Car Sales Plunge to Zero in April 2020

As India announced nationwide lockdown from 24th March 2020 and with the restrictions covering the entire month of April, grim reports for automobile manufactures came out as zero sales were recorded in the month of April due to the closure of showrooms and manufacturing facilities. Big companies such as Maruti Suzuki, Hyundai and Mahindra registered zero domestic sales.

Thanks to the resumption of port operations, Maruti Suzuki was able to export 632 units abroad. The export numbers for Hyundai and Mahindra stood at 1341 and 733 units respectively for the month of April.

However, Mahindra and Mahindra did witness some tractor sales because dealers were open partially in the last month. It recorded 4716 tractor sales in India, down by 83% as against 27,495 units sold in April 2019. Mahindra's farm equipment sector exported 56 tractors last month, down by 95% compared to 1057 units exported in the same month last year.

S.No.	Manufactures	April 2020	April 2019
1	Maruti Suzuki	0	1,31,385
2	Hyundai	0	42,005
3	Mahindra and Mahindra	0	18,901
4	Toyota	0	10,112
5	Ford	0	6,515
6	Volkswagen	0	1,995
7	Honda	0	11,272
8	Tata	0	12,695
9	Renault	0	6,256
10	Nissan	0	2,027
11	Skoda	0	1,126

With lockdown extended till May 17, there is little to no hope of reviving the automobile sector in the coming months. Due to low earnings, demand especially among the middle income customers might fall sharply. Government can intervene by reducing GST for some months.  

Mercedes GLA 2020

Mercedes Benz is set to launch the all new GLA-class in the compact luxury SUV segment. It is expected to hit the Indian market in June 2020. It will have petrol and diesel engines complying to BS6 norms. The prices are expected to start at 43 lakhs INR. The good news for the customers is that bookings are open and preorders can fetch a discount of 1 lakh INR.

There are minor changes in the overall design which doesn't much change the looks compared to it's predecessor. The wheelbase has been increased and the overhangs have been shortened to provide more interior space. It will be 30 mm wider. 104 mm has been added to it's height and 15 mm reduced in length. Despite the reduction in length, legroom won't be affected as the wheelbase has been increased.

Mercedes has added some new safety features:

• Sensors to detect pedestrians around the car to alert the driver.
• Exit warning system to keep the doors of the car locked unless the lane besides the vehicle is clear and no vehicles or cyclists are approaching the car.
• Active Break assist system to automatically apply brakes in the event of an impending collision.

When launched the GLA-class will give competition to the BMW X1, Volvo XC40 and Audi Q3.

Engine specs:

GLA 200 will come with a 1.3 liter turbocharged petrol engine capable of producing 161 hp and 250 Nm torque. It will be coupled with 7 speed dial cluth transmission.

GLA 35 4MATIC AMG will come with a 2 liter turbocharged petrol engine churning out a power of 302 hp and 400 NM torque. It will come with an AMG speedshift 8 speed dual clutch transmission.

Electric cars better than fossil fuel cars?

Rising population, better road infrastructure, increasing rail, air and water connectivity and who knows

so many reasons, but more and more people are traveling around the world. The transportation sector

is contributing to almost a quarter of the total greenhouse gas emissions around the globe. One may

argue that shifting to all electric vehicles can reduce the impact on climate change, if not solve it.

According to the Paris climate agreement of 2016, the target is to run 100 million electric vehicles

(EVs) on the road by 2030. As of 2017, it is around 3.1 million EVs.

How much clean is an Electric Vehicle?

A car that runs completely on electricity does not produce any emissions per se, but the source from

which electricity is produced can contribute to emissions. Electricity produced from renewable sources

such as wind and sun virtually produces no emissions. But those produced from coal, oil and natural

gas does contribute a significant amount of pollutants.

Increase in number of EVs will result in increased demand of electricity which in turn will lead to

higher demand for oil. This may result in higher emissions.

To reduce the pollution levels from electrification, stricter policies have to be implemented. Investment

in renewable sources of energy is the need of the hour.

China leading the way:

The share of renewable sources for electricity production has increased significantly over the past few

years. China is leading the way in renewable energy. It is the world’s largest producer and exporter of

solar panels, wind turbines, batteries and electric vehicles.

