2013 Rolls Royce Phantom Saloon, Convertible and Coupe Receive their First Facelift [61 Photos]
"background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px; display: inline; float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative;" title
DC Design Avanti is India’s First Sports Car, will Enter Production in 2013
type='html'>
The Italian automotive industry is renowned not only for supercar-making companies like Ferrariand Lamborghini, but also for its carrozzerias likePininfarina and Bertone, which design and engineer cars for other automakers as well as manufacture their own limited production models.
The Indian automotive industry, on the other hand, is best known as the country that manufactures the world’s cheapest car, the Tata Nano, which may or may not lose the title to theBajaj RE60.
While Italy is safe for now (…), India will soon have its own sport car thanks to DC Design’s Avanti that was launched at the 2012 New Delhi Auto Expo.
Founded by former GM designer Dilip Chhabria, DC Design is mostly known for its one-off prototypes. The Avanti, however, is a production ready sports car that will be manufactured at the company’s brand new plant at Talagon near its existing Prune facilities.
“Every country which has written its name in the pantheon of automobile manufacturing has invariably distinguished itself with sports cars by its own nationals and I thought that India rightly needs to be in this exclusive club”, said Chhabria. “The design is completely our very own as is the engineering and also the production process. Type approval and on-road tests would follow soon”.
Chhabria added that DC Design plans to manufacture 300 units of the Avanti in 2013-2014 and, if all goes well, increase annual production to four figures.
As its creator admits, India’s first supercar “doesn’t reinvent the wheel” as far as its conception and manufacturing process is concerned.
Like all small-volume manufacturers, DC Design will use parts from various carmakers, especially in the powertrain and suspension depaetments.
The prototype that was unveiled at the 2012 Auto Expo is constructed around a lightweight but rigid spaceframe chassis. It features unequal-length wishbones and coil over shock absorbers on both axles, 19-inch wheels with 255/35 front and 295/30 rear tires and 330 mm ventilated disc brakes with AP Racing calipers.
It is powered by a mid-mounted 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder EcoBoost engine sourced from Ford and tuned to deliver 240HP and 366Nm (270 lb-ft) of torque. Thanks to its compliance with Euro 5 emissions regulations it can also be exported, while a slight change in the engine mapping will make it compatible with the oncoming Euro 6 regulation.
Power is transmitted to the rear wheels via a Ford-sourced six-speed manual gearbox, while the Avanti will also be optionally available with a dual-clutch PowerShift transmission.
Although 240HP combined with a dry kerb weight of 1,562 kg (3,443 pounds) isn’t exactly supercar territory, the Avanti will be priced at a reasonable Rs 30 lakh, or around US$56,000 at the current exchange rates.
Later on, it may also be offered with a turbocharged Honda V6, which with an output of around 400HP should seriously improve performance (and, presumably, increase the price accordingly).
Live photo credits: Motorbeam
The Italian automotive industry is renowned not only for supercar-making companies like Ferrariand Lamborghini, but also for its carrozzerias likePininfarina and Bertone, which design and engineer cars for other automakers as well as manufacture their own limited production models.
The Indian automotive industry, on the other hand, is best known as the country that manufactures the world’s cheapest car, the Tata Nano, which may or may not lose the title to theBajaj RE60.
While Italy is safe for now (…), India will soon have its own sport car thanks to DC Design’s Avanti that was launched at the 2012 New Delhi Auto Expo.Founded by former GM designer Dilip Chhabria, DC Design is mostly known for its one-off prototypes. The Avanti, however, is a production ready sports car that will be manufactured at the company’s brand new plant at Talagon near its existing Prune facilities.
“Every country which has written its name in the pantheon of automobile manufacturing has invariably distinguished itself with sports cars by its own nationals and I thought that India rightly needs to be in this exclusive club”, said Chhabria. “The design is completely our very own as is the engineering and also the production process. Type approval and on-road tests would follow soon”.
Chhabria added that DC Design plans to manufacture 300 units of the Avanti in 2013-2014 and, if all goes well, increase annual production to four figures.
As its creator admits, India’s first supercar “doesn’t reinvent the wheel” as far as its conception and manufacturing process is concerned.
Like all small-volume manufacturers, DC Design will use parts from various carmakers, especially in the powertrain and suspension depaetments.
The prototype that was unveiled at the 2012 Auto Expo is constructed around a lightweight but rigid spaceframe chassis. It features unequal-length wishbones and coil over shock absorbers on both axles, 19-inch wheels with 255/35 front and 295/30 rear tires and 330 mm ventilated disc brakes with AP Racing calipers.
It is powered by a mid-mounted 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder EcoBoost engine sourced from Ford and tuned to deliver 240HP and 366Nm (270 lb-ft) of torque. Thanks to its compliance with Euro 5 emissions regulations it can also be exported, while a slight change in the engine mapping will make it compatible with the oncoming Euro 6 regulation.
Power is transmitted to the rear wheels via a Ford-sourced six-speed manual gearbox, while the Avanti will also be optionally available with a dual-clutch PowerShift transmission.
Although 240HP combined with a dry kerb weight of 1,562 kg (3,443 pounds) isn’t exactly supercar territory, the Avanti will be priced at a reasonable Rs 30 lakh, or around US$56,000 at the current exchange rates.
Later on, it may also be offered with a turbocharged Honda V6, which with an output of around 400HP should seriously improve performance (and, presumably, increase the price accordingly).
Live photo credits: Motorbeam
2013 Mercedes-Benz SL: Feast Your Eyes on 60 High-Res Photos and the First Official Videos
type='html'>
The last couple of days, the sixth-generation of the Mercedes-Benz SL roadster has been one of the hottest subjects on the web – and rightly so, as it introduces several new technologies that will eventually trickle down to the premium automaker's other models.
There's a lot to mention, but one of the highlights is the aluminum bodywork, which significantly reduces weight and has a positive effect on both agility and handling as well as fuel consumption and CO2 emissions.
The SL also features updated V6 and V8 engines that offer better performance and improved economy, as well as new advanced active and passive safety systems, all of which have been discussed in our previews reports.
The world premiere of the hardtop-roadster will take place at the 2012 Detroit Motor Show next month, but in the meantime, feel free to take a look at a fresh batch of high-resolution pictures and the first official videos right after the jump.
The last couple of days, the sixth-generation of the Mercedes-Benz SL roadster has been one of the hottest subjects on the web – and rightly so, as it introduces several new technologies that will eventually trickle down to the premium automaker's other models.
There's a lot to mention, but one of the highlights is the aluminum bodywork, which significantly reduces weight and has a positive effect on both agility and handling as well as fuel consumption and CO2 emissions.
The SL also features updated V6 and V8 engines that offer better performance and improved economy, as well as new advanced active and passive safety systems, all of which have been discussed in our previews reports.
The world premiere of the hardtop-roadster will take place at the 2012 Detroit Motor Show next month, but in the meantime, feel free to take a look at a fresh batch of high-resolution pictures and the first official videos right after the jump.
Kaydol:
Kayıtlar (Atom)
