Tag Archives: five

Hyundai Exter Prices Start at Rs 5.99 Lakh

July 11, 2023 Prafful Singh

The Hyundai Exter comes in five variants: EX, S, SX, SX (O) and SX (O) Connect

Bookings for the Exter are open for Rs 11,000.
A 1.2-litre petrol engine and a CNG version are available.
Features include an 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system, a single-pane sunroof, and a dash cam with dual cameras.
Safety features include 6 airbags, ABS with EBD, electronic stability control (ESC), and vehicle stability management (VSM).

Hyundai Exter, the latest addition to the Indian micro-SUV segment, has been launched starting at Rs 5.99 lakh (ex-showroom). Bookings are now open, and deliveries will start soon. The Hyundai Exter directly competes with the Tata Punch and here are its key features:

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Price

Variant	Manual	AMT	CNG
EX	Rs 5.99 lakh
S	Rs 7.27 lakh	Rs 7.97 lakh	Rs 8.24 lakh
SX	Rs 8 lakh	Rs 8.68 lakh	Rs 8.97 lakh
SX (O)	Rs 8.64 lakh	Rs 9.32 lakh
SX (O) Connect	Rs 9.32 lakh	Rs 10 lakh

* All prices are introductory ex-showroom Delhi

The Hyundai Exter starts at Rs 5.99 lakh (introductory, ex-showroom Delhi), which is the same as its main rival, the Tata Punch. Prices for the CNG variants start at Rs 8.24 lakh (introductory, ex-showroom).

Overall Design

The Hyundai Exter features a boxy design language. The front profile has a bold and upright fascia with a skid plate, stubby bonnet, and H-shaped LED DRLs. Below the DRLs are square-housing LED headlights.

The side profile showcases cladding for a more prominent SUV look, and the wheel arches bulge outward. The micro-SUV also comes with 15-inch dual-tone alloy wheels.

At the back, the Exter has a bold look similar to the front. The tail lamps feature the same H-shaped element as the front, with the lamps joined by a thick black strip. The rear skid plate starts high to give it a more rugged appearance.

Cabin Look

The interiors of the Hyundai Exter look identical to that of the Grand i10 Nios. It has the same centre console layout, and the dashboard has the same diamond pattern as the Grand i10 Nios. The difference lies in the color scheme, with the Hyundai Exter having an all-black cabin. It also features semi-leatherette seats and a leather-wrapped steering wheel.

Features & Safety

As for features, the Exter offers an 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system, a semi-digital instrument cluster, wireless phone charger, paddle shifters, cruise control, a single-pane sunroof with voice commands, automatic climate control with rear AC vents, and a dual-camera dashcam.

Also Read: Hyundai Exter Has These 5 Additional Features Over The Grand i10 Nios

For passenger safety, it has six airbags, ABS with EBD, electronic stability control (ESC), vehicle stability management (VSM), hill hold assist, and 3-point seatbelts for all passengers as standard. Higher variants of the micro-SUV offer additional features such as a tyre pressure monitoring system (TPMS), day and night IRVM, a rearview camera, and a rear defogger.

Powertrain

The Exter has the same engine option as the Grand i10 Nios and Aura: a 1.2-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine that produces 82PS and 113Nm of torque. This engine is available with either a 5-speed manual or a 5-speed AMT transmission.

It also has a CNG powertrain option for this engine, which generates a lower output of 69PS and 95Nm. The CNG variants, like most CNG cars, are only available with a 5-speed manual transmission.

Also See: Facelifted Hyundai Creta Spied On Test In India For The First Time

Hyundai has also revealed the fuel efficiency figures of the Exter. The petrol-manual variant claims a mileage of 19.4 kmpl, the petrol-AMT variant claims 19.2 kmpl, and the CNG variant has a fuel efficiency of 27.1 km/kg.

Rivals

The Hyundai Exter directly competes with the Tata Punch and the Maruti Suzuki Ignis, but it can also be considered an alternative to larger cars such as the Citroen C3, Renault Kiger, Nissan Magnite, and the Maruti Fronx.

Motorsport

What’s The Difference Between Polestar And Volvo?

July 8, 2023 Prafful Singh

The Polestar brand is a recent addition to the global automotive market. In October 2017, it became its own brand separate from Volvo, where it was originally a division for high-performance cars. This move was announced by Volvo Cars and Geely and marked the brand’s dedication to producing electric vehicles (EVs), coinciding with the 20th anniversary of its foundation by Flash / Polestar Racing.

