Here are some very practical suggestions for buying cars in the coming year.
First, do keep in mind that fossil fuels are
fast depleting. Sooner, rather than later, before they deplete, electric cars
will have taken over.
When you buy an electric car, depending upon which
part of the world you live in. If your electricity is produced from cold fired
electricity generating power plants you are not making a contribution to the
environment. You are still depending upon fossil fuels.
The worst polluting cars are diesel engines.
You can make an immediate contribution by not buying diesel engine cars. Now
you have no choice, only a petrol engine car. Make sure that the engine
capacity doesn’t exceed 1600 cc or maximum 1800 cc. With the latest technology
these cars can be emitting near zero pollutants.
So the Mantra for the New Year is quite
simple, no diesel car, look for an eco-friendly
cars.
To my mind one of the cutest cars that should
be available in the near future is the Maruti Suzuki Jimny. It is extremely
good looking, will give you a 3-door or 5-door option and a petro engine. It is
also very sensibly priced. Also very important it is backed by Maruti Suzuki,
India’s largest auto manufacturer and they need no introduction.
Also look at the Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza.
It is an urban SUV.
The Ford EcoSport has had a very successful
run since its inception ten years ago. The petrol engine version would be a
very wise choice. Priced at Rs.10-12.00 Lakhs.
A little known name but one of the best
engineered cars in the world is Citroen. The C 21 is a brand new compact SUV.
It has a 1.2 litre turbo petrol engine. It is reasonably priced, gives
exceptional motoring joy and if you are looking for a pleasant change to the run
of the mill cars, this is it. About Rs.10.00 Lakhs
Renault has the Triber Turbo, with a 1 litre
turbo petrol engine. This is under powered but then again, this is the only
downside of this French car. It follows up the footsteps of the Duster with its
versatility, reliance and performance. Easy on the pocket!
Volkswagen will be introducing the Taigun in
mid-2021. It is a mid-size SUV and will have the Volkswagen dependability,
style and a sensible price tag for an SUV. About Rs.25.00 Lakhs
While we are discussing SUVs, many sensible
manufacturers these days are offering SUVs without four wheel drive. 90% of the
drivers do not need four wheel drive, 90% of the drivers also do not need an
SUV. Buy small, buy sensibly! This will be your contribution to Society and
conserving the Environment.
Mahindra has an eXUV 300 electric car. It was
show cased at Auto Expo 2020 as a concept car. But it will see the light of the
day because electric cars are the need of the hour. For the truly committed
environmentalist, this should be the answer. And the price hopefully will be
reasonable.
One of the best sellers from the Mahindra
stables is the Bolero. This year’s model will be called the Bolero Neo, it will
be the same tough as nails Bolero with a lipstick and nails polish job. The chunky, boxy design has a macho appeal.
It is also very sensibly priced at Rs.8-9.00 lakhs.
The Mahindra TUV 300 has also had a facelift.
It is one of their better selling models but comes with only a diesel engine.
Again a price is extremely reasonable about Rs. 10.00 Lakhs for a standard
model and just over that for their luxury models.
The cars listed above are all in the Rs.
10-12.00 Lakhs, which I consider reasonable.
Cars like Audi, BMW and Mercedes Benz offer
many versions. They start at Rs. 30-35 Lacs and go upto Crores. They also make
huge profits on their spares. The electronic rear view mirror on a Beemer costs
about Rs. 65,000. The wind shield wiper on a Mercedes can cost upto Rs.6,000. A
normal service for oil change, filter change, wheel balance, tune up can cost
upto Rs.25-30,000! That’s more than the LPG bill for my wife’s Wagon R for a
whole year! Most important LPG cost half the price of the petrol, doesn’t
pollute and because LPG combustion has no carbon deposits, in 50,000 Kms of
driving I have changed spark plugs only once.
There are any number of cars which are in the
Rs. 30-50 Lacs. Anybody buying those cars will be doing his own research. What
I am very much against is manufacturers in this day and age are producing cars with
600 horse power engine and a top speed of 300 Kms an hour.
You have the Lamborghini Huracan. It has a
V10 5.2 litre engine, 640 hp and can clock 0-100 in 3 seconds, Price Rs. 4
Crore. Than we have the Ferrari Stradale SF 90. It puts out 1000 hp and does
0-100 in 2.5 seconds. Price Rs. 6 Crore.
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