Gianiji had crafted his moves with the meticulous planning of a chess grandmaster. He did not know whether a checkmate was feasible, as his time was running out, but he wanted Rajiv Gandhi to smell the fear of loss. A fascinating excerpt from K C Singh's The Indian President: An Insider's Account of the Zail Singh Years.
This SUV will look as cool in 2030 as it might have in 2010 and ultimately that's what drives the core appeal of Mercedes-Benz and its products -- being classic, says Pavan Lall.
Arvind Kejriwal's strategy to take the pollution bull by the horns needs to be applauded. And I am sure that all the imaginary problems and grievances will be addressed before the restrictions are actually implemented, says Sudhir Bisht.
With cars like the Toyota Corolla and the Honda Civic selling in very small numbers and potentially even being phased out, the Octavia has very little competition, says Pavan Lall.
Stylish, sleek, a coupe-like sedan with generous amount of space is what the Slavia is all about.
According to information available on the company's website, Swift, which was launched as a world strategic model in 2004, reached cumulative worldwide sales of four million units in August 2014 -- nine years and nine months since the start of sales in 2004.
Jaitley increased the excise duty on most tobacco products by 10-15 per cent.
So what's special about the Kaziranga range? Rajesh Karkera and Hitesh Harisinghani find out.
Zippy and comfortable, the Mini Convertible is a perfect car for short jaunts, but this isn't the ride you'd choose to take your entire family to the airport or pick for a long family excursion, says Pavan Lall.
Here's a car that is going to give its competitors a run for their money, says P Tharyan.
The security personnel conducted a flag march on Thursday in Odisha's violence-hit Sambalpur city, where internet services were suspended and security tightened as the district administration geared up to organise a peaceful Hanuman Jayanti.
The latest Hyundai i20 is an exciting car, given the overall drive experience, transmission, ride quality and tech. And while it may not be as low cost as a Maruti or come with the "heavy German steel-feel" of the Volkswagen, it does carve out a niche for itself at pole position with a combination of technology, styling, drive and ride comfort, and low cost of ownership, says Pavan Lall.
Among Indian cars Vizag-based Stephen Panchigalla clocked 13.366s in his Skoda Octavia in the same J Class, which was run jointly for both Foreign and Indian cars, to ended up as the 'Fastest Indian Car.' Of the day.
There are a whopping 10 sedans slated for a launch in India this year. Rajesh Karkera/Rediff.com gives the lowdown.
High ground clearance, a wide cabin and tall stance all mean that the Carens glides over bad roads with ease and comfort and an engine performance that is adequate in terms of the power of this vehicle, says Pavan Lall.
German premium carmaker Audi on Monday launched the facelift version of its mid-spec performance car S5 Sportback in the domestic market at a starting price of Rs 79.06 lakh (ex-showroom). The five-seater, four-door sports coupe, has been brought as a completely built unit, the company said in a release. Audi India has seen a growth in demand from Tier-II and Tier-III cities, which is expected to accelerate further going forward, it added.
A Pakistani judge on Saturday cancelled former premier Imran Khan's arrest warrants in the Toshakhana corruption case and allowed him to go home without indicting him, amidst clashes between his supporters and police outside the court complex in Islamabad.
New units of the iconic Maruti 800, Ford Ikon (1.3 petrol), Fiat Palio, Skoda Fabia (1.2 petrol) and Octavia (1.9 TDI engine), and Chevrolet Tavera (2.5 DI) of General Motors will no longer be sold in the 13 notified cities from Thursday, which constitute 40-50 per cent of total car sales in the country.
The model, which will compete with the likes of Hyundai Verna, Maruti Suzuki Ciaz and Skoda Rapid, now features smart devices ecosystem including Alexa remote capability and 32 connected features as standard feature across all variants with a five-year free subscription.
Carmakers Mercedes-Benz, Audi, Renault, Kia India and MG Motor on Wednesday announced plans to hike vehicle prices from January to partially offset the impact of rising input costs. They join the likes of market leader Maruti Suzuki India and Tata Motors, which have also made the year-end announcements to raise prices from next month. Audi India said it will increase prices of its entire model range by up to 1.7 per cent, while Mercedes-Benz India noted it will hike the prices by up to 5 per cent from January 1.