A Unique Philosophy

The initial aim behind the creation of Polestar as a standalone brand was to compete in the emerging market of electrified cars. Their first model, the Polestar 1, was a large plug-in hybrid luxury coupe, followed by the Polestar 2, an all-electric midsize sedan that directly rivals the Tesla Model 3. Despite being a new brand, Polestar managed to sell around 110,000 vehicles worldwide between 2020 and May 2023, demonstrating their success in the premium segment.

A Better Volvo?

The confusion between Polestar and Volvo’s positioning began when Volvo introduced its first fully electric autonomous model, the Volvo C40. This highlighted Volvo’s plans to produce premium electric vehicles, raising questions about how the two brands will differentiate themselves while pursuing a similar goal.

Subsequently, Polestar unveiled the Polestar 3 around the same time as Volvo revealed the new XC90. Both vehicles are large premium electric SUVs, but their construction philosophies differ. Polestar’s existence is based on three fundamental pillars: design, innovation, and sustainability. They aim to produce a climate-neutral car by 2030, which aligns with Volvo’s values and objectives. However, the specifics of their differences are yet to be seen.

Volvo Will Also Become Fully Electric

As automakers transition from combustion to electric power, they are creating new brands or sub-brands to better position themselves in the new era. For example, BMW has the “i” sub-brand, and Mercedes has the “EQ” family. However, as the shift towards electric vehicles becomes predominant, manufacturers must avoid redundancy between these brands. Geely and Volvo Cars aim to position Polestar as a real alternative without negatively impacting Volvo’s sales.

Ultimately, the success and differentiation of Polestar will depend on the public’s response to their upcoming models. For now, both Polestar and Volvo can coexist, but only time will tell how they will continue to evolve.

The author of the article, Felipe Munoz, is an Automotive Industry Specialist at JATO Dynamics.

Featured

These Were The Most Sought-after Cars In June 2023

July 5, 2023 Prafful Singh

The list featured the same cars in the top five rankings as seen in May 2023, with a slight shuffling in their order

The list of best-selling cars for June 2023 is now out. From the 15 models mentioned below, 10 witnessed sales over 10,000 units. However, a majority of them experienced a decline when their year-on-year (YoY) figures are considered.

Here’s the entire list:

Model	June 2023	June 2022	May 2023
Maruti Wagon R	17,481	19,190	16,258
Maruti Swift	15,955	16,213	17,346
Hyundai Creta	14,447	13,790	14,449
Maruti Baleno	14,077	16,103	18,733
Tata Nexon	13,827	14,295	14,423
Hyundai Venue	11,606	10,321	10,213
Maruti Alto	11,323	13,790	9,368
Tata Punch	10,990	10,414	11,124
Maruti Brezza	10,578	4,404	13,398
Maruti Grand Vitara	10,486	–	8,877
Maruti Eeco	9,354	10,130	12,818
Maruti Dzire	9,322	12,597	11,315
Mahindra Bolero	8,686	7,884	8,170
Mahindra Scorpio	8,648	4,131	9,318
Maruti Ertiga	8,422	10,423	10,528

Also Read: A Pair Of Icons: Amitabh Bachchan Seen Driving A Mahindra Thar

Takeaways

One of the usual table-toppers, the Maruti Wagon R, witnessed total sales of close to 17,500 units. While its month-on-month (MoM) number went up, its YoY figure plummeted by 9 percent.
The Maruti Swift stood second for another consecutive month, this time with cumulative sales of nearly 16,000 units.

Taking the final spot on the podium was the Hyundai Creta, therefore the best selling SUV of June 2023. With almost 14,450 units sold, it surpassed the Maruti Baleno by 300-odd units whose sales stood just over 14,000.
The Tata Nexon moved neither up nor down on the sales chart compared to its May 2023’s ranking (read fifth spot), although it did record a drop in sales by around 600 units. Do note that these figures also include sales of the Nexon EV Prime and Max.

Following Tata’s sub-4m SUV were the Hyundai Venue and Maruti Alto, both with sales falling in the 11,000- to 12,000-unit range. Both enjoyed MoM growth. The Hyundai SUV’s sales also includes the numbers of the Hyundai Venue N Line.
While the Tata Punch’s YoY sales went up by approximately 600 units, its MoM number saw a marginal drop of 100-odd units.

The Maruti Brezza’s YoY sales shot up by a whopping 140 percent to breach the 10,500 sales mark, but dropped in MoM figures. The YoY spike is likely down to the drop in the production of the previous model while leading into the introduction of the more premium and loaded second-gen model of the SUV in June 2022.
With up to 10,500 units dispatched of the Maruti Grand Vitara in June 2023, it was the last car on this list whose sales went beyond the 10,000-unit mark, and not far behind its more affordable sibling.

