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ad watch
Indian Honda Jazz: Why So Serious?
Instead of pissing off a whole culture with an Indian Revolution, this time automotive advertisers are putting a Joker-like spin on Honda's Jazz campaign for the sub-continent. Why so serious? More » -
ferrari magic india discovery tour
524 Magical Miles Across India...In A Ferrari
Driving across all of India would be a challenging adventure in any vehicle, but as our friends at Car and Driver found out, being tasked with doing it in a Ferrari is a completely different proposition. They were among the few selected to drive a pair of Ferrari 612 Scagliettis around the sub-continent for a 524-mile stretch of the 7000-mile Magic India Discovery Tour. Since the adventure, the car has been auctioned off for charity, but as you can tell from the excerpt below, the memories of the journey will likely stay with them forever. More »
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By Mark ArnoldComment by Rock517: I read this lackluster article in C&D. Actually I skimmed it because it was quite boring. I never understood, and... 5 Responses | Other threads
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hummer for sale
GM: Sale Of Hummer Is "Urgent"
Automotive News reports that GM President and Chief Operating Officer Fritz Henderson told reporters at a recent press conference in India that the sale of the Hummer brand is on an "urgent basis." That's no surprise, since General Motors is predicting a US vehicle market of around 14 million units for 2008, down from 16 million units last year. Why the statement was made in India, we have no idea, since Mahindra has denied interest in buying Hummer. Perhaps Tata could still be thinking about a purchase? [via Automotive News, Sub. Req.]
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By Mark ArnoldComment by Ash78: I still don't see why GM didn't partially reinvent Hummer as the eco-friendly offroaders. Hybrid powertrains for both torque AND... 11 Responses | Other threads
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Traffic Fatalities
Tata Nano And Other Affordable Vehicles Could Increase Indian Road Deaths To 150,000 Per Year
The Indian Transport Ministry estimates that the number of fatalities from road accidents could climb 50% to 150,000 a year by 2015 due to the rapid growth of vehicle ownership in the country. The World Bank estimates that at current levels (100,000 per year), India’s mortality rate is 14 for every 10,000 vehicles — seven times that of the developed world. Annual passenger vehicle sales in India are expected to reach two million units by 2010, double the current number, largely thanks to the massive increase in the number of affordable vehicles. The Tata Nano — at $2,500, the world’s cheapest new car — will make up a quarter of that increase alone; 250,000 of them will be built per year. More » -
mahindra appalachian
US Mahindra Trucks Delayed While Manufacturer Conducts Road Tests
Indian truckmaker Mahindra has told their independent U.S. distributor, Global Vehicles USA, that it needs an extra six months to get its US-bound discount diesel trucks ready. That bumps the retail launch back to the fourth quarter of next year, which isn't so bad considering that, of the 324 dealers that signed up to sell the trucks, most haven't even built a showroom yet. But why the extra wait? More »
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By Mark ArnoldComment by UDMan: I went over to the Global Vehicles site, and pulled this video off the Mahindra Site. This is a company... 1 Responses | Other threads
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2009 honda city
2009 Honda City Spotted Testing In India
Consumers in the United States are lucky in that their version of the Honda small car platform is the Honda Fit as opposed to the Honda City, which doesn't offer quite the style of the Fit/Jazz or the space of the Honda Freed. The little Honda sedan is only available in Southeast Asian markets such as Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines. A member of the Team-BHP forum, which loves Indian cars almost as much as they love unnecessary watermarks, managed to capture a few pictures of one testing in the city of Pune. More » -
found on ebay
Magical Mystery Tour Ferrari 612 Scaglietti Sold On Ebay
What do you do with your Ferrari 612 Scaglietti after you've justbeat it to craptoured around India in a 72 day, 7,000 mile jaunt? Well if you're Ferrari, you dump it to suckers on Ebay. The promotional trip known as theMagical Mystery TourMagic India Discovery Tour was a journey around the sub-continent to increase awareness of the brand name. So how many Tata Nanos could have been bought for the price of the big prancing horse? More »
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By Mark ArnoldComment by The Kid: The two Magic India Discovery Tour cars were on display at the Ferrari Galleria in Maranello when I visited there... more » | Other threads
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mahindra scorpio
FEV Shows Off Mahindra Scorpio Diesel Electric Hybrid Battery Pack, Talks Appalachian
