Today's Auto news

AUTO NEWS OF THE DAY- Friday, 30th December, 2016

Suzuki GSX R150 production started in Indonesia. Has best power to weight ratio in the segment.

Pulsar 160 NS with 15.5 PS and 14.6 Nm of torque unveiled. Less powerful than 150 NS. 200 NS with new body colour showcased in Turkey along with 200 RS.

Low volume, high-end MV Agusta Brutale 1200 Coming soon.

Bs 4 compliant Honda unicorn 160 launched.

Yamaha XSR250, XSR300 cafe racer production to commence soon. To have modern tech in retro styled naked bike.

Royal Enfield Himalayan to launch in Thailand in 2017.

Maruti Suzuki Baleno and S cross to get minor updates. S cross to get new wheels, Baleno to get ISOFIX child seat points.

10,000 units of Baleno to be made in this fiscal year at Gujarat plant. Plant production to start from Feb.

Next gen Suzuki swift and dzire launched in Japan. To go on sale from Jan 4. India launch this year. Thailand launch in 2018. To come with 1.4L boosterjet engine.

Suzuki dzire tour (taxi variant) to be discontinued from march 2017.

Next gen Suzuki Jimmy to get its own platform, ALLGRIP Pro AWD. Expected to arrive in 2018.

Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza wins ICOTY 2017 award.

Tata motors to setup virtual reality showrooms. To attract tech savvy customers.

Thane traffic police sends thank you notes to motorists following rules. In collaboration with NGO 'thank you India'.

New leadership team announced in Mahindra. Business restructured with introduction of agriculture sector. To have presence in 3 sectors now- automotive, farm equipment and agriculture.

Ford ecosport facelift India launch in early 2017.

Tata xenon facelift to be called xenon yodha. Launch on Jan 3.

Indian oil despatches BS 6 grade diesel to automakers. Mathura refinery meets BS6 fuel quality ahead of target. High-speed diesel sent to Honda and Mahindra for testing.

Chinese firms fined for using BMW logo. £350,000 fine imposed by Shanghai court.

Alonso: I miss being in title race. Apart from winning in 2005-06, Alonso went into the final race with an eye on the crown in 2007,10 and 12.

Volvo's high-end 90 series to have Skype in built. Company also experimenting to incorporate Microsoft's Cortana digital assistance in its cars.

Volkswagen buys startup that developed app to help users pay for parking with their phones. Canadian startup PayByPhone testing pilot program in London.

Honda civic most searched car in Google in 2016.

Odd even scheme implemented in Spain for 1st time. To curb rising nitrogen oxides levels.

Bangalore man collects 70 kg of nails in 4 years to save tyres from puncture mafia. Covered 20 km stretch between his home and office.

Tesla's autopilot applies brakes anticipating highway crash in Netherlands. Seconds after Tesla model X braked, SUV crashes into a car ahead.

E-applications of driver's license doubles in Delhi after introduction of online payment of fees.

Panasonic to invest $256 million in Tesla's battery factory.

Haryana CM asks for setting up of caterpillar trains in gurugram. Caterpillar trains proposed by AK updhyay won innovation contest in MIT.

Demonetisation has given a severe blow to us, says Toyota Kirloskar MD. 30-40% downfall in sales.

Today's Auto news

AUTO NEWS OF THE DAY- Monday, 26th December, 2016

Benelli TNT 135 spotted testing in India.

Yamaha India to launch new product on Jan 24.

Kawasaki ninja 300 range launched in USA. Positioned against Yamaha R3 and KTM RC 390.

Honda city(facelift) Thailand launch on Jan 12.

New Suzuki SUV to be showcased in 2017 shanghai auto show. Likely to be pre production version of the Jimmy.

Hyundai creta south Africa launch in 2017. To be exported from India.

First Lexus RX delivered to showroom. Launch soon. Bookings open.

Hyundai's mini SUV, Carlino, could launch in 2019.