The radical styling that consists of 17-inch diamond-cut wheel rims and a chrome grill that comes with a sleek coupe-inspired profile -- the kind you'd expect to see in an Acura or a Lexus sports car -- make the Civic one of the best-looking cars on the road today irrespective of price.
The new Kiger has enough in it to draw you away from the hatchback you've been eyeing.
The German group has set aside 6.5 billion euros ($7.3 billion) to help cover the costs of the crisis and said that 11 million of its cars could be affected worldwide.
Is the XUV700 just a facelifted XUV500 or is it a completely new breed in the vast range of SUVs available today? Rajesh Karkera takes the latest offering from the Mahindra stable for a spin to find out.
Hyundai Motor India expects its SUV range to gain further traction in the domestic market with demand for personal mobility gaining momentum post the second wave of COVID-19, according to a senior company official. The company, which already leads the SUV space with models like Venue, Creta, Tucson and recently launched Alcazar, is looking to maintain its lead in the segment which is growing with each passing month.
Maruti Suzuki India will launch electric vehicles in the country only after 2025 as demand for such vehicles at the moment is less and it would like to sell around 10,000 units a month whenever it enters the electric mobility space, company chairman RC Bhargava said on Wednesday. Addressing a virtual conference on the company's second quarter earnings, he said under the current circumstances a lot of things in the EV ecosystem such as batteries, charging infrastructure and electric supply are done by other parties and therefore the costing is not in the hands of the company. Also with fuel prices going up, car market leader Maruti Suzuki India is intensifying its focus on more CNG offerings of its models.
The MG Hector has grabbed a lot of attention and interest, especially for its segment-above technologies.
The ever-astute Ravi Matthai, Director of Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad in 1971, offered me a basic salary of Rs 1,000 per month on my return from the United States. I doubt if IIMA could hire a faculty member at Rs 55,000 per month today! points out Dr Shreekant Sambrani.
Prasanna D Zore/Rediff.com drives the Mahindra Reva to Pune and comes away impressed with the electric car.
Quality-wise, and on the fun-to-drive scale, the T-Roc is in a league of its own, notes Pavan Lall.
The car will come with a petrol and a diesel engine option.
After the latest spike in crude oil prices, petrol prices could potentially go up to around Rs 90 a litre making a dent in the consumer's wallet. This, the analysts fear, will push the cost of vehicle ownership in the country, further reducing the demand potential for the industry.
When a manufacturer launches the fifth generation of a product, it is given that earlier avatars hit the mark. Ditto for the new Honda City, the latest version of which also brings in sweeping changes to the carmaker's product strategy for the Indian market, says Pavan Lall.
German luxury carmaker Audi on Thursday launched a new version of its flagship SUV Q7 in India with prices starting at Rs 79.99 lakh (ex-showroom) as it seeks to further accelerate growth in the country. The locally assembled vehicle is powered by a 3-litre petrol engine with a 48V mild-hybrid system generating 340 hp. It can accelerate from 0-100 km/hr in 5.9 seconds. The new Q7 will be available in two variants -- Q7 Premium Plus and Q7 Technology -- priced at Rs 79.99 lakh and Rs 88.33 lakh (ex-showroom), respectively.
Sri Lanka's state-owned petroleum corporation announced fuel rationing for vehicles with effect from Friday, as an unprecedented economic crisis roils the country.
V40 Cross Country is the only car in India by Volvo Cars that is available in both in diesel and petrol versions.
A source in the medical college said the suspect, who was caught from Ratnagiri in Maharashtra on the Wednesday, was admitted there after his examination.
What will it take for Tesla to plug and play in India? Sector pundits say it's a mix of strategy, getting the price right, timing, the right talent, and above all, patience.
The Delhi police special cell has arrested three persons, including two shooters, in connection with the killing of popular Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala, officials said on Monday.
A foreign national has been arrested by Pakistani security agencies in connection with the car bomb blast outside the house of the 2008 Mumbai terror attack mastermind and chief of the banned Jamat-ud-Dawa (JuD) Hafiz Saeed in Lahore, according to media reports.
