Hindustan Ambassador joins Maruti 800, becomes history

2014 is turning out to be an year of significance in the Indian automotive industry as not one but two of the most iconic automobiles that graced our roads were relegated to history in a span of few weeks from each other. The Hindustan Ambassador and the Maruti-Suzuki 800, two cars that inspired many generations of Indians to take to driving, fulfilled their dreams and aspirations of owning a car and dominated their segments for what seemed like eternity, will no longer roll out of depreciated production lines in Uttarapara and Gurgaon respectively. Will we miss them? Of course, yes. But have they left a void? Quite honestly, apart from few short bursts of emotions running high, we don’t think so.

Both the Amby and the 800 existed too long, oblivious to the advent of newer models from around the globe, with designs that weren’t refreshed for years, mechanicals that weren’t significantly re-engineered for decades and boasting next to nothing in terms of safety features or creature comforts. What they had, and had in spades, were legacies and chequered history. They might have had their origins in Britain and Japan but Indians accepted them as their own, showering the Amby and 800 with loads of love and respect.

Hindustan Motors started manufacturing “The grand old lady of Indian Roads”, as the Ambassador is often fondly referred to, in 1958 and the production continued till May-2014 making it, quite possibly, the longest mass-produced car in the planet. Based on Morris Oxford III of Britain that went out of production in 1959, it is quite startling that HM continued to produce the Ambassador in its original form with no significant styling or mechanical updates this long. To put that in perspective, the Amby has had an incredible run of more than 50 years, a period in which normal cars go under the knife five times at the least. Remember, we are being conservative here. Amby’s tough build that could withstand abuse forever, comfortable ride that could take the non-existent Indian roads in its stride, sofa-like rear seat that enabled sari-clad women in our country to walk in and out in total comfort and incredible ease of repair endeared it to Indians. All that HM had to do was constantly upgrade the car to bring it up to date and they failed spectacularly in it.

With cosmetic changes limited to the grille, parking lamps and taillight lenses, the Amby wasn’t going to go for long. Any last hopes of revival, on the lines of Fiat 500, Volkswagen Beetle or our very own Royal Enfield Bullet, bit the dust when HM announced suspension of production at its factory outside Kolkata a couple of weeks back owing to weakening demand and growing financial problems. Though not officially disclosed, we believe that this is the final nail in the coffin for the much-loved but equally-outdated Ambassador. The grand lady has aged and, for heaven's sake, let's hope that HM lets her rest in peace!

Gleaming in white with contrasting dark tints, armed with crash-guards front and rear, with a swirling flashlight on top, the Ambassador evoked authority and respect like no other. That it was the vehicle of choice for Indian bureaucrats until a few years back isn't surprising.Maruti 800 did all that the Ambassador did and probably more, just that it took a completely different approach to do so. That the 800 accomplished the feat three decades later probably signals the shift in needs and preferences of the Indian market.

Based on the Suzuki Fronte SS80 of Japan, Maruti 800 came in as a whiff of fresh air when it was launched in 1983. Those were the days when all that a prospective buyer had to do was to zero in on either the Premier Padmini or the Hindustan Ambassador that, by then, had become outdated, bulky and slow. Ah, how times change. Modern, light, frugal and more importantly cheaper, Maruti 800 soon became the best-selling car in India. It held onto the top spot until 2004 when its newer sibling Alto leapfrogged it. Though Maruti-Suzuki kept the 800 going with no major upgrades, it continues to rule the Indian market in one form or the other. In fact, multiple generations of the car existed simultaneously in India for some time and, remarkably, each one of them sold well. What should have been successive generations of the 800 became popular in India as Zen, Alto and now Alto 800. With a production run that lasted more than three decades and cumulative sales that exceeded 2.7 million units, the Maruti 800 literally put India on wheels. On 18-January-2014, the last Maruti 800 rolled off the production line, leaving behind a legacy.

Having survived widespread rumors of getting axed in 2012, Maruti 800 finally drove into sunset this time around. We were quite vocal about our feelings for this little car then and even drove a beautifully-maintained 1984 model to mark its end in our own way.

For hundreds of Indian families, the Ambassador or the 800 were the first car they had owned. Thousands of those who hold a driving license today probably learnt driving in one of these two cars. With the curtains down on such iconic, cult models, an era in the Indian automotive industry has definitely come to an end.

Google unveils its own 'driverless' car, surprises with a live demo too!