Well, there you have it folks, batteries in the boot, basically all the proof you get this is a hybrid SUV because everything else hybridy is in the transmission. We also gathered the Scorpio diesel hybrid is intended for production, but dates and the possibility of US import were left up to the Mahindra folks. Aside from that bit of boring, we talked to the FEV folks a bit and got some information in conflict with our earlier reporting. We were wandering around Cobo at the 2008 SAE World Congress and trying to figure out where the heck the Mahindra Appalachian sporting a diesel electric hybrid powertrain was. More »
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By Ben WojdylaComment by hanakimi: Seriously though, how come I don't see any Indian cars go through crash tests ? Can't even find a video... more » | Other threads
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mahindra scorpio
Indian Mahindra Scorpio Diesel-Electric Hybrid SUV: First Pictures Of First Indian Hybrid
We just snapped off a couple of shots of the Mahindra Scorpio, the diesel-electric hybrid SUV we told you would be unveiled here at the 2008 SAE World Congress. Yes, it's before everything has opened to the engineering public. Yes, we may not have been officially allowed out on the floor. Yes, we probably broke a city statute or two in doing it, but no, rumors of any cash exchanging hands in the process are very much untrue. What is true is the hybrid diesel SUV from the sub-continent is the first of its kind for Mahindra and is being displayed in the stand of their development partner FEV. More »
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By Ben WojdylaComment by hanakimi: Same question being raised again and again, it looks ok, new technology (alot others already got it) but how come... more » | Other threads
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mahindra scorpio
Indian Mahindra Scorpio Diesel-Electric Hybrid SUV To Be Revealed At SAE
Mahindra has just jointly announced with FEV that they'll be displaying their sub-continent-styled Mahindra Scorpio with a diesel-electric hybrid powertrain at the SAE World Congress this weekend here in Detroit. The system includes a 40 HP E-motor that works in stop/start, electric acceleration, and regenerative braking capacities — developing peak torque in the range of 200 lb-ft. The diesel engine is a 2.2-liter inline four with common rail injection, developing 113 HP mated to a six-speed automatic transmission. Although no word on what this has to do with the Mahindra Appalachian we'd been told to look for this week at the SAE World Congress, or whether we'll be seeing this curry-flavored Indian import stateside, it at least looks like the hybrid SUV market is set to get mighty interesting. Press release below the fold and in case you're interested, the shot up top is a camino-ized version of the Scorpio they'll be showing off. So you probably shouldn't expect a truck bed.
More »
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By Ben WojdylaComment by hanakimi: Same question being raised again and again, it looks ok, new technology (alot others already got it) but how come... more » | Other threads
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industry news
Volga Display Of Prana: Russian Automaker GAZ Seeks Partners In India
Apparently this has been out there for a while, but before we discussed the news that Gorkovsky Avtomobilny Zavod, manufacturers of the Volga line of hulking vehicular tragicomic props, was looking for partners on the Indian subcontinent, we needed to find press releases with the right sort of Moose-Und-Sqvirrel feel. More »
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By John KrewsonComment by ranwhenparked: I highly doubt GAZ will even attempt to interest Indians in their Volga passenger cars- India has already moved well... more » | Other threads
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industry news
BMW Plans To Challenge $2,500 Car In India With $49,000 Mini
When Indian carmaker Tata made international headlines with their $2,500 Tata Nano other automakers took notice. One of those automakers is BMW, which already has a growing sales operation in India. Wanting to get a slice of the small car market, the company is considering bringing over the Mini. The projected cost? No less than Rs.2 million, or $49,444. This would make it the most expensive small car in the country at a cost equivalent to 20 Nanos. More »
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Comment by masteryoda: Daimler should get the Smart Car to India. If priced at around $10-12,000 it will give the Nano a run... more » | Other threads
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new cars
Mahindra Appalachian Info Updated, Now with Smack Talk
Mr. Levine over at PickupTruck.com has been busy today, further hashing out the details we saw this morning on the new reverse outsourced Mahindra Appalachian. It seems the mid-sized pickup will be assembled right in Ohio to avoid the dreaded 25% chicken tax and will be getting an interior designed and built for the US market by Lear. Two or four wheel drive will be on the table, and factory designed accessories like snow plows will be available. Very interesting news if you ask us. The real gem comes from Mahindra's prime importer, CEO of Global Vehicles U.S.A. John Perez when commenting on the pending truck: More »