Mahindra TUV 500(extended version of TUV 300) spied testing. Could be bolero replacement.

VW Tiguan under tests in India.

Goa leads vehicle density: 551 vehicles/1000 citizens.

Blackstone to sell 17.75% stake in international tractors limited, owner of Sonalika tractors. Japan based yanmar company to buy it.

Parking space proof to be asked for buying vehicles in future. New amendment to motor vehicle act.

Honda achieves global production milestone. Crossed 100 million units cumulative production in 53 years. 1963 Honda T360 mini truck was 1st model.

Porsche aims for new buyers with macan. Duty structure facilitates in pricing of petrol variant. Rs. 30L lesser than diesel macan.

Mercedes planning another small sedan. Positioned between next gen CLA and C class. To come in 2 wheelbase options.

VW microbus gets a makeover. Autonomous electric concept based on original microbus to debut in Detroit. Also teases new electric car with foldable steering wheel.

World's 1st solar road opens in France. 1 km road in Normandy took 5 years to build. Apparently, Normandy receives only 44 days of sunlight each year.

Volvo launches red key that limits car speed. Restricts top speed to 120 kph and makes adaptive cruise control maintain maximum distance from the car in front.

Uber launches fleet of Tesla cars for Spain testing.

Top 2 executives quit from Faraday Future before 1st car launch. 1st car to debut in consumer electronics show next month.

Happy morning😊happy week😊

Auto news, 16.08.16

Suzuki showcases Ciaz urban, Celerio urban, Swift urban and ignis water activity concept showcased in Indonesian auto expo.

Ford ecosport shadow edition launched in Australia.

Tata Tiago sport with 120+ BHP of power to launch soon. Bolt sport to be dropped.

Apps to report potholes launched. Smartphone users can post pictures of potholes along with their GPS location.

Infor rocket streamliner sets new land speed record. Churning up to 1013 BHP, sets a record of 441.28 kph.

Tork T6X e bike expected this diwali. Range of 100 km and top speed of 85 kph, quick charge more gets battery to charge 80% in 1 hour.

Mahindra's goenka says transition to larger vehicles more likely post GST.

USA based UM motorcycles to announce more models for India.

Mercedes's electric vehicle sub brand likely to use EQ name.

Porsche working on all electric SUV coupé.

Mercedes-Maybach coupé concept to debut on Aug 21. Length nearly 6m.

VW emission scandal: 4,60,000 cars equipped with 1.2TDi engine to be recalled. Follows that of 2L engine.

Escorts group exit auto components business. Pune based Badve engineering limited takes over auto components business in an all cash deal.

Aprilia to launch more scooters in SR range next year. SR 150 launched recently.

Skoda Kodiaq SUV spotted in production ready form in Czech republic. Sept 1 unveil in Berlin.

Petrol prices cut by Re.1/L, diesel by Rs. 2/L.

Skoda Octavia recalled over faulty child locks. 539 cars recalled for replacement.

GM uses aircraft grade glue instead of rivets. Results in 300kg reduction in total weight.

DC design to make luxury interiors for innova crysta owners for extra Rs. 4.95 lakhs.

Yamaha India makes 1 millionth scooter. Fascino becomes millionth scooter made in India by Yamaha.

Keyless entry for 100 million VW cars hackable. Cars sold over last 20 years, include Audi, Skoda and Seat models.

AUTO NEWS OF THE DAY- Friday, 12th August, 2016

Production of Aprilia SR 150 begins. Made in Baramati plant in Maharashtra.

Indonesia auto show commences with Mitsubishi showcasing its Hyundai creta rival- the XM. Toyota also launched its mini MPV- the Calya.

Toyota Calya mini MPV gets 3,800 bookings in Indonesia ahead of launch.

Maruti Vitara Brezza wth AT shown in Indonesian auto expo.

