Mercedes-Benz showcase

Mercedes-Benz India stall at the 11th Auto Expo will be largest among luxury car manufacturers spreading over 3600 square metres

Pursuing the tremendous success achieved in 2011, Mercedes-Benz India is all set to further unveil the sporty and dynamic attributes of the Three Pointed Star, at the 11th Auto Expo. Mercedes-Benz India will be introducing its new fascinating design language that invokes excitement and reflects dynamism of the brand. The company will set the pulse of the new generation racing by showcasing the concept A-Class, which is globally acclaimed for its expressive design and technological marvels. Among the main highlights for Auto Expo 2012, Mercedes-Benz India for the first time in India will also be showcasing its new generation compact cars, future technology like the Fuel-Cell that will define the future of automobile, and also an array of exciting product range that is hallmark of the state-of-the-art innovations in automobile manufacturing, synonymous with the company.

The Mercedes-Benz stall will see the presence of more than 10 cars that includes stunning cars like the SLS GT3 and the DTM car, and also a range of performance cars from the AMG stable. The Auto Expo will also provide the motorsports enthusiasts of the country, the opportunity of enrolling for the soon to be launched Mercedes-Benz- JPSI Performance Driving Academy, a first of its kind platform for nurturing racing talent in India.

Peter T Honegg: Managing Director& CEO, Mercedes-Benz India said; “Our showcase at the Auto-Expo this year will be impressive both in terms of presentation and display vehicles. The Mercedes-Benz Arena located exclusively at Hall 15 will feature the company’s new design language; it will also showcase the pulse of a new generation, the concept A-Class and the equally acclaimed Fuel Cell technology. There will be a lounge area to offer an exclusive experience, special accessory outlets besides opportunities to offer networking possibilities for patrons and representatives. There will be several show-stoppers including the launch of the stunning SLS AMG Roadster. Besides these there will be technology demonstrators as well as an array of exotic Mercedes-Benz cars that represents automotive design and technology at its best.”

Mercedes-Benz India Pvt. Ltd. has had very successful 2011 with a growth of 31% (January – November 2011  6698  units sold as compared to  5110 units for January – November 2010).

New Audi Q7 3.0 TDI S Plus Specification

A new lead-in 204 PS V6 TDI version of the popular seven-seat luxury SUV has arrived with a lavish new range of S Plus specification

204 PfderStarke at 3200 to 4400 rotations per minute with Quattro® four wheel drive and adaptive air suspension for genuine off-road capability make this seven-seater a menacingly fast yet practical car to have. Taking the lower ouput V6 TDI engine seen first in the A6 is being used in the three litre Q7.

Despite the combined efficiency of 16.6 kilometres to a litre, the new Q7 is quite powerful. The new S Plus specification includes metallic paint, 21 inch-alloy wheels, Verano leather upholstery, privacy glass, hard disc-based navigation with Google Earth mapping, in-car Wi-Fi hotspot, Audi Music and Interface iPod connection , powered tailgate operation, Audi Parking System Advanced with reversing camera and running boards.

To strike the impressive balance between performance and economy, the timing of the three litre engine’s camshafts, its turbocharger and its advanced common-rail system with an injection pressure of 2000 bar, have been optimised specifically with fuel efficiency in mind.

Also adding the help of a DSG eight-speed tiptronic transmission, the latest V6 TDI uses its 204 PS and its 450 Nm torque reserve to power the Q7 to 100 kilometres from rest in 9.1 seconds, and enables it to reach a top speed of 204 kilometres an hour, provided conditions allow. The four wheel drive Quattro ® is channelled in a 40 percent front and 60 percent rear ratio. And both on -and off- tarmac, the standard five mode air suspension with its variable ground clearance of between 180 mm and 240 mm helps to iron out the most imperfect of surfaces.