Next up were the Maruti Eeco and Maruti Dzire, with the two having a difference of barely 30-odd units in their June sales. The sub-4m sedan was also the worst affected model on the list in terms of YoY numbers.
The bottom three spots on this list were taken by the Mahindra Bolero, Mahindra Scorpio and Maruti Ertiga, respectively, with their sales in the 8,000- to 9,000-unit territory. The Scorpio’s numbers are inclusive of figures for both the Mahindra Scorpio Classic and Mahindra Scorpio N.

Also Read: Maruti Eeco: Good At Doing What It Does Best

Valtteri Bottas Takes Delivery Of Bluetiful Mercedes-AMG One

July 5, 2023 Prafful Singh

Valtteri Bottas, who recently moved from Mercedes to Alfa Romeo for the 2022 season, has taken delivery of his Mercedes-AMG One hypercar. He shared pictures of the car on his Instagram, showcasing its stunning blue color and exposed carbon fiber accents.

The delivery of Bottas’ AMG One comes after Mercedes has already started delivering the long-awaited hypercar to customers since January 2023. Other Formula 1 drivers like Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg are also among the 275 buyers who have purchased the AMG One.

The AMG One, which was initially shown as a concept in 2017, faced development challenges that delayed its production start until August 2022. Mercedes eventually resolved these issues, including finding a solution for the turbocharged 1.6-liter V6 engine to idle at 1,200 rpm instead of 5,000 rpm, in line with F1 car regulations. Stricter emissions regulations also posed a challenge during its development.

This hypercar features a fragile six-cylinder engine that needs to be rebuilt every 50,000 kilometers. However, considering the rarity of the AMG One and the fact that Mercedes has announced it won’t produce another F1-engined road car, owners are likely to preserve its value by keeping it in climate-controlled garages.

The AMG One is hand-assembled in Coventry, UK, using a hybrid powertrain produced by the Mercedes‑AMG High Performance Powertrains division in Brixworth. This car, with its combined output of 1,049 horsepower, can reach 62 mph in just 2.9 seconds and has a top speed of 219 mph.

Motorsport

Small And Midsize Trucks Struggle in IIHS Crash Testing, Fail to Earn Top Scores

June 29, 2023 Prafful Singh

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) recently conducted crash tests on five small crew cab pickups. Unfortunately, these trucks did not perform well in the agency’s updated moderate overlap front evaluation, especially when it came to rear passenger safety. Not a single truck received the highest score of Good.

Here are the vehicles tested and their respective scores, listed from best to worst:

Model	Score
2022-23 Nissan Frontier crew cab	Acceptable
2022-23 Ford Ranger crew cab	Marginal
2022 Chevrolet Colorado crew cab	Poor
2022-23 Jeep Gladiator	Poor
2022-23 Toyota Tacoma crew cab	Poor

All of these trucks demonstrated good safety performance for the driver. However, the issue that led to the low scores was the safety of rear passengers. According to the IIHS, the Chevrolet Colorado, Ford Ranger, Nissan Frontier, and Toyota Tacoma had a problem where the restraints in the back seat allowed the dummy’s head to come too close to the front seatback.

The Jeep Gladiator had a different issue. It lacked a side curtain airbag, increasing the risk of the rear dummy hitting something inside the cabin during a collision.

Another concern was identified in the Ford Ranger, where the rear dummy slid under the lap belt, moving from the pelvis to the abdomen. This increased the risk of internal injuries.

“Our updated moderate overlap front crash test proved to be challenging for small pickups,” said IIHS President David Harkey. “A common problem was that the rear passenger dummy’s head came dangerously close to the front seatback, and in many cases, dummy measurements indicated a risk of neck or chest injuries. All these things tell us that the rear seat belts need improvement.”

The IIHS implemented the revised moderate overlap front test in response to its discovery that the risk of fatal injuries was higher for rear occupants compared to those in the front. The institute believes this is because automakers have primarily focused on optimizing driver safety.

These trucks are not the only vehicles to struggle with the more challenging crash test. In the case of small cars, none of them received a Good score when evaluated by the IIHS. On the other hand, four midsize SUVs earned Good ratings, while two small SUVs scored the top grade in the same test.

Featured

Upcoming Car Launches in the Second Half of 2023

June 26, 2023 Prafful Singh

Introduction

In the second half of 2023, car enthusiasts can look forward to the launch of more than five brand new cars. From electric vehicles to facelifts, here are the top 10 upcoming car models:

Kia Seltos Facelift

The Kia Seltos compact SUV is getting a major update after four years. It will feature refreshed exterior and interior designs, along with new features like dual 10.25-inch screens, a panoramic sunroof, and radar-based ADAS technology.