In 2017, China’s renewable energy comprised 36.6% of its total installed electric power capacity, and

26.4% of its total power generation. The vast majority of its renewable sources is hydroelectric.

China is also the number one market for electric vehicles. The sales surged by 72% in 2017, pushing

their total ownership to over 1 million EVs. The country is also driving the growth in bus and two-

wheeler sector, holdin 99% of the world’s total stock.

Electric vehicles future in India:

India has been pushing to make plans for a major shift towards electric vehicles by 2030. Being a

member of Electric Vehicles Initiative (EVI), India plans to have EVs contribute to 30% of all vehicle

sales by 2030.

Looking at the ground reality, the plan seems to have a lot of dead ends which will hinder India’s goal

of achieving the target.

70% of India’s electricity production comes from coal. Coal being the main source of power, increase

in EVs will result in need for more coal to reach the power demand. This will dent India’s goal to cut

the emissions.

India is on its way to roll out BS-VI emission norms in 2020. Vehicle manufacturers will be recalibrating

vehicles to meet the norms and hence they will be left with lesser investment for EVs.

High cost of EVs and poor public charging infrastructure makes it less appealing to the already

reluctant customers to buy EVs.

Unless the government comes with a better policy to improve the infrastructure and to provide

incentives to the EV manufacturers with low taxes and other benefits, it is difficult to provide an

affordable range of EVs to Indian customers. Investment in renewable sources of energy will also

help in cutting the emissions.

Things not to do in a manual transmission

In this article, I will talk about 5 bad habits that one may follow while driving a manual transmission vehicle. Not following these don’ts might affect the transmission and engine performance of the vehicle.

1.       Don’t rest your hand on the gearshift:

This habit is commonly seen among the experienced drivers who prefer to rest their hand on the gearshift and steer the vehicle with the other hand. We all know that during gear shift, selector fork engages the dog clutch to the respective gears.

If we rest our hand on the gearshift, we might apply unwanted pressure on the selector fork against the dog clutch. This can lead to wearing of the selector fork and the dog clutch. The scenario looks like forcing gear change without pressing on the clutch pedal which can damage the components.

The best way to deal with this situation is to use both the hands for steering. Gearshift should be touched only while changing the gear. Whenever you need a gearshift, press the clutch pedal, use your hand to shift the gear and then put your hand back on the steering wheel.

2.       Put the transmission on neutral at the stop light:

Drivers should have the practice of leaving the vehicle at neutral at stop lights instead of pressing on the clutch pedal and shifting to 1^st gear. The clutch assembly has a release bearing which presses against the diaphragm spring when the clutch pedal is pressed. This applies unnecessary pressure on both the release bearing and the diaphragm spring which leads to wearing.

The best thing to do is to bring the gearshift to neutral and release the clutch pedal to avoid any unnecessary wearing within the clutch.

3.       Never use clutch to hold the vehicle on a slope:

When you have halted your vehicle on a steep hill, there is always a tendency for the vehicle to roll back. In this scenario, we should never use the clutch to hold ourselves from rolling back, as the clutch plate and pressure plate would be rotating at different speeds and this would lead to the wearing of the friction material on the clutch plate.

Hand brakes come in handy under this situation. Apply hand brakes to prevent the vehicle from rolling back. When you want to move forward, press on the clutch pedal and shift the gear to 1^st gear. Then slowly start releasing the clutch pedal. As you feel a forward movement, quickly release the handbrake and then press on the accelerator to get the forward movement. With regular practice, one should be able to control it perfectly.

4.       Downshift the gear at lower vehicle speed:

On some occasions people get lazy to downshift the gear at a lower vehicle speed. In other words, we shouldn’t apply a lot of throttle when we are at a lower engine rpm. For example, if you are at 5^th gear and the vehicle is running at 40 kmph, it is not a good idea to press on the throttle because the engine will be at a huge gearing disadvantage. You are simply going to ask the engine to put more effort to accelerate the vehicle. This will affect the fuel economy.

So if you are running the car at a lower speed, it would be in your best interest to downshift to a lower gear for better and smoother acceleration.

