"India Auto" via Palin Ningthoujam
IndianAutosBlog.com readers are aware that Volkswagen frequently brings out special edition model for the domestic market as well as region-specific cars such as the IPL Special Edition.
VW has just unveiled the Polo Black Edition for the German market. The Polo is one car that can walk away looking good with heavy customization.
In the latest effort, VW Germany has decided to give it subtle updates and call it Polo Black Edition.
The Polo Black is a normal four-door Polo which is completely black and has special ‘Rivazza’ alloy wheels. The interiors are wrapped in black leather with ‘light breeze’ accents to highlight the interiors.
No official information is available on the price but looking at the customization, we think it should not be very expensive!
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It is a rather small paddock at the iconic Brands Hatch circuit in UK with a couple of Toyota Celicas parked outside in complete race-trims with some engines left to run on idle. Amidst all the burble of the Japanese cars a young lad named Alok B. Iyengar is preparing for his race in the Nippon Challenge. It is a race series for production and modified Japanese sports and saloon cars plus other Asian makes such as Proton and Hyundai held across United Kingdom that offers level-playing field for racers on a budget. It consists of fully modified GT classes as well as the single make Subaru and Evo cups to participate in. Alok was racing in the GT 200 class running a tuned 200-bhp Toyota Celica GT weighing about 1200kg. His Indian origins were evident from his look and the lack of a typical Brit accent was enough to tell that he hadnandrsquot been in the UK for long. And he hadnandrsquot been.
That was last year but the 27-year old Alok has been pursuing racing as a profession for almost a decade. His first tryst with racing happened at the age of 18 when he participated in the MRF as well as the JK Tyre Karting Championships in 2003. Finishing 5th overall in his third ever race at the Hyderabad JK Tyre Karting round Alok continued karting till about 2005 with respectable results as a privateer entry all this while. In 2005 with enough experience in karting competitions the young lad decided it was time to sincerely pursue his talent and he moved up to the Junior National Formula Maruti Championship. Being a privateer entry means it is always a stretch to get a good car that is fast and reliable. Despite qualifying 10th out of 21 drivers Alokandrsquos 2005 try was shadowed with mechanical issues resulting in DNFs for most part of the 2005 season. Not losing heart but on a shoe-string budget he ventured into the 2006 JK Tyre National Championship in the Formula Swift class posting times in the top six during the tests. A fatal crash in the opening round ended his efforts for 2006 as money was short and it took time for him to recover from the crash.
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Lack of sponsorship deals in India often ends the dreams of many upcoming racers in car as well as motorcycle racing. Unless there is a god father looking after one it is indeed extremely difficult to convince a sponsor to invest in your talent as there is a severe lack of awareness and coverage about motorsports in the country. But not the one to bow down in front of circumstances Alokandrsquos passion for racing gave him the idea to head to the center spot of motorsports United Kingdom. From 2007 to 2009 Alok focused on gathering funds doing odd-jobs finishing his education and charting a course that would take him to UK where he could fuel his passion for racing. In 2009 the Indian driver moved to UK and participated in some karting races while working side by side. Bettered prepared for 2010 Alok entered the Whilton Mill Club Karting Championship in UK but a Novice racing license meant he had to start from the back of the grid of 24 drivers for five out of the six rounds of the season. Despite which he scored two 10th place finishes driving the 29 horsepower 2-stroke karts much powerful than any of the karts he had driven before.