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By Ben WojdylaComment by MrEvil: as I stated in the comments of the prior blog post. There's no way that truck is close to being... more » | Other threads
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new cars
Mahindra Appalachian: Full Details On The Curry-Flavored Diesel Hybrid Pickup Coming To America By 2010
Mike Levine over at PickupTruck.com just snagged himself a whale of a curry-flavored scoop of truck news. He's got all the details on the Mahindra & Mahindra diesel hybrid pickup truck we've been told we'll be seeing here in the United States in the near-term future. Levine cornered John Perez who runs Global Vehicles U.S.A. — the company doing the importing of the greatest Indian import since java coders and help line staffers (who we also hear is a fan of the Jalop). Here's what Levine's learned: More »
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By Ray WertComment by Brian Wickwire: i just hope that the american auto makers have an answer for this indian smack in the face... to many... more » | Other threads
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industry news
Malaise Redux: Blame the Tatas
The previous malaise era had its clutch of culprits: OPEC, mismanagement at the Federal Reserve, the Vietnam hangover, the Watergate hangover, the Altamont hangover, the hangover hangover. But blame for Malaise 2.0 is being placed squarely and preemptively on thethirddeveloping world. Sure, sure, all was well and good when they were caught up in their quaint revolutionaryprogromsambitions and impenetrable caste systems. Back then, our Chinese and Indian brothers on the Big Blue Marble got around using swayback scooters, rickshaws, bikes made of pig-iron, occasionally a main battle tank, and their own damn feet. All the sudden, however, they done caught the auto-MO-tive bug. More »
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Comment by GTRider60: Didn't Europe have gasoline prices at roughly our US dollar prices ($3.50) about 10 years ago? They pay, as... more » | Other threads
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industry news
Mahindra to Build Diesel Pickups For U.S. Sale
We'd heard in the past India's Mahindra & Mahindra is looking to expand beyond Jeep knock-offs and start leveraging their know-how as one of the world's largest suppliers of tractors in order to get themselves into the US pickup market. According to Automotive News, Pawan Goenka, president of Mahindra's automotive unit, is repeating that party line, and now he's even giving some sales numbers. Goenka claims he would be happy with annual sales of between 20,000 and 25,000 units for a truck sold stateside — but he claims the most important result will be a smooth and successful launch regardless of sales numbers. But key questions still remain — like whether they'd be built in the United States or imported here. Automotive News has more after the jump: More » -
from the mailbag
Nigerian Request for Tata Nanos
For some strange reason, Belema West, apparent President of the GrassRoots Peace Ambassadors Forum, sent us a request for 300 of the budget-friendly Tata Nano mini-cars revealed mere weeks ago. You read that right, 300. That's $750,000 worth of Tatas. The substantial fleet of small cars would be used to shuttle Nigerian civil servants around the Niger Delta region doing whatever it is that peace ambassadors in that dangerous area do these days. Unfortunately, because of production restrictions, we will require some funding to start the process. A total of $75,000, or only 10 percent, will be needed to help transfer material to the production line. If this is done, we will provide a substantial discount and expedite the order. A copy of the email has been provided below as record. More »
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By Ben WojdylaComment by ZWECK: Request a deposit. Nothing like defrauding the fraudulent. more » | Other threads
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industry news
Indian Dealerships Offering Free Blessings, Rustproofing Still $1,500
India is one of the fastest growing car markets in the world and car dealerships are having to respond to the increasing competition by offering freebies that will attract buyers to their showrooms. The latest trend is to have Hindu priests around to perform a puja, which is an offertory blessing favored by many of the country's religious followers to mark important occasions. More » -
new cars
The $3,000 Car From Bajaj Is $500 Classier Than the $2,500 Tata Nano
It should be obvious to most that a $2,500 car is destined to fail. But a $3,000 car... GENIUS! Not wanting to be upstaged (though, upstaged anyways), Bajaj has launched a prototype of what it calls the $3,000 people's car for the people that can afford another 0.25 lakh. The car is being designed through a partnership with Renault/Nissan and we'll therefore see a cheap version of this car from those automakers. More »
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Comment by skulldriveshaft picasaweb and youtube: so by the time this thing comes to market - the niche created by the nano might not even exist... more » | Other threads
