Editorials, Electric Vehicles, New Launches

Audi e-tron, an Electric SUV

September 3, 2021 anjaliyaku82 Leave a comment

German luxury car company Audi has launched its electric SUV etron and etron Sportback in the Indian market. Their price (ex-showroom) starts from Rs 99.99 lakh. In this, for etron 55 you will get Rs 1.16 crore, while for etron Sportback 55 you will get Rs 1.17 crore (ex-showroom). The booking of both these electric SUVs has been started only last month. If you want to bring it home, then you can book from the Audi dealership and company website with an amount of Rs 5 lakh.

Two electric motors are utilized in the Audi etron. The first motor fits in the front axle, which generates 309 Nm of torque. This luxury car produces a maximum value of power 408 BHP. It uses a 95 kWh lithiumion battery that provides a variety of 400 km. These cars are often charged up to 80 percent in only half-hour. Its top speed is 200 KMPH

Audi is offering a spread of curated ownership programs on these luxury cars. This includes a special maintenance plan of 2 to 5 years, an extended warranty, and a buyout plan. Under this plan, if the customers want to sell the etron and etron Sportback within three years of purchase, as well as bring the future model home, then they will have the option to sell this car to the company. Under this, two years of standard warranty and eight years of high voltage or 160,000 km warranty will be available.

According to the company, these service plans will be available for four to five years under the schemes that the customers will select. These include service cost, maintenance of brakes, suspension, and extended warranty. Also, the Extended Warranty will be available for a period of 2+2 years or 2+3 years. Not only this, but the company is also offering five years of road assistance in case your vehicle breaks down in the middle of the road.

The Audi etron and etron Sportback SUV will compete with the Jaguar IPace apart from the Mercedes Benz EQC in India. These cars of Audi are expected to give more momentum to the electric segment vehicles in India.

Electric cars are rapidly entering the market. Audi has been postponing its electric offering for a long time, but now the etron electric SUV has finally arrived. It has two versions and which is the best depends on what you like best.

The etron SUV is quite large and when you look at it, you like it. It’s different, but not so much. At the front, you get a larger grid, which is usually in Audis while the wonderfully designed Digital Matrix LED headlights are also pretty enjoyable.

You can also see the futuristic-looking wheels (20inches with orange brake calipers) while the rear looks quite clean which covers the entire width of the car along with the taillamps. Overall, the etron looks good. Wherever we took this car, everyone wanted to see this car again. This was also helped by its unique color.

The interior too is that of a typical Audi which means it gets double screens with digital dials. Let us tell you that Audi first started installing virtual dials in their cars so that they could master it. What you would expect from an Audi are its design and quality. The touch screen is very good to use. The space of the vehicle is impressive and is around the “big SUV” with lots of legroom/headroom in the rear seat.

In terms of equipment, it includes soft-closing doors, a four-zone climate control system, a 16-speaker audio system, ambient lighting, wireless charging, a head-up display, and a panoramic sunroof.

The real fun begins as soon as you drive the etron. Since it is electric, there is no noise in it. Although the e-tron makes a slight noise to warn the pedestrians, something like this can be seen in all-electric vehicles in the future. The ground clearance is also excellent and the etron feels too small to drive in traffic. It’s pretty fast as you’d expect. Its 55 Quattro version produces 408 HP and 664Nm at its fastest setting (with a 95 kWh battery). If you keep your feet down, the etron will put sports cars to shame.

The best thing about the etron is the comfort and ease. In the city, Comfort mode is more than enough for quick overtakes, Efficiency mode is also very fast, Dynamic mode brings out all the power but is too loud for city use.

The range on the display was showing 418 km, while the heavy city traffic, as well as a short highway run, giving it a range of around 360 km, which is impressive. You do not need to charge the etron once or twice a week for normal travel. Like all EVs, it gets regenerative braking and you can control it via the pedals behind the steering wheel. Audi will give you an 11 kW charger and it will charge the car in less than 9 hours (to reach 80 percent). A 22 kW charger will do this in 4.5 hours while a DC fast charger will reduce the time to just 30 minutes (150 kW).

Market, New Launches

Review : MG Hector Plus VS Mahindra XUV 700

August 30, 2021 Prateek Chandra Leave a comment

MG Hector Plus Price starts at Rs. 13.96 Lakh which is Rs. 1.97 Lakh costlier than base model of Mahindra XUV700 priced at Rs. 11.99 Lakh. In technical specifications, Mahindra XUV700 (Top Model) is powered by 2198 cc engine, while MG Hector Plus (Top Model) is powered by 1956 cc engine.

