ll surely do that in keeping with the theme of the block and the subject of which I have decent knowledge about. Hence I’ll write about the automotive scene in India. Incidently for the past 5 years or so this industry has seen a significant boom. There are new models, technologies and manufacturers pouring in and almost all major names have a presence here now in varying strengths. The government too has plaed its role the latest being the reduction of exise duty on small cars. I intend to write about it in two parts, firtly the biking scene (well I’m more interested in bikes) and then the four wheeler scene (minus the commercial vehicles scenario). Hope someone appreciates it, so watch out for it.
THE APRILIA SEQUEL
Aprilia is now determined to become a company whose products are recognised as being fun to drive and practical on road rather than aiming to have the best track times spec sheet (fighting of tenths of seconds that no one even realises practically). Hence their flagship model, RSV 1000 Mille, though may not be your rubber burning track day beast (all those Gixxers and Ninjas), but it certainly will be more satisfying on that Sunday morning countryside drive. Maybe something like a sports tourer.
The same thing seems to be translating in their motor sport effort as well. They look to be set to completely drop their MotoGP program for now as they say it does not translate to any direct road going applications and therefore no direct economic advantages to talk about. So instead, they will now focus their efforts in the World Superbike Championship commonly known as the SBK. This will ensure three things.
1. Firstly, they already have a bike ready for it in the RSV 1000 and hence as investment on R&D is considerably reduced, at the same time they do not have to start from scratch.
2. Secondly, the tech used can be directly passed on to the production model.
3. And finally, as people can relate the racing machine with what they drive on normal days, the attraction for it increases.
Also as a bonus fall out, they plan to release a limited SBK edition bike, which no doubt will be slightly dearer than your stock RSV. All these three reasons (and the bonus) make for excellent marketing sense for a company like Aprilia which does not have billions to spend on MotoGP, yet wants a sporting image.
So, the plans are all in place and it now upto how they execute them. And with Leo Mercanti back (this time as the boss), the future surely looks brighter than the recent past for Aprilia.
The same thing seems to be translating in their motor sport effort as well. They look to be set to completely drop their MotoGP program for now as they say it does not translate to any direct road going applications and therefore no direct economic advantages to talk about. So instead, they will now focus their efforts in the World Superbike Championship commonly known as the SBK. This will ensure three things.
1. Firstly, they already have a bike ready for it in the RSV 1000 and hence as investment on R&D is considerably reduced, at the same time they do not have to start from scratch.
2. Secondly, the tech used can be directly passed on to the production model.
3. And finally, as people can relate the racing machine with what they drive on normal days, the attraction for it increases.
Also as a bonus fall out, they plan to release a limited SBK edition bike, which no doubt will be slightly dearer than your stock RSV. All these three reasons (and the bonus) make for excellent marketing sense for a company like Aprilia which does not have billions to spend on MotoGP, yet wants a sporting image.
So, the plans are all in place and it now upto how they execute them. And with Leo Mercanti back (this time as the boss), the future surely looks brighter than the recent past for Aprilia.
Thursday, March 09, 2006
BIKE WARS
We all have heard the saying “When u r at war, either stand up and fight, or else dig a trench and hide”. Well, off road bike specialists KTM seem to be going for the latter option. What has prompted this reaction is the enforcement of ban on V-twin engines by the AMA in the US for super-moto events. Now KTM played a major part in securing this rule by crying fowl about the high cost and power associated with a V-twin. The fact that single cylinder engines is what KTM specialises in, and not V-twins, makes them sitting pretty after this rule. On the other hand manufacturers like Aprilia, who have developed V-twin engines for their super-moto bikes are pointing to the smoothness, low noise, low stress, less failures and overall reduced maintenance costs of a V-twin and trying to prevent the same thing from happening in Europe. Aprilia is starting a new innings, both as a company and by developing all new super-moto (with V-twin engines) and super sports bikes. It actually plans to cover the entire range from 50cc to 1000cc by launching 20 new models, but more on the Aprilia story in a later post. Now with these bikes to sell, they will have to have a racing pedigree. And considering US is a major market for them now one can understand how this rule really hits them. Well so much for tactics, someone should be telling them “play guys and lets leave the dirt for the politicians”.