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indian auto expo
The Tata Sumo Grande Is Big In Japan, Spain... But For India
The automotive industry loves foreign/loaner words, and Indian auto companies are no exception to this. Enter the Tata Sumo Grande, which we're sad to say is not the $2,500 people's car that we're all desperately waiting to see. Nope, this is just a big old three row SUV set to debut at the Indian Auto Expo More »
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Comment by Katalysm76: This is one of the best car tata has made, looks gr8. The interiors look good. more » | Other threads
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news
$2500 Tatas To Be Shown Thursday
Tata Motors will finally be showing off the long awaited $2500 automobile on Thursday. We've been throwing digital column space at it since August and now we'll get to see the new people's car. So what can we expect from a car that would make Henry Ford proud? Well, to borrow a phrase, everything you need, nothing you don't. The ass-engined Indian slot car is rumored to be a four door hatch with seating for five and a rounded jellybean shape. Expect power nothing and maybe a Bosch supplied 600-ish cc motor attached to a CVT. Also to be expected - YouTube videos of Indians doing choreographed auto fighting with them as soon as they hit the market.[Internation Herald Tribune]
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By Ben WojdylaComment by POLAЯ 0.02: @TCameron: Could you post us a picture so we can compare it with these tatas? more » | Other threads
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media
Columnist: Don't Hate On The $2,500 Tata
Ever since Tata announced that it was going to build a Rs 1-Lakh ($2,500) car, there have been some hating on the idea. Certain people are a bit unhappy about the massive amount of congestion the vehicles might cause, the possible environmental impact and the possible lack of safety features (because eight people on a Honda Hero motorcycle is safe). But columnist Mritiunjoy "The Madman" Mohanty, says haters need need to curb their enthusiasm before he points an uzi at them. More »
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Comment by Hello_Newman: India and China need cheap cars the same way we did decades ago. We just went through the industrial revolution... more » | Other threads
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news
Use Your AmEx, Win A Lamborghini Gallardo
Plan on spending some cash in India this winter? Try applying for an Indian American Express Platinum card (not an Indian-American Express Platinum card, that doesn't exist) and you could be the proud owner of a new Lamborhgini Gallardo. For each 10,000 Rupees you spend, you get one entry in the contest and one chance to win the Lambo or be one of the five cardmembers to win a trip to the Ultimate Lamborghini Expeirence in Rome. That means for approximately $250, or about 50 hours of work as a Dell customer service rep, you could be untouchably fast. Press release below the jump. More »
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Comment by hotzigettyB: @TomAnderson: Well.. there're bulls too.. and buffaloes... and a lotta other animals that im sure they could use!! more » | Other threads
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Comment by Bhatman: @Schm: This movie was sadly made back in the late 90's(I remember watching it and wanting to gouge my eyes). Thats... more » | Other threads
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industry news
Get Ready To Show Us Your $2,500 Tatas
As if we couldn't get more excited about the Delhi Auto Show, the $2,500 Tata will be on display for the first time. The car will have four doors, a rear-mounted engine and probably not much in the way of safety features (they'll save all of those for Jaguar). The automaker will also offer a version with more features, such as a roof and steering wheel. More »
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Comment by skulldriveshaft picasaweb and youtube: I didn't know the price for breast implants was... more » | Other threads
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industry news
Rover, Jaguar Expected To Be Bought By Indian Automaker Tata Motors
It looks like Ford's premium brands, Jaguar and Land Rover, will end up in the hands of a company rabidly trying to both seal a deal to boost national pride as well as to develop and promote a $2,500 car. Ford Motor Co. is expected to announce this week that Tata Motors is the preferred bidder for the two companies. A final deal is anticipated in early 2008, with Tata expected to pay around $2 billion to acquire both companies. Now there's just one final question: should the $2,500 car be a Rover or a Jag? [Reuters] -
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Comment by 5cents: href="#c3216348">Joest: Safari's most certainly come in 4x4.@ Also, the Safari isn't Mercedes based but the previous Sierra was like much of... more » | Other threads
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Comment by saltwater: I'll bet the smell and noise at the "rim" are really great. more » | Other threads
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industry news
Dude, India! You're Getting an XC90!