Engines and power

XUV700 will offer buyers the option of a 2.0-litre turbo petrol engine producing 197bhp and 380Nm of torque and a 2.2-litre turbo diesel producing 182bhp and 420Nm (with the manual gearbox) and 450Nm (with the automatic gearbox) of torque. It takes XUV 700 under 5 seconds to go from 0 to 60KM/H.

MG Hector Plus gives 3 engine options to its customer- a BS6-compliant 1.5-litre turbo-petrol and a 2.0-litre diesel. There’s also a 48V mild-hybrid version available with the 1.5-litre turbo-petrol. The 1.5-litre turbo petrol produces 143bhp and 250Nm of torque. The 2.0-litre diesel, on the other hand, produces 168bhp and 350Nm of torque. It takes MG Hector Plus under 6 seconds to go from 0 to 60KM/H.

Features

XUV 700 truly outshines its competition. From a 10.25-inch digital driver’s display and infotainment screen to built-in Amazon Alexa, wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, sixty plus connected features via AdrenoX, a large panoramic sunroof, dual-zone climate control, leatherette seats with 6-way power adjustability and memory, comfort access, 360-degree camera, 12-speaker Sony surround sound system and an electrically deployed smart door handle that sits flush with the body when the door is locked.

MG Hector Plus will be offered in four variants: Style (base-spec), Super, Smart, Sharp (top-spec). The Hector Plus now gets 18-inch dual-tone alloy wheels, a wireless phone charger, and ventilated front seats (from the 5-seater Hector). Features like the panoramic sunroof, rain-sensing wipers, powered tailgate, 8-colour ambient lighting, and 10.4-inch touchscreen infotainment system (with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay) have been retained. Internet connected features for the 10.4-inch touchscreen infotainment unit and remote controls available from Smart variant onwards.

SAFETY

XUV 700 offers a level 2 ADAS system, 7-airbags, driver drowsiness system, blind-spot monitor, personalized overspeed warning chimes, driver fatigue detection system and dynamic stability control program are all on offer.

Hector Plus safety features include electronic stability program (ESP), front and rear parking sensors (360 parking camera), hill hold control, ISOFIX child seat anchors, ABS with EBD and brake assist, dual front airbags, and traction control. The top-spec variant gets up to six airbags.

These two SVU’s are going to give a head-to-head competition to its competitors in the Indian market. Soon we going to see which SUV comes up on top at the end of 2021

Expected Launch Dates:

XUV 700 has made its global debut on August 14, 2021, on the eve of India’s 75th Independence Day

MG Hector Plus was introduced in India in January 2021.

Market, Sports

What will change in F1 2022?

August 27, 2021 Prateek Chandra Leave a comment

With the current season leading up to an exciting tussle between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton, the new F1 car for 2022 has been unveiled.

Formula 1 has finally announced the rules and regulations for 2021’s big shakeup. The regulations were originally intended for this season before being postponed thanks to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The 2022 car is developed by Formula 1’s in-house Motorsports team in collaboration with the FIA and has put a lot more significance on the aerodynamic property known as ‘ground effect’. It basically means that overtaking will now be easier, which means more action on the track and will make the viewers hooked up to their screen.

F1 is introducing new aerodynamic regulations for 2022 with the aim of reducing the “dirty air” produced by the current cars, which makes passing difficult.

According to F1 experts the current cars lose 35 percent of their downforce when they are around three car lengths behind another car, with the loss increasing to 47 percent when they are about one car length behind. The new rules promise to lessen those downforce losses to 4 percent and 18 percent. A redesigned front wing is simpler than before and has wing flaps that now stretch all the way to the nose. This is said to allow for sleeker bodywork, create less dirty air, and be less impacted by the dirty air when following another car.

Pirelli tyers has helped Formula 1 teams, including well-known manufacturers such as Alfa Romeo, Ferrari and Maserati, win championships and races on tall, narrow tires. But the upcoming 2022 Formula 1 season will see a change, from 13in to 18in. Pirelli wheels will also get a new rubber compound which will allow better grip, less heat and less wear which will create rotational airflow and direct the air through a steeper diffuser ramp.

Coming to the engine F1 cars will continue to use 1.6-litre V6 turbo engine rules remain largely the same, but the design of the power units will be homologated at the start of the season and be frozen up to the end of at least 2025. Current regulations see cars running on fuel containing 5.75% bio-components. F1 is still working hard to introduce fully sustainable fuel in the near-future, 2022 will see the bio-component ratio rise to 10%. That will be achieved through a move to ‘E10 fuel’ – ‘E’ standing for ethanol, while ‘10’ refers to its percentage in the mixture.