Honda civic hatchback revealed in Indonesia. India-made Baleno with body kits and new grill also debuts along with ignis with AMT gearbox.

Launch of maruti Suzuki Baleno RS and ignis postponed. Due to large backlog of orders for Baleno and Vitara Brezza.

Tata Tiago gets 40,000 bookings, waiting period increases to 3 months. Tata planning to increase production.

Bridgestone India enters 2 wheeler tyre market. Launches sub brand- Neurun.

Ford endeavour prices hiked by up to Rs. 1.62 lakhs. This comes after the automaker slashed prices of its entry level cars-figo and aspire.

2017 range rover unveiled. With come with JLR's latest semi-autonomous tech and supercharged V6 engine for some markets.

Mahindra announces plans for semi autonomous tractors. Chairman, Anand Mahindra, says self driving tech best suited for agricultural industries as accidents too few.

LeEco to build $1.6 billion electric car factory. To be part of $3 billion eco experience park project. Will be located in Zhejieng, China.

Hybrid e sports car with solar roof revealed. American maker, karma automobiles, revealed their electric sports car karma revero. Starting price to be $100,000.

Audi suspension to create electricity from rough roads. New shock absorber prototype called eRot uses motor in place of traditional shock absorbers to capture wheel movement to generate electricity.

Transport betterment in our cities

METRO: Futuristic?

I guess every citizen of Chennai might have seen the metro rail construction happening around the city. So called futuristic technology (London got it ages ago) used in mode of transport. Looking normally, one would realize that its just the MRTS with a new, slim coach with a blue paint job. The same overhead power line that is used in the Railways in being incorporated in Chennai Metro. With the overhead stations of Metro coming up as well, the design being a semi circular cylinder like the MRTS stations, I believe a lot can be done to save/generate electricity.

The roofs of these stations are made of cement tiles. Looks wonderful with decorations actually. But what additional purpose would it serve apart from giving shelter to people from the sun and the rains? Where is the sight towards the future in it? So much surface area is being wasted without a second thought. What if the cement tiles were replaced with solar panels to generate electricity during the day to use it in the night. The MRTS and Metro Stations would be beacons of self sustaining government buildings in the country! "Just Imagine". 

There has been a lot of talk on integration of all the transportation systems in our city once the metro becomes operational. This would mean a single ticket is enough to go around the city in both suburban trains and metro. There have been reports stating that the MTC buses will also join the integrated transport system. But before that, I feel, MTC should bring in single ticket travel.

By single ticket travel, I mean to say giving ticket to a passenger, who has to change one or two buses to reach his/her destination depending upon the distance of the destination stop from the origin. You might say there is the Rs. 50 daily pass for this purpose but what if the rate is cheaper than Rs. 50 yet has to change buses? Also, for this there must be only one type of bus fare. Considering the fact that deluxe, express and normal buses ply on the same road, get caught in the same traffic, reach the destinations at almost the same time, have the same number of stops and face the same maintenance issues, it would be fair for the commuter and the transport corporation that all the buses are of the same type and the fare is kept on the basis of distances and, also, the tickets are dispensed at bus stops itself. This is indeed possible as the MTC employs people to make sure share autos do not stop at bus stops and ruin away with commuters waiting for buses. 

Above all, such an unified transport authority would ease travel through the city and in turn, reduce the traffic density on the ever choking roads.

FIRED AUTOMOBILES

Off late we have come across many an accident in the press that does not involve any collision. Vehicles going up in flames, train compartments burning passengers alive, etc. There can be many causes for the fire, ranging from human causes, mechanical causes and chemical causes. All the causes can sometimes work together causing fire. Once a vehicle’s on fire, many factors tend to complicate it. But when you are inside and the car is on fire, it does not matter what caused it, your car is on fire. You have to get out and run as far away from the car as possible.