Volvo will begin selling cars in India this fall, to the delight of the small percentage of Indians that can actually afford one. Volvo Car India will sell the S80 and the XC90 with three engines: the 4.4 liter V8, 3.2 liter inline six and the 2.4 liter turbo inline five. If you're in New Delhi, Mumbai or Chandigarh, you'll be able to walk into a dealership and drive out in style (sort of). According to news reports, the Indian Volvo HQ was opened "in line with the Indian tradition..." headed by the Minister of Transport, the Ambassador of Sweden and the Swedish Trade Commissioner. We hope that means the Swedish Trade Commissioner has to show up for an event to be considered in line with the Indian tradition. [Al Bawaba]
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Comment by gammabox: Indias middle class is not 10% of its populus. It is somewhere between 20% to 30%. So around 200 to million.... more » | Other threads
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because the ambassador is just too expensive
Tata Motors Promises $2500 Car To Rupee-Pinching Indians
In a move likely to send jillions of Hindustan Ambassadors edging that much closer to the cruel jaws of The Crusher, Tata Motors of India has announced its plans to build a "1-Lakh Car" for the masses (a Lakh is 100,000 rupees, roughly equivalent to 2,500 US dollars). Other than announcing the price, Tata is playing its cards close to its chest about the details, but we can assume that such features as air conditioning, airbags, and maybe even brakes, will not be available. We'd still rather have a 700,000-mile Amby, thank you.[Washington Post]
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Comment by EMPM, Esq.: @SandeepThakur: Explain what a "market watching guy" does. Also, I realize that sarcasm does not translate well over the internet,... more » | Other threads
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curry-flavored sales numbers
GM sales are up 87% in July!!! Oh, wait — that's in India. And oh, wait, wait — they sold 2,120 more than the same month last year. That's about as many as some dealerships 'round these here parts. [The Hindu] -
volvo shaking tatas
Volvo hiring Indian dealers — just in time to get sold to Tata? Probably not — but Tata is the only Indian car manufacturer we find to have a truly humorous name. [NDTVProfit.com] -
tata continues to shake auto industry
Tata to buy Jaguar, Land Rover? Boob jokes for all! [Telegraph]
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ford will not touch the tata's...price point
Ford will build a small car in India, but they won't be looking to beat Tata's predicted $3,000 price point. [CNNMoney] -
more tata shakin'
India's become an absolute hub of car exporting goodness. [Forbes]
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passive resistance is futile
New Cheap Cars Curry Favor With Indian Middle Class
While India's expanding middle class is now more able to afford motor vehicles beyond scooters and Renault/Nissan are looking at jumping into the $3000-car segment in India (presumably with some variant of the Logan), environmentalists and traffic gurus got worry on their hands. While public transit in New Delhi has cut carbon monoxide levels drastically, an influx of newer, cheaper cars with emissions standards behind Europe and the United States could start pushing the numbers back up. What's more, Murad Ali Baig, an Indian auto journalist, asks in the face of the impending flood, "The question is — where are all the bloody roads to cope?" More »
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Comment by ecobore: Goes without saying that India needs to introduce the same environmental standards for its new vehicles as we have in... more » | Other threads
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news
So You Say You Want To Drive In India?
Let's face it, Indians take the whole driving deal to a level most of us never dream of. First of all, a lot of them manage to blingify a car based on the Morris Oxford and somehow pull it off without looking like idiots. And, of course, there's the whole share-the-road-with-oxcarts thing. Here's an informative article aimed at the foreigner who wishes to take the wheel on the subcontinent; it includes such handy bits of info as "Official speed limits are seldom posted or, indeed, obeyed" and "Buses habitually carry passengers on the roof rack." Hey, give us an Amby with a loud horn and some sequined Ganesha murals and we're ready to roll. More »
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Comment by pjsammy: There is NOTHING that can prepare you for driving there. It makes NYC during rush hour seem like 3... more » | Other threads
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hoon
Ambassador Adventure: Calcutta to Haldia
We soft Americans talk pretty big about hoonage and crazy driving in general, but how about the folks in India who drive Hindustan Motors Ambassadors (which are basically mid-50s Morris Oxfords) every day on brain-rattling roads choked with swerving buses, wrong-way drivers, herds of cows, bicyclists, etc? How many of us would be willing to pass a semi uphill on a crowded road in a tin-can Morris clone with 40 horsepower on tap? These guys are, and they don't even blink an eye while doing it. More »
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Comment by FЯeeMan: my thoughts were that the upholstery must get cleaned regularly, and that the first part to go is the horn. now... more » | Other threads
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news
New Delhi Outlaws Smoking While Driving
You might expect such a move in, say, Belmont, California, but a ban on smoking behind the wheel in freewheeling India, land of the Hindustan Motors Amabassador and clove cigarettes? Yes, though not to prevent secondhand smoke; the reasoning here is that drivers distracted by their gaspers will, you know, hit stuff. Two New Delhi judges have imposed regulations mandating a 1,500 rupee ($32) fine for any driver busted while smoking and/or using a cellphone. Drivers also face the same fine for the hazily-defined offense of "dangerous driving." More »
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Comment by Rishi: @dculberson: For the class of people that can afford to own a car, this is closer to the equivalent of... more » | Other threads
india
Detroit, 5:03 AM
Sat Jul 11
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