2012 Auto Expo: Maruti Suzuki XA-Alpha concept analysed

Maruti Suzuki XA-Alpha concept was showcased on Day 1 of the 2012 Auto Expo in New Delhi; we bring you our thoughts about the same.

 Maruti Suzuki, as usual, was the show-opener for the Auto Expo – but contrary to everybody’s expectations of witnessing the launch of the Ertiga on day one – it was the unveiling of the XA-Alpha Concept that got the Expo underway.

 

In a nutshell, the Maruti Suzuki XA-Alpha is a compact-SUV concept. Its dimensions look very similar to that of the beloved Maruti Suzuki Gypsy, but this concept looks brawny with its muscular design, unlike the understated (and outdated) looks of the Gypsy. Maruti Suzuki implies that the XA-Alpha’s design is inspired from the moves and the body language of Indian wrestlers – and therefore you see the muscular lines and the butch stance on the XA-Alpha. The Lava-red colour in which the XA-Alpha was displayed, is said to add vigor to the overall design.

To us, the concept looks like it is inspired more from the Land Rover Evoque than Indian wrestlers – the receding and floating roofline, the flared wheel-arches, the shape of the air-dams on the front bumper, the gills on the side – they all look too much like the Land Rover Evoque (pictured below). But the XA-Alpha, even in its concept form, doesn’t look even half as polished as the Evoque. But frankly, it doesn’t even need to. Its production version will be look conventional and will be placed in the Rs 8 to 12-lakh bracket – which is at least four steps lower than the segment in which the Evoque dwells.

 We expect the XA-Alpha to go into production in the next couple of years, so probably the 2014 Auto Expo should see a ready-for-the-road version of this concept. When produced, it will compete with the likes of the upcoming Ford EcoSport and the Renault Duster. The model will, in all likelihood, replace the aged Maruti Suzuki Gypsy (and Jimny in the global market). In fact, the production version of the XA-Alpha will be co-developed by the Indian team at Maruti Suzuki, in collaboration with Suzuki’s team in Japan.

 

Such compact SUVs / Crossovers are soon to become popular in countries like India for their practicality in the congested conditions that our automobiles are subject to day in and day out. If the Gypsy’s cult following is anything to go by, we expect the production version of the XA-Alpha to be a big hit as well!

SPEED TV giving away customized Shelby GT500 as part of Hagerty Fantasy Bid at Barrett-Jackson

For the past several years, SPEED has invited classic car fans to participate in the Barrett-Jackson auction with the Hagerty Fantasy Bid contest. Viewers compete to correctly guess the sale prices for select vehicles, and those who accumulate the most points come away with prizes.

SPEED will be holding the contest once again for 2012, and today announced that it will be sweetening the deal for participants – a customized 2011 Shelby GT500 with 750 horsepower. The car has been upgraded with a Ford Racing supercharger system, adjustable suspension system, Wilwood brakes and a few unique visual enhancements.

Ford set to double the amount of SYNC-controlled apps at CES

For the fourth year in a row, Ford is going big at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, and that includes the North American debut of the Evos concept, a new production car and even more SYNC-controlled apps.

Next week at CES, Ford will reveal the 2013 Ford Fusion, which is also set to bow halfway across the country at the Detroit Auto Show. Joining the Fusion will be the normal smattering of Mustangs and Focus sedans, hatchbacks and the all-new Electric, along with the Evos concept that debuted earlier this year. The Evos' presence is particularly important, as it outlines Ford's plan for a cloud-connected vehicle, and there's a chance we'll see those concepts evolved even further at CES.

Finally, Ford reps say they'll be doubling the amount of apps available through the automaker's SYNC infotainment system, so expect more streaming, more social and more connected apps to be available later this year.

How to fit a large Lamborghini into a small room

                        

 Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4 assembled in a small room

There is a lot going on with the Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4. The Raging Bull’s new range topper features a 691-horsepower V12 that can propel the world’s fanciest door stop to 60 miles per hour in a scant 2.9 seconds. The Aventador looks good enough to cause whiplash injuries from rubbernecking onlookers. We could gush endlessly about Italy’s newest exotic, and at the end of the day there will always be room in our driveway for such a supercar.
But what about our living room?
The folks at Lamborghini needed to deliver an Aventador to a Lamborghini Museum exhibition called “La Forza del Toro” at Chiostro del. Unfortunately, the Great Room-sized space reserved for the exotic contained no entryway large enough to drive the Aventador through, but that’s when Italian ingenuity comes into play. Instead of knocking down a wall or lifting a ceiling, Team Lambo simply delivered an Aventador in pieces, then put them together on the spot. The end result is a fully functional Aventador for the “La Forza del Toro” exhibit.

Toyota Supra rumors continue with 400-hp hybrid power

Have we told you how badly we want a reboot of the Toyota Supra? One of the iconic cars of Gen X youth, the Supra died an untimely death in the mid-1990s along with the rest of the Japanese sports car market. This was, of course, long before most of us had managed to graduate from college and get decent enough jobs to be able to afford anything more exciting than a used Honda Civic.

So yes, we hang on every word out of Japan, and the latest comes via Motor Trend. It's reporting that a hybrid, 400-horsepower, 3.5-liter V6 powertrain is being tested for possible release in 2015. The new Supra would look a lot like the FT-HS concept that Toyota showed at the 2007 Detroit Auto Show, according to the magazine, which also says that if we really want to see this Supra successor, we'd better hope the Toyota GT 86/Scion FR-S does well.

First Test – 2010 Chevy Camaro

                         

From the base V-6 to the top of the line V-8 SS, we test Chevy’s hotly-anticipated Camaro and find out if it has was it takes to destroy Ford’s muscle car benchmark, the Mustang.

2013 Dodge Dart aims for center of compact sedan segment

Don't call it a Hornet. Dodge has released a slew of shadowy teasers for its new compact sedan, the 2013 Dodge Dart. The company is planning a slow reveal, with snippets of the four-door's exterior and interior trickling out between now and the vehicle's full unveil at the 2012 Detroit Auto Show. Specifics are still murky at the moment, though we do know Dodge will grace the 2013 Dart with a variety of engine options, including a turbocharged version of the 1.4-liter four-cylinder Multiair engine found in the Fiat 500. If the Fiat 500 Abarth is any indication, that means we're looking at somewhere around 160 horsepower.

The 2013 Dodge Dart makes use of the same bones as the beautiful Alfa Romeo Giulietta, though the chassis has been both stretched and widened to accommodate the wider britches of American buyers. Chrysler says that a full 68 percent of the vehicle's architecture is comprised of high-strength steel, which means the 2013 Dart should retain much of the rigidity that's made the Giulietta a favorite among buyers and critics alike in the EU.

We're plenty excited to get our hands on the 2013 Dodge Dart to see how it stacks up against the likes of the Chevrolet Cruze, Ford Focus, Honda Civic and Hyundai Elantra among other winners in the segment