One of the key new safety features for 2022 is that the chassis now need to absorb 48% and 15% more energy respectively in the front and rear impact tests, as well as greater forces in the static ‘squeeze’ tests required to homologate the chassis and certify their strength. The nose will be longer to improve the energy absorption, while the side impact structures will also be strengthened and cockpits will be made larger to help taller drivers.

The teams and FIA had agreed on a cost cap of $175 million for 2021, but that has now been reduced to $145 million. The cap will further reduce to $140 million in 2022, and then to $135 million in 2023. The reduction is due to the coronavirus pandemic that has seriously shaken up the financial stability of all teams. Not only will the new cost cap reduce the parity between the teams, it will ensure the sport is more cost effective too. The staggered approach is to allow the teams to restructure their operations to the new budget caps. Some exclusions are allowed such as the carryover of parts from 2020 to 2021 as well as the salary of the workforce on leave.

In conclusion, F1 next year is sure to get a lot more exciting, which is always great news. There are other rules and more updates to come so stay tuned. However, this week’s sprint race and main race at the Spa-Francorchamps GP is going to be no less. Make sure you tune into that.

Self Driving, Features

Are self-driving cars really a future?

August 25, 2021 abhimanyu sharma Leave a comment

Self-driven cars would be hijacking over the manual ones in not so distant future. But the question is these automated cars good enough to sit back without being stressed about safety?

Let’s check out on that…A self-driving vehicle can sense its surroundings and control its movements without human intervention. The SAE has come up with six levels of self-driving vehicles. Level 5 being the highest level.

Many companies are trying to be the first ones to develop an autonomous car that can drive under all driving conditions. Major automobile manufactures and tech giants are looking for ways to get to the front of the race. They are performing a bunch of road tests with their self-driving cars and are collecting data from these tests which will help cars navigate the modern world where unpredictable things happen all the time. In order to manage situations like this, we might also need to set up designated lanes for self-driving cars during the transition period where both traditional cars and self-driving cars would be on the roads. We also need regulatory changes on the insurance policies so that the insurance companies can cover different types of vehicles. So, self-driving cars can be a huge test for not only automobile manufacturers but also for regulators. After all, the manufactures and regulators need to come together and update the laws that have been in place for decades to reflect the changes associated with self-driving cars. But to make it happen would require time and a lot of work.

There is no doubt that self-driving cars present many technological promises to our lives. But in order for us to truly take advantage and prepare for a future, we need everyone to step up and put their heads together towards a solution. However, until fully autonomous cars are on the road, people still need to be fully responsible while driving their vehicles and understand the limits of the technology in their vehicles.

It will take few more years for researchers to optimize autonomous driving. Those improvements can’t be rushed. So strap in and relax. You’ll be still holding that steering wheel for a while.

New Launches, Electric Vehicles, Features

Review: Volvo XC40 Recharge, an Electric SUV

August 24, 2021 Manas Shrimali Leave a comment

Volvo Cars, a luxury automobile maker which is headquartered in Torslanda in Gothenburg, Sweden. The company manufactures and markets sport utility vehicles, station wagons, hatchbacks, sedans, and compact executive sedans.

Volvo Cars is going to introduce Volvo XC40 Recharge, an Electric SUV that is based on Volvo’s Common Modular Architecture. It has a 78kWh battery pack mounted under the cabin floor with electric motors on each axle.

**Volvo XC40 Recharge (3rd angle view)**

When connected to a 150kW DC rapid charger, the “XC40 Recharge” can charge up to 80% in around 40 minutes. A full charge of the vehicle takes around 8 hours.

It has a maximum output of 402bhp and 660Nm of torque which the Volvo says is enough for a 0-62 mph time of 4.9 seconds. It offers a range of 259 miles due to the recent software update.

The electric powertrain of the Volvo XC40 Recharge is smaller than that required for a combustion engine. This creates an additional storage room of 31-liters under the bonnet which is compatible with carrying the charging cable.

The car has dual-zone climate control, a wireless smartphone charging pad, a 12.3-inch digital dash, and a 9-inch infotainment system which is powered by the new Google-developed software rather than Volvo’s in-house Sensus System.

Volvo XC40 Recharge expected launch date and price in India

Volvo XC40 Recharge is predicted to be launched in India on Jan 2022 in a price starting from ₹50.00 to 55.00 Lakh.

Self Driving, Technology

Autonomous Cars Won’t Avoid Majority of Vehicle Crashes

August 23, 2021 Prateek Chandra Leave a comment

1986, the year when Ernst Dickmanns changed the whole automobile industry by unleashing a driverless Mercedes onto the roads of Europe and since then this technology hasn’t stopped and has been used by almost every car manufacturer in the world.