Four specification levels are available for the Q7 – Standard, SE, S line and the new S line Plus and it is the latter which enables the imposing seven-seater reach its boldest visual statement. The starting price in the UK for the Audi Q7 3.0 TDI is £39,995.

Audi Q7 for Bodyguard Salman Khan

German car manufacturer Audi India handed over a brand new Audi Q7 to Bollywood's bad boy Salman Khan on spectacular success of his latest flick, Bodyguard.

 The recent past has seen some of the biggest Bollywood blockbusters from Salman Khan. Starting from Wanted, London Dreams, Partner, Dabangg and now Bodyguard which beating Dabangg's record gave Bollywood its biggest week with more than Rs.100 crore in just five days of its screening in India.

Looking at this spectacular success, Mr. Michael Perschke, Head, Audi India handed over the key of the Audi Q7 to Salman Khan.

Both these style icons Salman Khan and Kareena had extensively used the Audi Q7 and Audi A8L in the movie; cars with unmatched in terms of style, performance, safety, comfort and driving dynamics providing customers and now Salman Khan, the complete driving experience.

One can't beat the car's presence for its sheer size is daunting in the flesh. Among all top end SUVs in the country, the Q7 is of course the best equipped and turned out, no doubts on this front at all.

But the point of concern here is that: going by the past track record of Sallu bhai on roads, we hope, Salman drives around Mumbai safely in his stunning new car without causing any harm to mankind.

Mercedes-Benz SLK350

Punchy, pugnacious and strikingly handsome, while giving enough hints of a return to traditional Mercedes-Benz strengths of a decade and a half gone by, the SLK 350 is impressive in all its avatars one wants to explore, says the Editor, after six glorious days gunning the wailing V6-engined roadster through town and dale

Ever since I got to be of an age where the visual wasn’t enough to impress me, form following function being more in sync with why I craved for something more, the automotive equivalent I first got to grapple with were Mercedes-Benz two-seat roadsters. The 300SL Gullwing had so ingrained itself in my psyche and while first it was for the flip open doors, it really got my heart pounding when one took in the tubular spaceframe chassis and its derived from racing 3.0-litre inline six-cylinder engine and impeccable sporting record. That it had the measure of most Ferrari GTs and could wallop them in a straight fight only added to the allure of the car for both heart and mind.

Things didn’t mean much then when one set eyes on the pert little 190SL roadster, seemingly the small entry level foil for the 300SL in Merc’s line-up in the late 1950s. A small four-cylinder Mercedes roadster never made sense to me then and doesn’t do much to stir the senses to this day. However, as time went on and the curvy 300SL and 190SLs gave way to the more angular and upright 230SL and onwards, one began to see a pattern emerging. The mighty 450SL and SEL coupes were a hint that Mercedes-Benz had gone back to its roots and come up with the goods – big, brawny roadsters in soft top and fixed hard top forms, large inline twin cam six-cylinder engines to begin with before climbing on to torque crunchers with 4.5-litre V8s which on sheer muscle many a time made Italian thoroughbreds seem puny.

However, this didn’t last long in the modern age – the 1990s and the first decade of this century but Mercedes-Benz carried on its tradition of two-seat roadsters. The SLK followed and it was a successful product but something still didn’t feel right. It was too feminine, too fashionable for macho males and also seemed to be caught up in a transitory phase as its maker grappled with forces within itself as to how it should go about making cars – the honest to goodness time tested engineering over all else approach, or trying to be frugal, if not value engineering, to cut manufacturing costs down. The results of this approach are all there in the public domain but thankfully a few things have happened for the better. Mercedes-Benz has seen that its future lies in what it used to do best – engineer cars better than most – and has gone back to this dictum. Secondly, it wants to be able to retain its position as the leading manufacturer of premium roadsters in the world and hallelujah, the new 350 SLK seems to be the new face of a company rediscovering its mojo.