Tuesday, March 07, 2006
OF LUCK AND HEART BREAKS
Did you watch the game between Man U and Wigan yesterday? If you have not I would not recommend it unless you are a die hard red devils fan or you want to see the mother of all heart breaks. Man United seem to have mastered the act of pulling out of a nose dive just in the nick of time. Though they also seem to be riding their luck and it’s not long before this control stick deserts them and their fairytale aircraft crashes. But what made the story more sorrowful yesterday was the fact that the winning goal for United was actually an own goal by the otherwise clinical Chimbonda who had had a good game until then. Now the memory of those flurries of missed chances by Wigan will surely return to haunt them. And as they say, you know when things are not going your way; this exactly seems to be the case with Liverpool, as this result certainly dents their chances of clinching the second spot in the Premiership from Man U. Just hoping that Newcastle continue their good form against the red devils (and the red devils stick to their bad form minus good fortune), and Liverpool repeat to Arsenal what they did a week ago.
Monday, March 06, 2006
Today in automobile history
in 1950 on this day Audi released their gas turbine powered car which was then the first in the world. unfortunately it never got any competition as the concept itself died in front of the internal combustion engine due to the high cost and maintainance and low fuel efficiency of the gas turbine engine. nevertheless the engineers at audi should be appalauded for trying out something so radical and accomplishing though not economically.
Formula 1
Hi everyone,
Well the engines are revving and warming up, can't you hear them? Well the prelude to the season is quite mouth watering. Main competition is between Fernando alonso and Kimi Raikkonen (I support Kimi), though count out Schumi at you own risk. The competition between the constructors is even more close I believe. And to top it all McLaren have set the rumors ball rolling with the announcement of they signing in Alonso for 2007. Now that does rise the question that will JPM or KM like to stay at McLaren after 2006, and if not where do they go? Well the MP4-21 surely looks gorgeous if anything else. And Narain is at Williams! This weekend is surely one to look forward to. So keep the beer or the popcorn (whichever suits you) ready by your side.
Well the engines are revving and warming up, can't you hear them? Well the prelude to the season is quite mouth watering. Main competition is between Fernando alonso and Kimi Raikkonen (I support Kimi), though count out Schumi at you own risk. The competition between the constructors is even more close I believe. And to top it all McLaren have set the rumors ball rolling with the announcement of they signing in Alonso for 2007. Now that does rise the question that will JPM or KM like to stay at McLaren after 2006, and if not where do they go? Well the MP4-21 surely looks gorgeous if anything else. And Narain is at Williams! This weekend is surely one to look forward to. So keep the beer or the popcorn (whichever suits you) ready by your side.
Champion's league
Hi everyone,
So champion;s league is hot right now. Chelsea and Barcelona are really going to fight out though i think that Barcelona will slip through. Arsenal should make it home comfortably though at home. Same for Liverpool, that is if they can start finding the back of the net (by the way no bad talks about liverpool, I am a reds fan). And talking about Juventus, well thay should wrap up Werden Bremen (with 2 away goals they are not out yet) though they got a real shock last time. And the best one I think will be the one between AC Milan and Bayern Munich. They are level (AC with a slight advantage with an away goal) and will fight till the end. Rest two matches though not so interesting will nevertheless be upto the tournament's standards as the were in the first leg. So let us gear up for two noghts of exhausting and (more important) entertaining football.
So champion;s league is hot right now. Chelsea and Barcelona are really going to fight out though i think that Barcelona will slip through. Arsenal should make it home comfortably though at home. Same for Liverpool, that is if they can start finding the back of the net (by the way no bad talks about liverpool, I am a reds fan). And talking about Juventus, well thay should wrap up Werden Bremen (with 2 away goals they are not out yet) though they got a real shock last time. And the best one I think will be the one between AC Milan and Bayern Munich. They are level (AC with a slight advantage with an away goal) and will fight till the end. Rest two matches though not so interesting will nevertheless be upto the tournament's standards as the were in the first leg. So let us gear up for two noghts of exhausting and (more important) entertaining football.
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