5.       Don’t rest your foot on the clutch pedal:

Resting your foot on the clutch pedal can affect the power transmitted to the transmission because the clutch may not be fully engaged. In this situation, you might also be wearing the clutch disc due to slipping.

6.       Don’t start your vehicle at 2^nd gear:

This is again commonly seen among professional drivers who seem to have better control over clutch pedal. Moving the vehicle by up-shifting directly from neutral to 2^nd gear will lead to engine lugging. It simply means you are asking the engine to put more effort in accelerating your car which can be done quite easily at 1^st gear. We all know the fact that the transmission transmits maximum torque at 1^st gear; hence it is always desirable to launch the vehicle at 1^st gear.

       


Other Topics:

• Top 12 features of U.S President's car

• How manual transmission works

• Sliding Mesh Gearbox

• Multi Plate Clutch (Spring Type)

• Single Plate Clutch

U.S President Car's Features

The U.S President’s car is not any ordinary Cadillac. It is one of the most sophisticated cars that no ordinary man could even dream about. The car is equipped with defensive, offensive systems and life saving equipments. The car is built according to the United States Secret Service’s standards.

The current car is in service since January 20, 2009. The car has several nicknames such as ‘The Beast’, ‘Cadillac One’, ‘First Car’, and ‘Stagecoach’. Here are some of the mind boggling features of ‘The Beast’:

1.       Windows:

The windows in the passenger compartment (where the President sits) are more than 5 inch (127 mm to 130 mm) thick. The windows can withstand armor piercing bullets and are also bomb proof. The driver’s window is only 2.75 inch (70 mm) thick to allow the driver to speak to the secret service agents outside.

2.       Interiors:

The interior of the Beast is completely sealed in case of a chemical attack. This will prevent the doors to be opened from outside.

3.       Doors:

The doors are armor plated 8 inch thick to withstand bullets and bomb explosions. Steel overlaps are provided between the seams to prevent the bullets entering the space between the door and the body. The doors weigh as much as the doors of a Boeing 757.

4.       Exceedingly Well Equipped:

The Beast’s trunk is equipped with fire fighting equipments, oxygen tanks and a cache of the President’s blood type. It is also equipped with offensive equipments such as tear gas canisters, grenade launchers, and shotguns.

5.       Run Flat Tires:

The limo is equipped with specially designed, Kevlar reinforced, puncture resistant tires to protect it from bullets, spike strips, etc. The tires are designed and manufactured by Goodyear. Run flat technology is installed to help the tires to run even when the tires are punctured.

6.       Fuel Tank:

The fuel tank is also armor plated to repel bullet attacks. The fuel used is filled with a special kind of foam to prevent it from exploding in the case of fuel tank being damaged.

7.       Engine:

The Beast is powered by a Duramax diesel engine used in Chevrolet heavy duty pickup trucks. The reason for using a diesel engine is that diesel fuel is less volatile and reduces the risk of exploding unlike gasoline. The vehicle can travel only at a maximum speed of 60 mph (96.5 kph).

8.       Well Trained Driver:

It is not just the car which makes it highly safe. The driver is a CIA agent and is well trained to perform evasive actions in critical events. The driver undergoes rigorous military style training and can also handle mechanical breakdown of the car. He has the access to communication and GPS system in the car.

9.       Chassis:

Reinforced 5 inch steel plates are used underneath the car to withstand bomb explosions.

10.   Facilities for the President:

The passenger section is provided with Wi-Fi facilities so that the President can work on the go. The President is also provided with a satellite phone with direct access to the Vice-President and Pentagon line. A glass partition is provided between the driver’s cabin and the passenger section which can be opened only by the President.

11.   It travels around the globe:

The Beast is carried all around the globe in a C-17 Globemaster aircraft. The limo travels wherever the President travels. The Globemaster aircraft is also equipped with a second limo, a heavily armored Chevrolet Suburban Communications vehicle.

12.   President never travels alone:

Inside the Beast, apart from the driver and the President himself, the President’s lead secret service protective agent also travels in the car. The Beast can accommodate 7 passengers.