Last year he raced in the afore-mentioned Nippon Challenge and this year Alok continues to pursue the Nippon Challenge again while participating in the highly competitive open-wheel Formula Jedi series under class B which consists of cars having lightweight spaceframe chassis and are powered 1000cc motorcycle engines from Honda Yamaha or Suzuki. A tried and tested series started in 1996 in UK to present a cost-effective racing environment for new and upcoming racers giving them a chance to shine and showcase their talent the Formula Jedi series has been highly popular in the UK racing circuit. Alokandrsquos performance at the first round of the 2012 Jedi Series held at the legendary Silverstone circuit has been a mixed bag with a 13th place qualifying finish for race one and 8th for race two on the grid of 14 racers with drivers from 3rd to 10th place being covered within just .350seconds of each other. His first ever race in the Jedi series and debut at Silverstone Alok managed to make up places from 13th on the grid to finish 9th in the race. Race two was more demanding since running on slick tyres Alok spun off as rain came down but recovered back to 6th place before spinning out again and eventually finishing in 10th place. Currently the Indian lad is placed 7th in the Formula Jedi series in class B and is determined to make it stick as the season progresses. Kudos to this young gun and we wish him all the best for the future. Godspeed.
Finding it difficult to raise diesel prices as it may fuel inflation the finance ministry is considering a proposal to raise excise duty on diesel cars to discourage people from buying cars that run on heavily subsidized fuel. The proposal made by the oil ministry has been pending with the finance ministry for a while. But after the Inter-Ministerial Group (IMG) on inflation met here on Monday oil minister Jaipal Reddy renewed his demand and said he has asked the government to raise taxes on such vehicles.
A senior official of the Central Board of Excise and Customs said a proposal is pending but no decision has yet been taken. He however indicated that the government is now inclined to consider the proposal given the huge gap between the retail prices of the two motor fuels. Before the Union Budget for 2012-13 Reddy had demanded additional excise duty of Rs 80000 on diesel vehicles. The proposal was however opposed by the automotive industry and the department of heavy industries.
The idea of additional excise levy has been tossing around in the oil ministry since 2008-09 as a way of raising funds to at least partially meet the Centreandrsquos burden on subsidizing diesel.
Petrol cheaper but CNG dearer in Delhi
Petrol will cost Rs 1.26 less in the national capital with the Delhi government slashing 20 percent VAT on the hiked component in its budget on Monday. However the slash in petrol prices may not give much relief to the common man as the Sheila Dikshit-government proposed to hike the price of CNG used by most people in the city to run their vehicles by Rs 1.77 per kg.
The finance ministry is considering a proposal to hike excise duty on diesel cars. The idea was mooted earlier but it never made it to the formal discussion table since it was felt that the funds garnered would not be significant in view of the massive size of the fuel subsidy burden.
On May 28 after the IMG meeting on inflation the oil minister said: andldquoWe are not considering hikes in diesel LPG and kerosene prices. It is out of question right now.andrdquo Reddy was called to the IMG meeting to discuss the impact of diesel price hike on inflation. Chief Economic Adviser Kaushik Basu was also present at the meeting. The recent hike in petrol prices by 11 percent or Rs 7.50 has created a big gap between retail prices of petrol and diesel. While diesel is selling for Rs 41 a litre in Delhi the petrol retail rate is above Rs 73 a litre. The current subsidy on diesel is more than Rs 15 a litre. The gap has also affected the fuel consumption pattern and diesel demand growth outstripped petrol for the first time in 15 years last year.
The finance minister is also likely to write a letter to all chief ministers to consider cutting the Value Added Tax (VAT) on petrol. On its part the Centre may lower its duties to give some relief to the common man in view of the steep hike in petrol prices. Already Delhi Uttarakhand and Kerala have announced a cut in VAT on petrol. In the Budget the finance minister had hiked excise duties for both petrol and diesel cars with engines under 1200cc (petrol) and 1500cc for diesel cars with length exceeding four metres to 24% from 22% and a fixed duty of Rs 15000. Engines exceeding the above capacity were charged with an ad valorem duty of 27%.
The finance minister had however avoided raising additional duty separately on diesel cars.
