The last six months
has been the most dismal in the history of the auto industry in India.
No sales, thanks to
lock down, factories closed, show rooms shut.
Now the Festival
season is around the corner, the car manufacturers are getting into
overdrive to boost sales.
Toyota may be
considered one of the best auto manufacturers in the world. Their reputation
for bullet proof cars is legend. Bullet proof, both literally and
metaphorically. The best brand ambassadors for the Toyota Hilux would be Osama,
Gaddafi and ISIS currently. The Hilux operated in the desert, no service, no
spares, nothing! But the Toyotas kept going. With proper maintenance they
will run forever!
I know and can
vouch for that fact. I owned a Toyota Corolla and drove it three hundred
thousand miles around the globe. Only expense was changing one shock absorber,
water body pump, disc pads and rear brake shoes. That’s it! And it didn’t have
the best of roads to run on.
The latest offering
from Toyota is the Lexus ES 300 h. What is so special about it? It is a self
charging electric Hybrid. Amazingly quiet, very low carbon footprint.
Ventilated leather seats, 1800 watt music system. It’s made in India. Probably
one of the best cars on the road. I won't comment on the looks! Be rest assured
you'll be noticed!
The new Honda City
lives is upto its reputation. It’s the 5th generation and better than ever.
It's the longest and widest in its segment. This means plenty of room for the
passengers.
The City also has a
first in the industry, Alexa Remote Capacity, many functions are remote
controlled. Another first in the industry, Honda Connect. It’s a App worked
from your cell phone. You can open-close doors and windows from your cell
phone. You can locate your car if stolen. Servicing details are available, all
this and much more all on the phone.
Honda has always
had a reputation for having excellent road manners, meaning handling. The new
City improves on this.
One is Hill Start
Assist. If you are parked on an uphill slope, the car had a tendency to roll
back as you release the clutch to move up.
H.S.A will not let that happen.
There are two other
features inbuilt. Vehicle Stability Assist V.S.A. and Agile Handling Assist
A.H.A. Both are designed to make the car more sure footed. V.S.A will help in
cornering, prevent skidding, A.H.A helps in braking. Both keep the car glued to
the road. For them to be really effective, make sure your tyres are in good
condition.
Another addition is
the Lane watchcamera fitted in the left hand ORVM. Hit a button on the dash
board and the left hand lane shows up on the infotainment screen. This will be
a great help after over taking on the highway. Also while parking.
The latest entry
into The Made in India bandwagon is Kia Motors from South Korea. They started
mass production in August 2019. In April 2020 Kia's Telleride bagged The World
Car of the Year award! The Soul EV was awarded The Urban Car of the Year!
The Sonet is their
latest offering launched on 18 September 2020. It promises to put the
established auto manufacturers on the back foot!
As a journalist, I
pay attention to the salient features of the car, like the ‘first in the
segment’ or ‘best in the segment’. The Seltos has made the claim, 'first in the
world!’ They have trumped the opposition.
What is this the
'first in the world, fitment?
It is called 'smart air purifier with virus protection'. It makes sure that the
air in the car that you breathe is the cleanest!
This shows the
concern of Kia and addressing a very serious problem the world is facing.
I would buy this car for this one fitment. It protects my family and me.
What use are these
damn fool gizmos like 'Alexa open the sun roof or Alexa lower the window!
Or Alexa what is the time?' These should be banned!
They break the
drivers concentration. They have an entertainment and amusement value. Nothing
else.
In the first in
‘segment’, they have a seven speaker Bose surround system with LED Sound Music
Light for an immersive experience! Figure that one out!
Ventilated front
seats. Great for a hot humid country. 392 litres of boot space, rear parking
sensors, 6 air bags, IMT (intelligent manual transmission) meaning auto plus
manual with two pedals. The clutch pedal has been done away with.
If you can't beat
them join them!
Let's face it! It’s
hard to pull off a partnership like Toyota and Maruti. I remember some years
ago Business Management Gurus were quoting Suzuki and Maruti as one of the best
examples of a joint venture.
At the time from when
the Maruti 800 hit the streets, the sales graph has only had one direction, UP!
An amazing performance.
Toyota, a world
leader, did not have the sales in India with its mid-size cars. That was
Maruti's terrain, so to be on a sure footing, Toyota has joined hands with
Maruti!
Stranger things
cannot have happened. David shakes hands with Goliath!
So the Brezza from
the Maruti-Suzuki stables, which has had a very good sales record, has now got
s lipstick and nail polish job and will be sold as the Urban Cruiser. The badge
on the nose will be a Toyota badge.
Hyundai has
introduced an Industry First Innovation in the Venue Sport.
The IMT,
Intelligent Manual Transmission features a Transmission Gear Shift (TGS) Lever
with Intension Sensor, Hydraulic Actuator and Transmission Control Unit (TCU).
What does all this
mean? It is a revolutionary 2-pedal system that eliminates the clutch. However,
with this technology, the driver retains the ability to change gears manually
and enjoy the thrill of controlling the gear ratio and enjoy driving. Very
helpful while in the hills or while overtaking.
Sounds great
Hyundai, but Kia Saltos also has an auto manual mode and 2 pedals.
We'll end with some
very positive news. According to S.I.AM. Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers passenger vehicle
sales in India rose by 14.16% or to
2, 15,916 vehicles. For the same period last year the sales figure was 1,
89,129 vehicles. A very good recovery.