Vehicle Insurance to get costlier

Vehicle insurance is all set to get costlier from April 1, 2016. The Union budget presented in the parliament has prompted the hike in insurance rates of different vehicles. Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDA) has confirmed a hike of up to 40 % in third party motor insurance premium rates for the year 2016-2017.

The hike for vehicles falling under different category is as follows:

Vehicle Category	Percentage hike
Cars under 1500 cc	40 %
Cars above 1500 cc	25 %
Motorcycles under 75 cc	9.6 %
Motorcycles between 75 cc and 150 cc	15 %
Motorcycles between 150 cc and 350 cc	25 %
Motorcycles beyond 350 cc	-10 %
Auto rickshaws	3.2 %
Public Carriers	15 to 30 %
Goods vehicles or trucks (below 12,000 kgs)	0 %

Tata Tiago launch date and features

Tata’s brand new hatchback Tiago is all set to release on April 6^th, 2016 in India. The car will look to gain more popularity which its previous models such as Vista and Bolt couldn’t. Tiago is expected to be launched with a starting price of INR 3.80 lakhs and will give direct competition to Hyundai i10 and Maruti Celerio.

Here are some of the features that we can expect with the launch of Tiago:

·         1.2 liter petrol engine Revotron XZ would generate 84 bhp and a torque of 114 Nm.

·         1.05 liter diesel engine Revotorq XZ would generate 69 bhp and a torque of 140 Nm.

·         Petrol engine would give a mileage around 21 kmpl.

·         Diesel engine would give a mileage around 25.8 kmpl.

·         Both petrol and diesel variants will only have manual transmission. No automatic on offer.

·         Integrated music system, electric mirror and chilled glovebox.

·         Harman’s 8 speaker sound system, which is the best in this class.

·         2 dedicated smartphone apps developed especially for Tiago users- turn by turn navigation app and juke car app.

·         Driver can switch between ECO mode and CITY mode to vary engine performance.

·         A boot space of 240 liters.

·         Dual front air-bags.

·         ABS and EBD system installed

What happens when we add petrol in a diesel car or vice-versa?

This is a very common doubt among people of all ages. Firstly, we should understand the common differences between petrol and diesel.

·         Petrol has higher self-ignition temperature (246 °C), compared to diesel (210 °C)

·         Petrol engines use spark plugs to ignite the petrol, whereas diesel self ignites due to the temperature and pressure created during compression ratio.

·         Petrol is highly volatile compared to diesel.

·         If petrol is ignited in a cylinder having a compression ratio exceeding 11:1, knocking becomes a common phenomenon.

·         Diesel needs to be injected at a very high pressure (1000 bar to 2000 bar) so that it is atomized and readily burns when injected inside the combustion chamber. Petrol is injected or mixed with air at a very low pressure of 2 to 4 bar.

When petrol is added in a diesel engine:

The temperature and pressure created during compression stroke will be very high in diesel engines. This will result in self-ignition of petrol. It will lead to knocking creating loud thumping noises. It will put a lot of stress on piston and cylinder walls leading to damage.

When diesel is added in a petrol engine:

The engine won’t start simply because diesel is less volatile and will not mix with air to form a combustible mixture. Diesel has to be atomized to make sure it burns readily when injected. But the fuel injectors in petrol engines don’t develop enough pressure to atomize diesel. Hence, combustion doesn’t take place.

Colors of Exhaust Fumes

The color of the exhaust from a vehicle can give us an idea about what's happening inside the engine. Vehicle owners should pay special attention if the exhaust is colored. It indicates any possible default in your engine such as unburned fuel, burning of engine oil, damaged valve and piston parts, etc.

Blue/ Gray smoke:

Blue smoke is a clear indication of burning of engine oil or other lubricants during combustion. The valve seats when damaged can allow few amount of lubricant oil to leak through it and that oil mixes with the air-fuel charge and later when it is burned, produces blue colored smoke. It may also occur in cases where the piston rings are worn out and engine oil seeps through it from crankcase. The engine oil burns with the fuel and produces blue smoke. One should regularly check the engine oil levels. If the parts are worn out, it should be replaced with new ones to avoid ant further issues. Excess oil levels can also cause this problem, hence oil level should be maintained properly.