Maruti Invicto

The Maruti Invicto MPV, launching on July 6, is the brand’s most expensive model. It is a rebadged version of the Toyota Innova Hycross with minor styling tweaks. The Invicto comes with a 2-liter petrol engine and strong hybrid technology.

Hyundai Exter

The Hyundai Exter is an entry-level SUV and a competitor to the Tata Punch. It will be available in manual and AMT transmissions, with a CNG version also offered. The Exter will feature an electric sunroof, an 8-inch touchscreen system, and six airbags.

Honda Elevate

The Honda Elevate is a compact SUV powered by a petrol engine. It will feature an electric sunroof, a 10.25-inch touchscreen system, and ADAS technology.

Citroen C3 Aircross

The Citroen C3 Aircross is a three-row SUV priced competitively against the Hyundai Creta, Maruti Grand Vitara, and Honda Elevate. It will have a 110PS 1.2-liter turbo-petrol engine and offer a 10-inch touchscreen system, dual airbags, and TPMS.

Hyundai i20 Facelift

A facelifted version of the Hyundai i20 hatchback is expected soon. It will sport a refreshed exterior design, and the interior will see minimal changes. The powertrain options will remain the same.

Force Gurkha 5-Door

The five-door version of the Force Gurkha is likely to be available for sale in the next six months. It will have the same engine as the three-door version but with a stretched rear profile.

BYD Seal

The BYD Seal is an electric sedan with a large 82.5kWh battery pack that claims a range of up to 700 kilometers. It offers features such as a rotating 15.6-inch touchscreen, a 10.25-inch digital driver’s display, and radar-based ADAS.

Tata Punch EV

The Tata Punch is not only getting a CNG version but an electric version as well. It will feature multiple battery packs, offering a claimed range of up to 350 kilometers.

Nissan X-Trail

The Nissan X-Trail is a full-size SUV that is expected to launch towards the end of this year. It will be a rival to the Toyota Fortuner and MG Gloster, featuring a 1.5-liter mild-hybrid turbo-petrol engine or a strong hybrid powertrain.

(All prices mentioned are ex-showroom prices.)

PeugeotUk

PEUGEOT AND YELLOWKORNER TEAM UP TO CHALLENGE FIVE PHOTOGRAPHERS TO DEFINE ALLURE

June 8, 2023 Prafful Singh

PEUGEOT has partnered with leading publisher and distributor of art photographs, YellowKorner, to offer five photographers the opportunity to define their vision of Allure. The resulting images will be exhibited in YellowKorner galleries and the PEUGEOT network from October onwards.

PEUGEOT believes the world is better with Allure, with a vision for the future that should be imagined with style, creativity, and ambition with a human-centric approach. Allure is key to the PEUGEOT brand and is much more than the expression of outstanding design. It is also a state of mind, an attitude and behaviour that goes far beyond mere appearance.

YellowKorner is the leading publisher and distributor of art photographs through a network of 130 galleries in 20 countries and the yellowkorner.com online gallery.

The partnership will see five renowned photographers interpret the concept of ‘Allure’ within their own creative universe by creating a set of 15 images each. Three of these images will feature a model from the PEUGEOT range chosen by the artist.

The collaboration was launched at the Venice International Photography Festival on 20^th April, of which YellowKorner is a partner. YellowKorner invited PEUGEOT to the opening ceremony of the festival, during which a film was presented introducing the partnership and the vision of the five selected photographers.

Five photographers, five concepts of Allure

Teresa Freitas: “Finding Allure in Colours” in Morocco

Laurent Baheux: “Allure of the Lion” in Kenya

Mister Fifou: “The Pride of Allure” in the Suburbs of Paris

Laurence Laborie: “Feminine Allure” in Lanzarote

Oliviero Toscani: “The Landscape of Allure” in Tuscany

The images will be displayed from October 2023 in YellowKorner galleries and on the YellowKorner website. They will also be displayed in a private viewing, with the photographers present, at some of the largest YellowKorner galleries in Europe. The images will also be displayed across the PEUGEOT network and as with all works published by YellowKorner, the photos from the collaboration with PEUGEOT will be available for purchase by the public.

Empowered by this ambition, PEUGEOT wants to promote this optimistic vision and become a true ‘Allure Activist’. The partnership with YellowKorner is the latest in a series of collaborations between PEUGEOT and the visual arts. Recently, artistic collaborations with Emeric Tchatchoua, founder of clothing brand 3.PARADIS and the visual artist J. Demsky have also been revealed to the public.

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