Blog Posts by Clint Thomas

Perhaps the most anticipated car ever? A car that has been the subject of speculation for over a year. A car that has clocked nearly 50K pre-launch bookings. Does this car need an introduction?

Experts are of the opinion that you need to stare for a while to be sure that this is indeed the new Swift. I wouldn’t really agree. The new Swift is perkier from every angle, inside out. No two ways about it. Suzuki has done a commendable job of not tampering with the Swift persona while giving it a head-to-toe facelift.

What’s new in the New Swift

Digest this: Every body-panel of the new Swift is spanking new. The car has an energetic and vibrant front fascia thanks to the swept-back, rather large headlamps, completely reworked grille and a smiling central air intake. This signature ‘U-line’ theme, as Maruti calls it, is carried all the way to the rear and strengthened by strong fender flares. The rear has got a complete makeover with bigger bumper and futuristic tail lamps that reflect the same Read More »from Road Test and Review: The All-New Swift

You probably think a mid-life makeover of the Tata Aria isn't worth your time. You might be making a hasty judgment there. The Tata Aria 4x2 is not just another makeover. It extends the range to new segments and redefines several benchmarks by slashing prices by a whopping Rs. 1.3 lakh. If that isn’t incentive enough, take it on a drive to find out whether Aria 4X2 will be a game changer for Tata.

No better place than Pune for a test drive -- with a wide variety of driving conditions spanning across the Yashwantrao Chavan Expressway, idyllic hill stations a stone’s throw away, most indisciplined city traffic and off-roading prospects within the city limits, thanks to roads that have forgotten even the smell of tarmac.

Styling

The angular, wrap-around dual-barrel headlamp with projector beam and the signature Tata grille that we saw on Vista and Manza give Aria an aggressive look. Step in, oh sorry, walk-in (Passengers can simply walk into the Aria, rather than having to climb up

Read More »from Road Test and Review: Tata Aria 4X2

Gaddafi's CarColonel Muammar Gaddafi has always been internationally recognised for his vibrant fashion sense, sleeping in Bedouin tents wherever he goes, wearing huge provocative buttons, being guarded by heavily armed women, just to name a few. An epitome of Gaddafi's eccentricity is the car he designed for himself, which Libya claims is the safest vehicle on earth. However, don't go into any details to back up the claim.

The Saroukh el-Jamahiriya, which means Libyan rocket, is a five-seater saloon with the nose and tail of a rocket and powered by a 230bhp V6. Launched at a conference called the Organization of African Unity and organized by Colonel Gaddafi in 2009, the Libyan Rocket comes with airbags, an electronic defense system and collapsible bumpers that supposedly help out in a crash.. Wonder what is an "electronic defense system"? Apparently, no one knows what it is or how it works.

Dukhali Al-Meghareff, chairman of the Libyan Arab Domestic Investment company which produced

Read More »from Behold Muammar Gaddafi’s ‘Libyan Rocket’

Recently, I met this guy who has been unnecessarily worked up about buying a car. While talking to him in this regard, I realised that he is just one of many others who is feeling confused or anxious about buying a car. Guys, feelings such as these are a normal part of the car buying process. Take a deep breath and relax, here are some things that may help you make your choice easier.

1. Do you really need a car?

The first question you should ask yourself is why do you need a car right now. Isn't it absurd to drive to work when almost every office provides employees with transportation facilities? (The trend now is cycling to work).  Do you need a car for your regular shopping trip to a supermarket that is just two minutes away from home? When we travel long distances we mainly use buses or trains. Occasionally you can even hire a car. So why do you need a car? I'm not discouraging you, but think twice and convince yourself about the necessity for a car.

2. Should you buy

Read More »from Drive Out Your Confusion Over Buying A Car

SwiftIndia's largest carmaker Maruti has ended the production of its highly selling premium hatchback Swift, to make way for the next generation Swift, which will be launched in late August or early September.

Dealers have started accepting bookings for the new Swift. Maruti has codenamed the new Swift as YP8 and its trial runs are on in the Manesar plant, reports Economic Times.

According to a report in Business Standard, The car will come with 1.2-litre petrol and 1.3-litre diesel variants. It was reported that the new model, built on a slightly longer yet new platform, will be little extra roomy, lighter and return better mileage than the current generation Swift. Besides, engineers have also achieved a substantial reduction in the overall weight of the car by replacing the metal fuel tank with a plastic tank. This will improve its fuel efficiency by a little over 13 per cent. This will be the first major face-lift for the Swift since it was launched six years ago. Pricing details of the

Read More »from Maruti suspends Swift production

Maruti's decision to bring the curtains down on the iconic 800 left a lot of Maruti 800 fans emotional, and some even watery-eyed. They wished for the resurrection of the marque as a new classic. Now, the car that transfigured the way India moved has reincarnated, but in China.

According to China Car Times, Jiangnan Auto has officially launched the mk2 Suzuki Alto (called so in China) at 17800rmb (Rs. 124000) making it the cheapest car in China today.

The Alto was put into production by four different companies - Chang'an Auto, Jiang Nan, Xi'an Tai and Sichuan Auto - in the Chinese market in the late 90s and early 2000s. Eventually, each of them had to stop production due to losses.

The car, just like its Indian ancestor, is powered by the 800cc engine which produces 36bhp, enough to get you around town.  After all, China has now an answer to the world's cheapest car, our own Tata Nano.

Read More »from Maruti 800 reincarnates in China

Sometime around this time last year, Yahoo! India had brought you the spied pictures of the 2011 Maruti Swift. It's almost a year and there's no clue about the launch date of the car. While everyone is wondering if Maruti is actually planning to launch it amid speculations that the launch might happen in July or August, here comes the spied picture of the new Dzire.

The picture released by Autocar clearly indicates that the new Dzire looks much alike the new Swift, the same way the current models resemble each other. The swept-back headlights and tail lamps, the two prominent features of the 2011 Swift, are carbon-copied to the Dzire as well.

However, the most significant and interesting piece of information the spied picture gives out is that the new Dzire has gone under the knife and now falls under the category of under 4 meters. At a length of less than four metres and engine capacities under 1.2 and 1.5 litres for petrol and diesel, respectively, the car would enjoy benefits of a

Read More »from The New Maruti Dzire to be shorter, sleeker and cheaper

The inevitable has happened. Honda has finally reacted to the cut-throat competition in the C-segment. According to Business Standard, Honda has planned a diesel powerplant to help the City fend off competition.

Globally, Honda has only one diesel engine, developed for Europe. This 2.2-litre engine cannot be used as Honda City needs an engine of 1.4-1.6 litres.

In the premium mid-size sedan segment, 65 per cent cars sold by City's competitors run on diesel. The growing difference between petrol and diesel prices has seen newcomer Volkswagen Vento (which has both petrol and diesel versions) race ahead of City in the last two months. Volkswagen sold 3,973 units of Vento in March, as compared to City's 2,773 units.

Jnaneswar Sen, senior vice-president (sales & marketing), HSCI, told Business Standard: "We are developing a diesel engine in Japan to power City. It could take us more than two years."

The C-segment is one of the fastest-growing, with sales rising 25 per cent a year on an

Read More »from Coming soon: Diesel Honda City