The last two generations of SLKs have been decent cars and in fact the last generation version did appear to draw inspiration from the McLaren-Mercedes SLR form to hint at something special. It could have worked had the SLR been a genuinely proficient machine all round rather than just being a sledgehammer in straight line tyre-shredding acceleration. This time round though there is a better inspiration and a more successful one to boot with more character traits of the past – yes, you guessed right, I am bringing in the SLS AMG with its wide, low stance, rippling muscular turnout, the right sort of engine placed midships ahead of the cockpit and driving the rear wheels and yes, the gullwing doors came back. All of a sudden retro seemed great and Mercedes knew what was expected of it for its next generation SLK range.

  

The first thing which strikes you is how handsome, rather than how pretty the new SLK is! And that is a first big positive for the new model. Being sketched around the SLS AMG is no small thing but the new wedge-shaped roadster has had the large heavy nose job wrought well with the rest of the package to present itself as bold and bountiful with a classic long hood, short deck approach. Having seen the same car kitted out with tasty AMG body add-ons, the SLK surely looks even better but hey, I am not complaining even with the base offering which is even hornier than any previous SLK.

That snout is best looked at when the car is on full attack mode and zipping it hot through fast sweeping corners and the rest comes around with just a hint of tail sliding out for both effect and pleasure. The new SLK has been toughened up with more abrupt angles from the easily recognised upright Mercedes grille to a rear diffuser with integrated exhaust. The front end is wider with big air intakes at its lower outboard edges. Despite this more muscular front end, the co-efficient of drag has been trimmed from an already impressive 0.32 to 0.30. The car looks best with its top down but given that we were blessed with both rain and shine in Pune for the week we had the SLK with us, the folding hard top is a boon and comes with the MagicSky option, able to transform the glass panoramic roof from clear to tinted at the push of a button – magic indeed!

Aston Martin One-77 Production Video

The One-77's structural core is a lightweight and immensely rigid carbon fibre monocoque. Conceived and designed at Aston Martin’s Gaydon HQ, the monocoque, or ‘tub’, has been built in partnership with Multimatic (MTC). As world leaders in carbon composite technology, advanced vehicle analysis and dynamic simulation, MTC brings unrivalled specialist capabilities to the exacting challenge of the One-77 programme

Rolls Royce's 'Rankin: Spirit of Ecstasy Collection' unveiled

Rolls Royce Motor cars has unveiled the final three images from the company's year long collaboration with renowned Photographer, Rankin for the Rankin: Spirit of Ecstasy Collection and is on display at the Rankin Gallery and the Rolls Royce Motor Cars stand at LA Auto Show.

Completing the commission of 100 photographs inspired by the Spirit of Ecstasy, one of the world’s most famous symbols, a true icon embodying beauty, luxury, style and elegance and which has adorned the prow of Rolls Royce Cars in the past as well, Rolls Royce has unveiled the final three images for the collection.

It all began with Lord Montagu, founder of Car Illustrated, commissioned resident artist, Charles Sykes to sculpt a mascot for his 1909 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost. Eleanor Valesco Thorton, Lord Montagu’s personal secretary and lover from whose image this very British legend is believed to originate is the final and most important player in the story.

In the year that celebrates the centenary of the Spirit of Ecstasy, Rolls Royce offered Rankin full artistic license to create a modern and a personal interpretation of The Flying Lady. The final three images are based on The Whisperer, the earliest and the most personal of Charles Sykes figurines which include a confidential finger to the lips action, believed to be a sly nod to the long secrecy of Montagu’s 10 year love affair with Eleanor Thorton. As Rankin’s photography shows that even 100 years later the very sensual and evocative pose does not fail to excite and inspire.

A selection of images from The Rankin: Spirit of Ecstasy collection is being showcased to the public at The Rankin Gallery, Los Angeles, USA from November 16 to November 23 2011. A wider selection of these iconic images is on display on the Rolls-Royce Motor Cars stand at the Los Angeles Auto Show from November 18 to November 27 2011.