At Anything On Wheels, we always classify people into two types, one that consider cars as mere modes of transport and the other that can’t resist grinning from ear to ear every time an opportunity to sit behind the wheel presents itself. Unfortunately, whichever group you classify yourself into, the reality is that driving in cities has become a chore these days. You might even be piloting a Porsche 911 but what’s the fun in being stuck for hours in a traffic congestion that leaves you scratching your head? That’s why, when Google announced that it is working on driverless cars, we were all ears! Though a handful of mainstream automotive manufacturers have tried their hands at driverless cars before, when it comes from the world’s leading tech giant, we better pay attention.

Weeks, months and years passed and all we heard about Google’s progress in this project were several instances of mainstream cars fitted with weird equipments being tested, often in locations out of sight of the general public. While we just about started shaking this thing off our brains, Google sprung a surprise last week when it unveiled its own ‘driverless’ car. Yup, that’s right. Not content with making all of us hyper-dependent on its search engine, Google built a car on its own albeit without a steering wheel, an accelerator, a brake pedal and the creature comforts. 

Now, stop screaming “What constituted the car then?” and scroll down.

A cute toy-like thing with four wheels, one at each end, is what this car actually is. Visualize our very own Tata Nano, this isn’t far off! It’s just that this Google thing is a whole lot cuter. It has two seats, space to accommodate passengers’ belongings, buttons to start and stop and a screen that shows the route inside. Of course, Google has loaded it with software, complex integrated circuits, a host of sensors and navigation equipment that ensures that this car can drive all by itself. With a restricted top speed of 25 mph, Google claims that the sensors in the car can remove blind spots and ‘see’ objects in all directions as far as two football fields away.

Doesn't that sound better than a human-being behind the wheel that can only ‘see’ ahead but has to rely on mirrors to know what’s behind?

Check out this cool video that Google has uploaded in YouTube.

Will you or one of us be able to buy one? No. Atleast, not now! About a hundred of these prototypes with purpose-built manual controls would be built to primarily be tested by Google’s safety drivers. If that’s successful, a small pilot program would be run in California, the hotspot of technology. And, if the tech develops and evolves as Google hopes it would, we might see a few of these on road. Now, that’s a lot of ‘if’s before we could see one on road for sure.

Chances are, if you aren’t working for Google and if you weren’t one of the lucky few that were part of the live demo last week, you might not stumble upon this car ever, like us! Sigh!!!

Ford Fiesta facelift spotted testing near Chennai

The Ford Fiesta might be a best-selling car globally but the model, in its latest incarnation, failed to make a mark in India. In fact, the previous-generation Fiesta, that was rebadged and repositioned as Classic to make way for the new Fiesta, still sells more than the new model. High initial pricing and a slightly bulbous rear styling meant that the car's strengths like excellent handling and long list of features never came out, leaving the Hyundai Verna and Honda City to rule the roost in the mid-size segment.

But Ford isn't pulling the plug on the model just yet. A facelifted Fiesta was showcased at the 2014 Auto Expo in New Delhi earlier this year. While we were expecting the launch to happen soon afterwards, Ford seems to be still in the testing phase. Spotted yesterday with test registration plates in the busy NH45 on the outskirts of Chennai, the new Fiesta is getting ready for another shot at mid-size sedan supremacy.

This might be just a simple facelift but we got to say that the Aston Martin-inspired radiator grille at the front brings so much character to the new Fiesta. It comes across as being mature yet stylish. Further accentuating the mature look are the sleeker and longer headlamps. The profile remains unchanged while the rear gets a subtle change in the form of slightly bigger taillights and a redesigned bumper. The bulbous feel is still there but vastly reduced compared to the earlier model. The all new brown color needs special mention too. Hinting at slight revisions in the interior are the circular air-conditioner vents visible in one of the pictures at the left corner of the dashboard.

While the incredible road manners and long list of features that makes the existing Fiesta owners smile behind the wheel are likely to be carried over to the Fiesta Facelift as well, we hope that the pricing strategy isn't. That could single-handedly make or break the Fiesta's prospects in India. Should the City and Verna be worried? Probably not. Should the driving enthusiasts looking for a mid-size sedan take note? Hell yeah!

