` 100.00

INTERVIEWJENSON BUTTON’S DREAM TO WIN AT SILVERSTONE

MERCEDES 360 PS A45 AMG BATTLES BMW M135i AND AUDI S3PUBLISHING

FLYING DUTCHCAR INDIA EXCLUSIVE

Volume 8 | Issue 012 | July 2013

IT’S HERE, THE 2014 TOYOTA COROLLA

PREVIEW

SUBS

CRIB

ER’S

COP

Y

ww

w.c

ari

nd

ia.i

n

TESTEDFORD ECOSPORT MAHINDRA VERITO VIBE

VW POLO GT TSI HONDA CR-V AT BMW 730Ld

DRIVEN: AUDI S7 SPORTBACK NISSAN MICRA

SPYKER CARS TO ENTER INDIAN MARKET

INTERVIEW

FLYING DUTCH

TESTED

4

CONTENTS JULY 2013T H I S M O N T H ’ S S T O R I E S A T A G L A N C E

JULY 2013CAR INDIA www.carindia.in

8 9

BULLETIN ALL THE AUTOMOTIVE NEWS FROM ACROSS THE GLOBE THIS MONTH

JULY 2013 JULY 2013CAR INDIA CAR INDIAwww.carindia.in www.carindia.in

DUTCH TOUCHCar India exclusive! Spyker all set to enter India

DUTCH EXOTIC SUPERCAR-makers Spyker are all set to make their way into India. Peter van Rooy, Head of Global

to Car India that the company had already

operations by the end of this year. He added

Indian partner in the coming months and

in Q4 this year.Spyker showcased the B6 Venator

Concept at the Geneva Motor Show earlier

with lavish attention to detail, a key

for themselves over the past few years.

of orange cars, with none other than Adrian

As far as their road-legal car programme goes, Spyker have two very potent high-

C8 Aileron, capable of 300 km/h with a

bringing all of 400 PS and 480 Nm. The

the B6 Venator. The Venator will be

engine making over 380 PS, while the

When the B6

affordable with prices starting at well over

crore for the latter.

C8 AILERON: One of the most exclusive cars on offer, not just in the country, but all over the world too

The interior receives lavish attention to detail; distinctive airplane styling cues are evident

COVERFEATURE

Can the new Mahindra Verito Vibe carve for itself a piece of the compact car pie?

FEELING THE

Story: Jim Gorde Photography: Rommel Albuquerque

MAHINDRA VERITO VIBEROAD TEST

60 CAR INDIA JULY 2013

61CAR INDIA

www.carindia.inwww.carindia.in

JULY 2013

REGULARS8 BULLETIN All the latest happenings in the automotive

world to bring you abreast of the scene28 EMISSION ZERO This month we bring you Volkswagen’s XL1

hybrid, a carbon-fibre supercar that returns 25 km/l30 TECHNO BIBLE Basic terms used in the automotive world

to add to your automotive knowledge32 INTERACTIVE Just the right platform for your comments,

opinions, queries and compliments33 GEARBOX Lamborghini, SMEG and FIAT cast their Italian

charm on you with their stylish offerings98 CAR CARE An old Skoda Laura gets TLC at a 3M Car Care

service station101 CI GARAGE We bid adieu to our long-term Renault Duster121 THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY We do the homework

for you to make your choice that much easier150 TRAILING END Interesting trivia from the world of cars

FEATURES84 INTERVIEW Michael Preschke talks about spearheading

Audi to the top spot in the Indian luxury car market in a short period of time

88 INTERVIEW Car India talks to P K Walia, Vice-President, Consumer Tyre Business, Goodyear India

90 HYUNDAI i20 TO RANN OF KUTCH We take thispopular and very comfortable hactchback to India’svery own Bonneville

08

68

60ROAD TESTS42 BMW 730Ld The upgraded 7 Series is a worthy successor48 FORD ECOSPORT TDCI

car manages to silence many critics 54 VW POLO GT TSI60 MAHINDRA VERITO VIBE Can the new Mahindra claim for

itself a piece of the compact car pie?68 HONDA CR-V 2.4 AT 4X4 The top-of-the-line variant of this

soft-roader offers convenience of the auto ’box along with the usual luxury and comfort

74 THE GIANT TEST Can the Audi S3 and BMW M135i match the wild, 360-PS A45 AMG?

MOTOR SPORT102 INTERVIEW In an exclusive interview Jenson Button

reveals his burning desire to win at Silverstone110 F1, WRC, APRC and all other action from the world over114 The thrilling moments from INRC held near Nashik116 The 10th JK Tyre-FMSCI National Rotax Max Karting

Championship 2013 gets under way in Hyderabad

74

FIRST DRIVES36 NISSAN MICRA The refreshed hatch goes visiting the temple

city of India38 AUDI S7 SPORTBACK We make the V8 scream at the top of

its voice on the delightfully speed-limit-free autobahns41 AUDI R8 E-TRON Why Audi won’t build electric supercars

12

BULLETIN

JULY 2013CAR INDIA www.carindia.in

Mercedes-Benz ready to launch its latest facelift in India

Demonstrate dynamism, versatility of all-wheel-drive technology

THE EVER POPULAR E-CLASS IS back with a bang. The German luxury marque’s highest-selling car, both in India

upgrade. Although this isn’t an ‘all-new car’, it employs about 2,000 new parts.

Mercedes have brought the E-Class back to life and made it look younger too. It’s got an all-new, curvaceous and aggressive looking front bumper, an über cool alloy

wheel design and much more. The quad-lamp headlamps, which have been an E-Class signature for years, are now replaced with the ‘four eye’ concept and strategically located LED strips inside individual lamps.