Design flaws do not directly cause fire. But these can create conditions for an inevitable fire. Several tests are made during design stages and if there are frequent complaints of a particular make of cars going ablaze, that particular brand of cars are recalled to get the problem fixed. The first to be checked always is a design flaw. But blaming the design of the vehicle or a component is not always the solution of a blaze.

Poor maintenance of the vehicle can also be clubbed as human error. It is the perfect example to show that laziness actually kills. Broken parts not replaced, leaky seals not fixed, faulty wiring not repaired are all recipes for fire. An engine with bad gasket drips the flammable fluids. Exposed wiring can spark and begin the fire. It is always recommended to keep up with the scheduled maintenance of the vehicle and also conduct regular checks under the hood for any damages.

The worst human “error” can be Arson. Just like in a movie where actor Vadivel sets a bike on fire playfully, ends up realizing the other person was seeking revenge. So if you own a car, better make sure you do not make any enemies, who in the name of revenge can roast you inside your own car.

An overheated catalytic converter is often overlooked as a cause. But with almost all of vehicles having a catalytic converter (due to pollution norms) and improper maintenance of engine (worn out spark plugs), unburnt fuel in the engine along with the usual suspects in the exhaust gas end up in the catalytic converter. The catalytic converter has to work more to break down the fuel and as a result heat up from the operating temperature range of 650^oC-900^oC to a temperature of over 1100^oC. This causes long term damage to the converter and to the car as well. If the catalytic converter gets hot enough, it could ignite the cabin insulation and carpeting right through the heat shields and metal floor pan.

An overheated engine is one of the major cause of most fires. Engine can overheat due to improper coolant circulation, radiator malfunction or leaky seal or gasket. An overheated engine rises the temperatures of the lubricating oil and coolant. These oils can leak out in the engine bay or over exhaust systems, where it can attain its ignition temperature. Engine overheating generally occurs due to mechanical failure. But in modern cars, a software update or changing the ECU to regulate the temperature of the engine is enough to prevent the problem. But at the end of the day, taking the vehicle to the authorized service station is the best solution for the same.

Oil in the engine and coolant are not the only flammable fluids in your vehicle. Leak of transmission oil, brake fluid, power steering fluid, apart from the fuel itself, can also cause fire. For this to happen, something else should have gone wrong first. Like a car crash or a hit on the fluid line by a stone or culvert or a failed part result in leakage of fluid, resulting in fire. Though most of such blazes start from the engine bay, some can start from any length of the car as the brake line and the fuel line travel almost the entire length of the vehicle. But fuel system fire is the most common cause of vehicle fires. Fuel leaks can occur anywhere, anytime and without any warning, hence, making them dangerous. Fuel dripping on hot metal and plastic parts can cause a fast spreading fire. The best way to prevent fire due to fuel is by maintaining the vehicle properly. If you smell fuel in or around the car, find the leak and fix it immediately.

Electrical failures are equally dangerous as fuel leaks. Car batteries, especially in hybrid vehicles, are problematic. Battery’s charging cycles causes explosive hydrogen gas to build up in the engine bay. Electric current provided by the battery can produce sparks that can ignite fluid vapours or dripping fluid. Short circuit in electrical wiring running throughout the length of vehicle, through channels, into doors, under carpets, etc. can cause fire within minutes.

Therefore, preventing fire in your car does not depend on the availability of a fire extinguisher inside the car but on the periodic and proper maintenance of the vehicle.

NOTE: This post was first published for the MiTech Digest, A technical magazine for Madras Institute of Technology, Chennai. www.csmit.org/MiTechDigest/ 

Thoughts of rain

Cloudy entire day,
Expecting rain again.
Enjoying, by the way
Making me insane.

Making, of all people, me
To write an instant poem,
When I see,
The water drops glittering like gem.

With lightning and thunder you come,
Like digital sound effects.
Instilling fear in some,
Others worrying about aftereffects.

Yet you bring joy,
To the thirsty population,
Making feel like a little boy,
God's wonderful creation.