But how safe this technology is and will be in the coming years?

Consider the above scenario, you’re riding in your shiny new self-driving car and suddenly a group of people spills into the road and at this point the car has to make a decision, either swerve into the wall killing you or plow through the crowd saving your life but taking several others. While surveys show that most people would choose to sacrifice themselves for the crowd. Of course, this scenario would be exceedingly rare.

Computerizing our cars and adding modern technologies every launch will put lives in danger and automation will not end all car accidents. If for some reason system malfunctions or experience some unexpected glitch that causes the machine to act unpredictably or stop altogether. It can be dangerous when a self-driving car malfunction while traveling at high speed on a road.

According to two independent polls conducted in January and in late March/early April, the percentage of Americans thinking that autonomous cars are less safe than vehicles driven by humans increased from 36 percent to 50 percent.

According to my analysis it will be crucial for designers to prioritize safety over rider preferences if autonomous vehicles are to live up to their promise to be safer than human drivers before these autonomous vehicles gain widespread adoption. For the future of self-driving cars, there is a lot to think about. Laws, regulations, and development vary greatly, between states and countries. So, discussion between experts, law makers and countries will need to be had if we want to really make autonomous vehicles a reality and despite all the hype, self-driving cars will not be safer because robots are better drivers than our (computer-enhanced) selves, but I’ll leave you to decide if that’s a good thing or not.

Editorials, Market, Sponsored

Luxury Car Rentals in Delhi

August 23, 2021 Manas Shrimali Leave a comment

A luxury car rental agency is an automobiles company that rents cars to customers for a short period of time ranging from a few hours to a few weeks. It is located in various cities and provides online reservations for cars.

These serve people for self-drive, travel and tour, wedding occasions, corporate purposes, and employee transportation. These provide a self-moving industry for the customers by renting cars from one city and dropping them at another city.

The cars of these agencies consist of insurance, global positioning system (GPS) navigation systems, entertainment systems, mobile phones, portable Wi-Fi, and child safety seats.

India’s capital, Delhi, is a metropolitan city in the country’s north and has a great historical significance as an important commercial, transport, and cultural hub.

Delhi consists of various companies that provide luxury car rental services such as LUXORIDES, Luxury Car Rentals, Wedding Car Delhi, and Victoria Car Rentals.

LUXORIDES is a luxury car rental organization in Delhi NCR. It is expanding in North India, which includes places such as Lucknow, Agra, and Jaipur. It offers a wide range of brands for rental and lease. The brands which it includes are Audi, BMW, Mercedes, Jaguar, Land Rover, Bentley, Porsche, Rolls Royce in all sorts of categories such as Convertibles, Sedans, SUVs, and Limousines.

It provides quality services in Muscle Cars, Vintage Cars, Ultra Luxury Cars, and Standard Cars. Luxorides can cater to Wedding, Corporate, VIP, and Personal transport, travel, and transfer needs. With respect to the current pandemic, Luxorides is helping out the people as they feel safer in traveling via road transportation than any other transportation.

Uncategorized

Taking care of luxury car

August 21, 2021 Nikhlesh dadwal Leave a comment

Years of hard work, personal sacrifices and daring risks in your life to purchase your luxury car. But, the conservation of your new luxury car requires a little more initial work than ordinary automobiles. Here are few ways you can keep your luxury car in prime condition.

Luxury car, need more preservation and assistance than normal automobile. The manual will provide you with the exact date of your assistance programs. Change oil regularly to make sure your new car works as smoothly as possible for as long as possible.

Vacuum the seats, two times a week to keep them immaculate and beautiful. Also, be sure to vacuum the inside such as the floor, doors, dashboard, consoles, etc to maintain the luxury status. Use a leather cleaner and a microfiber cloth to clean the seat surface.

After taking care of your seats, it’s time to keep your interior trim looking great. Vacuum as necessary, and switch to a cleaning product that won’t harm your material. Using a new microfiber cleaning cloth, wipe dry to make the inside look shiny without scratches.

It should be standard practice right now to check the air pressure of your tires when you refuel your vehicle. This will help prevent your tires from becoming unbalanced or bursting while driving. Without taking proper care of them, they may become a painful problem which is difficult to solve. Whenever your tire tread narrows to less than 1.5mm, it’s time to replace your tires.

Everyone knows that a working clutch helps the engine function smoothly. Suffice it to say that an operating clutch is one of the five main components of luxury vehicles. One thing to watch out for the strength of your clutch is a change in your engine speed; if this happens, without you, its a telling sign that your clutch needs the help of an skillful technician.

