Reports in the media insist Force India will put two Indians – Chandok and Jani – in a Formula 1 simulator to assess their driving skill in the coming weeks. It isn’t Chandhok’s first encounter in F1. He briefly tested for Red Bull two years ago.
The Simulator owned by Mclaren, is considered as one the most realistic and sophisticated race car simulators. The current season drivers Liuzzi and Sutil have both spent time in the simulator recently.
Karun Chandhok at present is competing in the GP2 championships with Ocean Racing Technology, while Neel Jani (born to an Indian father) drives in the A1 GP championships for Switzerland.
After Liuzzi’s sizzling performance which was cut short by a mechanical problem, the competition for the job has gotten stiffer. Next year, Force India is very likely to retain its current drivers and register either Jani or Chandhok as the reserve driver.
After going through 29 races without putting up even a single point on the board, Force India did it, and did it in style by registering a podium finish at the 2009 Belgian Grand Prix and shocked the F1 world once again with a well fought fourth position in the following race at Monza, Italy.
Now that the production of the F430 is over, Ferrari can fully focus on the replacement car, the Ferrari F450, which is expected to debut this fall at the Frankfurt Motor Show.
The newest set of shots confirms the presence of a diffuser. The Ferrari F450 will be laid out on a wider track.
The F450 will make use of a modified F430′s chassis and body. Codenamed F142, the 4.5-liter V8 engine that produces 585 horsepower, which is more than the outgoing car. Power transfer is performed through the open-top California’s double-clutch gearbox.
The controversial Kinetic Energy Recovery System could be lifted from Ferrari’s Formula 1 pit garage for the F450, which is yet to be confirmed. The KERS system accumulates energy from the wheels during braking.
The Audi Q5 SUV will be launched in India on the 4th of June. Pricing is expected to start at 38 lakh till 45 lakh rupees for the roof model. Interestingly, the Fiat Grande Punto will also be launched the same day!
The Greek gods should have been pleased that day. They came upon the judges, who were made to bestow the COTY award on the Jazz. The Jazz was chosen to be “the one” by gods Apollo and Zeus.
Or was it?
It might sound all fun and games, but the truth is the Honda Jazz is the COTY 2009 in Greece signifying it’s dynamism and popularity. It is undeniably the best choice in the Greek car market.
The jury comprised of Greece’s top automotive magazines, and wasn’t some online poll where half the votes are cast by Skoda and VW’s PR agencies.
Sound even creepier when you listen to who the Jazz beat to grab the title- the Skoda Superb !
The Greek auto journalists handed the title to the Jazz after it beat contender Skoda Superb comprehensively by 114 points in their rating system.
So, if you are given a choice between the Superb and the Jazz, you now know which one to buy.
The Honda Jazz is offered in Greece with a 1.2-liter iVTEC engine that gives out 90bhp and a 1.4-liter 100bhp engine.
Conclusion – The Greek auto magazines and the Honda Jazz are Damon and Pythias here onwards. 
Source – Money Poland
Supposed to be replaced by the i10, the Hyundai Santro has not only lived to talk about it, but is also set to undergo a cosmetic surgery by the year end. The changes are purely cosmetic and no announcements on the diesel engine yet.
An official statement from Hyundai’s headquarters reads two new Hyundai cars will be launched during the next couple of years. Hyundai has also confirmed the diesel i20 for launch this year; Santa Fe, Tucson, i30, Accent LPG and new Sonata are among the many in the Indian pipeline.
BMW says it would not be possible to sell the Mini brand of cars in India in BMW dealerships. It anticipates to sell 100 cars a year, but the investment needed to set up dedicated shops isn’t going to come till the end of this year. Read More- Hindustan Times
Here we have an interesting case of a brand doing well in spite of the troubled world auto makers are living in. Czech car maker and VW Group company Skoda, has posted a massive profit (OK, considering the economic downturn witnessed across the planet) of 28.2 million euro in the first quarter of 2009.
Industry experts cite the scrappage scheme adopted by European countries as the prime reason behind the feat. The scrappage scheme has encouraged customers to upgrade to new and economical car with benefits in the form of price cuts offered by governments.
It’s difficult to digest someone’s success which you haven’t tasted. We ask those idiotic bribed industry experts why the other brands have not been so successful? Why haven’t they matched this performance by benefiting from the scrappage incentives?
Car makers have something to cheer about and the people too, as they could buy a car at a price which they have and will not see. We told you about the 500% increase in Renault Logan sales in Germany sometime ago. That was because of the same reason.
Reinhard Jung Skoda Auto chairman-
The first quarter of 2009 was very hard – the impacts of the worldwide economic crisis are also leaving their mark on Škoda. But with our modern and environmentally-friendly products, we have succeeded in expanding our market share in important markets such as Germany and China
Holger Kintscher, Skoda board member-
We know that 2009 will be particularly hard for us as well as for the entire automotive industry. The prospects are still unclear however, and filled with substantial risks. Yet I am convinced that through our Scout profit improvement programme, we will succeed in sustaining our financial strength and stability and even in this period of crisis, achieve a reasonable profit