As for the interior, the design hasn’t changed much as they’ve maintained their subtle but elegant interior. It continues to sport comfortable, lavish and supportive

seats front and back and freshness of the cabin remains intact. It comes with Pre-safe, Mercedes’ protection programme, which tightens the seat belts, uprights the seating position and closes the windows and the sunroof when the car’s numerous sensors are sure the car is going to crash. The new

revive the E-Class and we can’t wait to test it and give you a full report.

BMW INDIA ORGANISED THEIR xDrive driving event at Dr Taware BJ Medical Ground in Pune as part of a three-city tour to showcase the capabilities of their X range SUVs.

A small course was made with BMW X ramps and obstacles like articulation humps and inclines. The BMW xDrive event provided customers an opportunity to drive the BMW X6, X5 and X3 under the expert guidance of international BMW trainers.

DLF Emporio Mall was the venue for the xDrive in New Delhi, while The High Street Phoenix Shopping Mall was the scene for the Mumbai xDrive.

Speaking on the occasion, Philipp von Sahr, President, BMW India, said that BMW were happy to give their esteemed Indian customers an opportunity to experience the exhilarating superiority of the BMW X range of SUVs in a challenging and exciting environment.

THE NEW E-CLASS IS HERE

BMW xDRIVE IN PUNE, DELHI, MUMBAI ONE OF THE BEST-SELLING CARS FROM

Škoda is poised to make a comeback after remaining out of action for quite a long time. The Octavia, which became the reason for Škoda’s success in India, is ready to be re-launched by the company very soon. The exact date of the launch is still not

be launching the new Octavia just before Diwali. Recently, we spotted a diesel Octavia being tested

model along with the petrol one.The new Octavia will be priced higher than the

Rapid sedan and will compete with cars like the Toyota Corolla Altis and the Chevrolet Cruze.

ŠKODA OCTAVIA SPIED

Spy

Pic:

mo

torb

ea

m.c

om

28

EMISSION ZERO

JULY 2013CAR INDIA www.carindia.in

Story: Georg Kacher

VW’S 25-KM/L XR1Goody two-shoes XL1 hybrid to spawn carbon-fi bre supercar with 911-style acceleration

VOLKSWAGEN PLAN TO create an ultralight, mid-engined sports car, with the pace of a base

911, but the fuel economy of a Golf TDI. The goal is to take the know-how from the carbon-fibre XL1, the limited edition, cigar-shaped sensation that can cover 100 km on just one litre of fuel and create a high-tech sports car that also raises the bar, but for handling and

performance. Insiders refer to the project as the XR1. It will adopt the XL1’s basic architecture, which means a carbon-fibre reinforced polymer chassis with gull-wing doors. Target kerb weight is 850 kg – that’s lighter than a Lotus Elise.

While the XL1 runs a 49-PS, two-cylinder diesel complemented by a 28-PS electric motor, the XR1 could use

the Golf GTI’s turbocharged two-litre. The results would be explosive: 0-100 km/h faster than the 911 Carrera PDK’s 4.6-second sprint, yet in excess of 25 km/l – around one-third better than the GTI can manage. Top speed would touch 306 km/h.

The engineers will have to widen and lengthen the XL1 chassis to accommodate the mid-mounted four,

A NEW SUITVW’s carbon supercar will be wider and longer than the XL1. Other key changes are the elimination of the rear wheelhouse fairings and more curvaceous rear wings. “The performance version loses a couple of points in the wind tunnel, but it looks a lot meaner,” says our insider.

29

Our monthly dose of guilt-free, clean and green car technologies

JULY 2013 CAR INDIAwww.carindia.in

LOOK, NO MIRRORS!The XL1’s gull-wing doors will be carried over. So too the rear-facing cameras that replace wing mirrors; VW are vowing to put this feature into production. It has a major aero benefit, reducing drag and wind noise and supposedly costs €200 (Rs 16 lakh), including the door-mounted relay screens. A conventional rear screen is being considered.

SOME CHEAP BITSMagnesium wheels, carbon-ceramic brakes and polycarbonate side-glass cost too much for the XR1’s £40,000 (Rs 37 lakh approx) target price, so more conventional components will be used. Rims a modest 16- or 17-inch ones.

GTI POWEREngineers are mulling a turbo and supercharged triple or, maybe, a hybrid, but the smart money is on the Golf GTI’s turbocharged four being mid-mounted across the body. “It looks the most promising option,” says our insider. “It’s barely bigger and heavier than a three.”

FAST AND FRUGALThe exotic carbon-fibre construction should peg kerb weight at 850 kg. With 233 PS from the Golf GTI’s engine, 0-100 km/h would take less than 4.6 seconds. Fuel consumption could touch 25 km/l. Either way, a 911 Carrera would end up looking off the pace.

new twin-clutch gearbox and two seats abreast (they’re offset in the XL1, to narrow the frontal area, reducing drag). While this will add weight, Volkswagen will save more than 100 kg by ditching

the hybrid eco-car’s batteries and motor. VW have yet to sign off the XR1, but

insiders are talking positively. The XL1 was an impressive engineering showcase, but it’ll be rarer than steak tartare.

Turning it into the red-blooded XR1 – and selling it for £40,000 (Rs 37 lakh approx) – would create a more populist halo car, one to make car enthusiasts giddy.

We experience the refreshed Nissan Micra hatchback in Madurai, the temple city of India

Story: Piyush SonsalePhotography: Rommel Albuquerque

NISSAN MICRA 2013FIRST DRIVE

36 CAR INDIA JULY 2013 www.carindia.in