White smoke:

White smoke is a result of the coolant being burned during combustion. Cracked cylinder head, blown head gasket and cracked cylinder blocks can help the coolant to seep through and burn during combustion. White smoke can also be caused by condensation when the engine is too cold or when water gets vaporized during combustion.

Black smoke:

Burning too much fuel can result in black smoke. Less amount of air can lead to incomplete fuel combustion. Clogged air filter, carburetor malfunction, fuel injector malfunction, improper ignition timing are some of the causes for incomplete fuel combustion

Ford Mustang in India

Finally after 51 years since its production began, Mustang will make an entry in the Indian market. The launch is expected to take place most probably in the second quarter of 2016. It is also the first time that Mustang will be launched with a right hand drive steering set-up.



Ford is most likely to import the completely assembled unit and will offer two engine variants: a 5 litre Ti-VCT V8 engine which can produce 420 horsepower and 542 Nm torque and the seconds option is a 2.3 litre 4 cylinder Ecoboost engine which can produce 311 horsepower and 320 Nm torque. Both the engines will have a 6 speed automatic gearbox.


The price of Mustang with 5 litre engine will be around 55 lacs to 60 lacs, and the price of the car with 2.3 litre engine is expected to be around 40 lacs to 45 lacs.

Jaguar Land Rover Post its best October sales ever in October 2015

Jaguar Land Rover, UK's leading luxury vehicles manufacturer has reported its best ever October sales in October 2015. The brand reported to have sold 41,553 units globally, up by 24% over October 2014. The company has also seen a rise in the overall sales this year by 2%, selling 390,965 units in the first ten months of 2015.

Andy Goss, Jaguar Land Rover's Group Sales Operations Director commented on the performance, "Our October performance has been driven by very positive market response to the Jaguar XE and Land Rover Discovery Sport, as well as a solid increase in sales of the Range Rover Sport, Land Rover Discovery and Range Rover. Regional retail sales growth was strong, with USA and UK having their best ever October and Europe significantly up on last year. It is also encouraging to see overall sales in China picking up again, reflecting increased demand for the Range Rover Sport and Range Rover, as well as start of sales of the Jaguar XE."

“With the new Jaguar XF and 16 Model Year XJ joining our line-up and orders now being taken for the F-PACE in UK and Europe, our ambitious ongoing expansion and refresh of our product portfolio will continue to grow sales in the coming months.”

Retail sales were up by 74% in North America, and 40% in UK compared to previous year. This significantly reflected in the overall global sales percentage to rise up. The sales were up by 24% in Europe and 9% in China. Sales in other international markets were down by 5%.

Land Rover retailed 34,086 vehicles in the month, up by 21% in year-on-year. This is the best October yet for Land Rover. Its calendar year-to-date 2015 sales reached 323,353, up by 2% on the previous year. The models which topped the list were the Land Rover Discovery, up by 41% year-on-year, Range Rover Sport, up by 40% year-on-year. and the Range Rover, up by 21%. The new Discovery Sport has surged in popularity, selling 7182 in the month.

On the other hand, Jaguar recorded an increase of 39% year-on-year in sales. It sold 7,467 units, thanks to the new Jaguar XE model whose 3,515 units were sold.

Toyota recalls 6.5 million cars over faulty power window switch

Toyota has recalled 6.5 million cars worldwide to replace the faulty power window switch. The manufacturers said that the recalled cars were manufactured in Japan between January 2005 and August 2006, and between August 2008 and June 2010. It also includes cars being recalled which were manufactured outside Japan between August 2005 and August 2006, and between January 2009 and December 2010.

Around 2.7 million cars from North America, 1.2 million cars from Europe and 60,000 cars from Japan were recalled. Japan's auto giant said that the power window master switch may have not been lubricated consistently during the manufacturing process. Debris may accumulate due to insufficient grease and can eventually lead to short circuit and cause fire hazard.

The models that are recalled are Matrix, Highlander, RAV4, Camry, Tundra, Sequoia and Scion XB. Toyota dealers will inspect the switch and apply heat resistant grease and also replace the internal circuit board if the switch isn't working properly.