Having your car washed regularly is essential to ensure the luxury status you have worked so hard to achieve. Which route you decide, always remember to use polish thats secure for your model. During this process, windshield wipers should also be inspected. If they squeak or show visible signs of wear, change them.

Sports, New Launches

Sneak Peak into Ferrari’s new addition – The Ferrari Roma

August 21, 2021 Prateek Chandra 1 Comment

Ferrari is an Italian luxury sports car manufacturer. The company was founded by Enzo Ferrari in 1939 out of the Alfa Romeo race division as Auto Avio Costruzioni, the company built its first car in 1940, and produced its first Ferrari-badged car in 1947 with not more than 4500 employees. Ferrari was all about the V12 engine. It had the sophistication and confidence for their cars while showing superior performance and sound.

Roma, if you spell it backwards, reads ‘Amor’, which means ‘love’ in English and you can’t deny that it hardly takes a moment to fall in love with this Ferrari.

The Ferrari Roma, the new mid-front-engine 2+ coupé of the Prancing Horse, features refined proportions and timeless design combined with unparalleled performance and handling.

With its distinctive flair and style, the car is a contemporary representation of the carefree, pleasurable way of life that characterized Rome in the 1950s and ‘60s. It is named after the historical city of Rome and somewhere the Italian engineers wanted to appeal to a segment of buyers who want to buy a Ferrari without that loud exhaust noise, which has a boot, 2+2 seats and is gorgeous to look in motion or parked.

Behind the steering wheel sits a fully digital, multi-function cluster. This configuration is mirrored on the other side of the cabin, where a standalone display provides a control and information interface for the Roma’s front passenger—a touch borrowed from the Portofino convertible, but with a unique execution.

Under the hood The Ferrari Roma represents the pinnacle of performance in this category, thanks to its turbocharged V8 from the family of engines that has won the overall International Engine of the Year award four years running.

In this version, the engine reaches 620 cv at 7500 rpm and is coupled with the new 8-speed DCT gearbox that was introduced on the SF90 Stradale. Providing firepower to the Roma is a 3.9-litre V8 turbo. This front-engine monster is capable of dismissing the naught to 100km/h in just 3.4 seconds and can record a top-speed of 320km/h.

In terms of size, the Ferrari Roma measures 4,656mm which is about half the length of a school bus, 1,974mm wide and 1,301mm tall at the tape and sits on a 2,670mm long wheelbase. Ferrari claims a kerb weight of 1,570kg.

The Roma is designed for people who would like to drive a sports car, or a Ferrari, but are a little bit afraid of Ferrari and sportscars. Overall, it is an extremely comfortable and powerful car Ferrari has created in a 4-seater range.

FERRARI ROMA launched in India

Out of several cars launched in India, A Ferrari launch is the one that most people eye on. As per the latest updates, Ferrari Roma is offered in 1 variant – the base model of Roma is Coupe V8 and the top variant Ferrari Roma Coupe V8 comes at a price tag of Rs. 3.76 Cr, making it one of the most irresistible cars in india.

This is from sports car updates.
For more trending cars and automobile news updates, Keep visiting us at Luxorides Buzz.

Editorials, Market

Luxury Cars in the Indian Automobile Market

August 11, 2021 Manas Shrimali Leave a comment

India consists of one of the largest automobile markets which accounts for approximately 7.1% of the country’s GDP. The major components include; growth in purchasing power (especially in tier 2 and tier 3 cities), economic growth, rapid urbanization, and the drive to increase the car per capita ratio (less than 200 cars per 1000 population).

The luxury car witnessed stable growth over the years and gained significant traction. In today’s era, Mercedes-Benz, BMW, and Audi are dominating the Indian market. In the year 2017, the sales stood at around 40,000 and India became the 27^th most attractive luxury car market in the world.

Mercedes-Benz was the first luxury car brand to enter the Indian market. It was the leading luxury car brand and enjoyed a monopoly in the local market up to 2006. This followed up by entering BMW in 2006 and Audi in 2007.

Mercedes-Benz registered the utmost sales as compared to their rival brands for the third consecutive year and sold 15,300 units in 2017. This was the highest sale ever in a year and led to a growth of 15.9% more than the preceding year.

BMW registered an entire sale of 9,800 units with a growth of 25% in 2017 as compared to 2016. Audi registered a growth of 2% with a total sale of 7,876 units in the same year.

The increase in sales was due to the introduction of more competitive pricing products, new styles, and expansion of the product portfolio.

The company’s progress was achieved with the launch of newer models including the high-performing AMG and introducing a variety of series to the model.

Automobile and Auto News Buzz by Luxorides