Also Read: SIAM asks govt to hike diesel price reconsider petrol increase
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The 4.4-litre high performance V8 engine lets out a nice bass rumble as I blip the throttle. Iandrsquom waiting for the lights to go green. Launch control is initiated and in a nanosecond I am off the mark and pelting towards three digit speeds. The Buddh International Circuit is now familiar territory so as I approach the first turn I brake late and take the perfect racing line. Bystanders cheer at this amazing level of control. I continue to push down on the throttle. The other cars are already disappearing in my rear-view and I make my way around the track at breakneck speeds. The car is perfect namely a beautiful BMW M5. Its response is unquestionable and as I lap the competition I get to hear over the radio that I have set a new lap time record at the BIC. I also hear my wifeandrsquos voice in the distance telling me that my morning cup of tea is ready Confused. I wake up.
Just about every petrolhead has had a dream to this effect but when you happen to have an invite to the BIC to test drive the all-new BMW M5 such dreams are the norm. The M5 in its fifth generation avatar is an exceptional vehicle for it offers you the joys of a sports car and the practicality of a sedan with four doors. Belonging to the echelons of high end cars this Beemer boasts of all the creature comforts you can imagine which includes leather wrapped interiors electronically adjustable M sports seats a high end audio system with 16 speakers idrive head up display climate control and a sun roof to name a few. However the real story about this car revolves around one single aspect and that is performance.
While the design is synonymous with the regular 5 series sedan there are subtle exterior changes that have been incorporated to aid performance in every manner possible. The front apron on the M5 houses three air intakes in the lower portion to allow for precise cooling requirements of the V8 engine and other important components the wheel arches have a prominent flare that allow for the larger 19-inch alloy wheels. You can opt for 20-inch rims as well but considering the Indian environment I would suggest sticking to the smaller number.
BMW has worked on the entire body to optimize it for enhanced airflow and this includes changes to the rear-view mirrors the body design the underbody as well as the broad rear tail which not only brings the design element together but also helps in terms of generating the optimum airflow to allow for better road holding. Other telltale signs that this isnandrsquot just the run-of-the-mill 5 series are the twin exhausts the large disc brakes on all four wheels and the slick looking body skirt which works wonders to enhance the visual appeal of the large M5.
The real deal however lies under the hood in the form of a 4.4-litre V8 engine. Featuring the M TwinPower Turbo package which consists of the Twin Scroll Turbo technology crossbank exhaust manifold high precision direct petrol injection and VALVETRONIC variable valve control this masterpiece of engineering is capable of generating 560PS between 6000 and 7000rpm and a gut wrenching torque of 680Nm from 1500rpm up to 5750rpm. Capable of going from 0-100km/h in just 4.4 seconds the M5 hits 200km/h in 13 seconds and goes on to an electronically limited top speed of 250km/h.
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Power is transferred to the rear wheels via the seven-speed M Double Clutch Transmission Drivelogic that incorporates traction optimized gear selection and launch control as well. It goes without saying that the driver also gets paddle shifts as well. Unleashing all that power on the Buddh International Circuit would have created pandemonium but a few fast laps and an instructor driven hot lap did demonstrate the capabilities that the M5 clearly boasts of.
Speaking of which the drive dynamics are spot-on and this can largely be attributed to the body and chassis technology which is geared to meet the demands of racing and track use. The car comes fitted with lightweight axle links at the rear and a newly developed double wishbone front axle that boasts of special kinematics and new components made from forged aluminium a unique rear wheel differential system that allows engine power to split between the rear wheels for maximum traction Dynamic Dampener Control Servotronic steering designed specifically for the M Dynamic Stability Control with an M Dynamic mode. Further to this the driver can select between a choice of three drive modes which include comfort sport and sport plus. Each of these settings changes the carandrsquos behaviour to suit the driving environment as well as driver engagement.
With its inimitable style performance oriented design body and underpinnings as well as the most powerful engine ever fitted into a series produced model from BMW the M5 is a car like no other. It comes as no surprise that it has dominated the charts amongst high performance sedans worldwide and its great to know that you can now own one in India as well (provided you have the money). I being a mere mortal who most probably canandrsquot afford such a car in this lifetime just wish to have the honour of driving the mighty M5 on the BIC again for a few more laps in order to live my dream maybe not to the fullest but at least to my heartandrsquos content.
