Posts Tagged ‘2009’

Force India to put Karun Chandok and Neel Jani in simulator

force india f1 team_2009

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.

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Entry posted on September 19th, 2009 and filed under F1

Spied – Ferrari F450 with new diffuser

Spied – Ferrari F450 with new diffuser

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.

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Entry posted on June 10th, 2009 and filed under Ferrari, Spy pictures

Audi Q5 launch on June 4th

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!

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Entry posted on May 16th, 2009 and filed under Sideblog

No kidding – Honda Jazz is COTY 2009 in Greece

No kidding – Honda Jazz is COTY 2009 in Greece

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. :D

Source – Money Poland

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Entry posted on May 12th, 2009 and filed under Honda, honda jazz

A different looking Hyundai Santro by December 09

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.

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Entry posted on May 9th, 2009 and filed under Sideblog

India gets four new Hyundais in the next two years

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.

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Entry posted on May 5th, 2009 and filed under Sideblog

BMW not ready to bring Mini to India in 2009

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

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Entry posted on May 3rd, 2009 and filed under Sideblog

International- Skoda posts 28.2 Million Euro profit in 2009 Q1; 143,079 cars sold in 3 months

International- Skoda posts 28.2 Million Euro profit in 2009 Q1; 143,079 cars sold in 3 months

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

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Entry posted on April 30th, 2009 and filed under Skoda

F1 2009- Force India will compete with new diffuser at Bahrain

F1 2009- Force India will compete with new diffuser at Bahrain

The race at Shanghai last weekend could have had delightful consequences, but wasn’t to be. All Force India has to do now is hope for the best with a set of new changes including an interim diffuser at this weekend’s Bahrain GP.

Both the VJM02 cars will host a new floor and an interim diffuser. The Force India cars will also carry new auxiliary wings on the front wing and reprofiled sidepods to fit the modified rear end.

Dr Vijay Mallya, chairman and team principal-

“I think the team’s performance in China was very encouraging. We functioned well as a unit, made the correct calls from the pit wall and showed again that when the conditions allow we can be competitive. Both Adrian and Giancarlo drove phenomenal races and really did the team proud. We know we still have work to do and putting in these performances in every race is still a distant goal, but I feel confident there are good foundations now. It’s a boost for everyone not to lose hope as we can still surprise.”

“As usual, we know points are going to be very difficult to achieve and we should not set this as a goal for Bahrain. Yes, Adrian had a very strong race in China and very nearly achieved our ultimate goal far earlier than anyone could have expected, but we should not look on the Chinese Grand Prix as indicative of our general form. Instead, we need to focus once more on reliability and consistency and look to be there if circumstances allow.”

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Entry posted on April 24th, 2009 and filed under F1

IAB Special- Nine new cars we look forward to in 2009

Car manufacturers in India are reeling in the wake of the economic crisis, but none of them intend to give it up anytime soon. Every car maker has its own strategy to deal with poor sales numbers which according to Auto experts continue till the end of this year for many.

Car makers know one thing- You can excite customers and bring them to showrooms only if you have something new to boast of. Listed here are nine glitzy cars that promise to draw the map to car dealerships for customers in India.

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Entry posted on April 15th, 2009 and filed under Specials

2009 Tata Indigo- Quick recap and what to expect

2009 Tata Indigo- Quick recap and what to expect

While the buzz has started to create ahead of the launch of 2009 Tata Indigo, IAB has always been the first to get you the latest happenings about the Tata Indigo right from the spy shots to the engine spec and design.

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Entry posted on February 22nd, 2009 and filed under Previews, Tata, Tata Indigo Vista

Eye Candy- 2009 Mercedes Benz Golf Awards

Eye Candy- 2009 Mercedes Benz Golf Awards

What we’ve got here, we believe, no one else has. Ritesh Madhok, a talented photographer has sent Indian Autos Blog a handful of pictures from the Award function which was conducted in Mumbai, same day last week.

The Mercedes Benz Golf Awards was a glamorous event which included a display of AMG cars and India’s well known models walking the ramp. The S65 AMG and the SL63 AMG were parked at the function.

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Entry posted on February 9th, 2009 and filed under Mercedes Benz

Facelifted Toyota Innova launched in India- Prices, Specification, Wallpapers

Facelifted Toyota Innova launched in India- Prices, Specification, Wallpapers

Toyota has launched a refreshed Innova with new colors, exteriors, climate control, steering mounted audio controls and an in-dash CD changer. The mechanicals remain the same and this is a frantic attempt by the company to woo its customers and take some attention away from the new kid on the MPV block- The Mahindra XYLO.

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Entry posted on January 28th, 2009 and filed under Facelift, Toyota
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