2014 New York - Land Rover unveils the Discovery Vision Concept

It wasn't too long ago when things were looking rather bleak for Jaguar and Land Rover, the iconic British brands that are now owned by Tata Motors. A few amazing, well thought-out, stunningly-styled models and a steady sales climb across all major global markets later, the two brands have now elevated themselves to a position where they seem to do nothing wrong. The Land Rover Discovery Vision Concept unveiled in New York last week serves well to prove that.

Previewing a new family of Sport Utility Vehicles under the Discovery nameplate, the Discovery Vision Concept is where, we strongly feel, the future of Land Rover belongs. The Range Rover might be raking in the profits, the Evoque might have customers queing up on either side of the dealerships and the Defender might be swallowing hitherto unexplored terrain but the Discovery is the model that would keep the Land Rover factory and its workers busy. Taking design cues from this concept, an all-new premium compact SUV dubbed the 'Discovery Sport' will be the first member of the new Discovery family that has all along been a standalone model. The concept itself looks sleek and modern with a lot of elements picked up from the Evoque.

Also making its debut in the Discovery Vision Concept is the ground-breaking "Transparent Bonnet" technology. Using cameras mounted in the vehicle's grille to capture the terrain ahead which are then fed to a Head-Up Display in the windshield, this revolutionary feature uses 'virtual imaging' technology and creates a see-through view of the terrain through the hood and the engine bay. Isn't it incredibly cool to have a hood and then have tech that makes it invisible? We bet watching this tech in person would make it a scene straight out of a Hollywood movie. Have a look at how this technology works and the view that the driver would get when it is in operation in the images below.

Land Rover hasn't revealed details on the underpinnings, powertrain options and the variants that will follow the Discovery Sport. What it did indirectly reveal though is a rosy outlook for the future. With the exception of Ford Motor Company which might be a bit disappointed that the Discovery Vision Concept looks too similar to the Explorer, this Land Rover concept has probably made everyone else happy.

2014 New York - All-new Hyundai Sonata uncovered

If we are asked to pick one car that completely shook up and transformed the high-volume, hugely-popular and big-earning midsize marketplace globally, we would point our collective fingers towards the Hyundai Sonata. When the sixth-generation Sonata went on sale in 2010 across major global markets, it brought in oodles of style and aggression that were hardly seen in the mainstream midsize sedan segment. With its fluidic exterior styling and swoopy interior appointments, the Sonata stood out in the crowd dominated by mundane-looking sedans. Needless to say, awards and accolades poured in, sales flourished and the Sonata gave 'Brand Hyundai' a huge fillip.

Hyundai wants to cash in on that and the all-new, seventh-generation Sonata that was unveiled earlier this week at the 2014 New York International Auto Show aims to make the Sonata more sophisticated and luxurious. Employing the brand's "Fluidic Sculpture 2.0" design philosophy, the new Sonata loses quite a bit of muscle and aggression that made the previous-generation model popular. The sharp cuts and creases in the sheet metal are replaced by taut and gentle lines, making the new Sonata look more sophisticated and dignified. An upright hexagonal grille, sharp headlights, sleek taillights and simple character lines define the new Sonata. Thankfully, the coupe-like roofline and the athletic profile are retained in the new model. And boy, the Sonata Turbo in that bright orange shade looks damn sexy! By the way, Hyundai calls that colour 'Urban Sunset'.

The interiors are all-new as well, quite literally. A simple, straightforward cabin with intuitive center console that's angled towards the driver marks a total contrast from the angular dashboard of the previous model. Atleast at first glance, the cabin doesn't create that big an impact visually. Two 4-cylinder engines, a 2.4-liter Theta II and a 2.0-liter turbocharged Theta II, both equipped with Gasoline Direct Injection (GDI) and Electronic Intake Continuously Variable Valve Timing (E-CVVT) powers the new Sonata. As with every new Hyundai model, loads of safety kit find their way into this car as well. Apart from the standard stuff, a knee airbag, Forward Collision Warning, Blind Spot Detection, Rear Cross Traffic Alert and a Lane Departure Warning System, heated and ventilated seats, smart trunk and a host of Multimedia options makes the new Sonata a well-kitted family car.

While we aren't sure the critics and brand fanatics would be impressed by the toned-down external and internal looks of the new Sonata, we are equally sure that most of the general public out there who go and actually buy these cars are going to love this near-luxury transformation that Hyundai's most important model is embarking upon. Should Toyota and Honda be worried? Yes and no. Yes because the new Sonata will continue to sell in big numbers snatching customers away and no because the new Sonata won't make the Camry and Accord look bland like the previous generation model did.