Daily Archives: February 27, 2014
The 2015 Volvo XC90
Volvo’s XC90 made its first ever appearance in the year 2003 and it hasn’t undergone any major changes since then. Yet. For the year 2015, the Volvo XC90 will go under the knife for good as the automakers plan to redesign it in all ways possible. Today, when each and every model usually gets an update in about five years or so, the Volvo XC90 remain unchanged for about ten years and it was high time that the brand thought about buffing it up for the new age SUV lovers. The major reasons to stick to the good old design of the Volvo XC90 were safety and minimalistic design, which is signature for the brand. However, due to a rapid advancement in design and performance of its competitors, the redesign became crucial to the 2015 Volvo XC90.
There has been no official unveiling of the exact redesigned skin for the 2015 Volvo XC90. But there have been guesses and anticipation. Many are considering the XC Coupe Concept as a foretaste for the design of the XC90 SUV. After all, there’s only a little difference. A coupe has two doors while an SUV has four along with more seats. Imagining the 2015 Volvo XC90 is easy. An erect grille, extended hood and a broadened rear with newly designed taillamps is what that should be seriously included into the design of the 2015 Volvo XC90 to make it look more defined and aggressive. As a matter of fact, along with a completely redesigned front fascia and rear, the 2015 Volvo XC90 will be underpinned by a new platform which is anticipated to reduce the weight of the SUV dramatically.
The all new 2015 Volvo XC90 will be powered by a 2.0 liter turbocharged four cylinder engine mated with an eight speed automatic transmission. While there are not much precise details about the trim levels and other powertrains, there is news that the upper trims could feature more powerful engines making up to 300 ponies. Another big news associated with the release of the 2015 Volvo XC90 is that there is a great possibility of Volvo knocking down the Mitsubishi’s soon to release Outlander Plug-In Hybrid, by launching the XC90 PHEV in the summer of 2015. This PHEV model is likely to feature the similar 2.0 liter turbocharged, direct injected engine along with two electric motors to offer both front-wheel and all wheel drives. This, again, is expected to produce about 300 horses of power.
The safety features get enhanced for the model year 2015 as the Volvo XC90 could possible feature night-time pedestrian detection, adaptive cruise control, steering assist and correction and collision protection along with the already present amazing safety features.
The 2015 Volvo XC90 is most likely to set the roads on fire in the wake of the year 2015. The starting price is estimated to be about $42,000. While it faces tough competition with models like the Acura MDX and GMC Acadia which are family SUVs at a more affordable price, the Volvo XC90 would surely be a hit!
Tata Motors Reveals Its New Nexon SUV Concept!
The developing nation of India promises huge potentials in every industry related field, and the automobile industry is no far behind! The country’s appetite for crossover SUVs has grown many folds during the last few years, with numerous major car makers like BMW, Audi, Renault, Ford, etc. introducing their respective models in the market and earning out huge profits. However, the nation’s very own leading automaker, Tata Motors has now decided to enter the sector as well! The largely successful company revealed its new Nexon Crossover SUV Concept at the 2014 Auto Expo that was organised in the country’s capital city. The company, working on its oath to present the country with two new vehicles every year, had also unveiled two more concepts at the event – the Tata Bolt and the Tata Zest.
The Tata Nexon Concept has been precisely aimed to compete against the Ford EcoSport and the Renault Duster SUVs, which have currently occupied large proportions of the SUV market of the country. Also, India’s other major automobile company, Maruti, has planned to launch a SUV in the crossover segment as well. The Nexon SUV will be known by the name Maruti XA Alpha.
The Nexon SUV concept that was unveiled at the 2014 Auto Expo was quite fancy and impressive! The company revealed the vehicle with scissor doors as well as floating seats. The exterior was painted a bright blue, and the interiors featured a neon blue touch throughout’ imparting a futuristic touch to the Nexon SUV. However, the production model of the SUV will be very much different from the one mentioned above. Unfortunately, the amazing floating seats will not be present in the production model, nor will be the scissor doors. The company also stated that the exteriors of the cars are also largely tentative. However, there might be no or very slight changes to the dimensions of the vehicle, which means that the car would stay a crossover only. The vehicle is currently 4 metres long, 1.6 metres tall and 1.73 metres wide. The body is built on the X1 platform, with a wheel base of 2.54 metres.
Under the hood, the Nexon SUV features a 3 cylinder 1200cc engine powered by petrol. The engine will be fed a turbocharged fuel mixture, enabling it to churn out a total of 110 PS of maximum power and 170 Nm of torque. The Nexon SUV will offer a 5 speed automatic transmission system and the vehicle will deliver an impressive fuel economy of over 17.5 kilometres per litre! The company showcased the Nexon SUV with a 17 inch wheel set. However, it is being said that the vehicle will come with a 16 inch wheel set after production.
As far as customization options are considered, the company said that the Nexon SUV will feature a very wide array of customizable features, the most notable one being the option of including an electric four wheel drive system. So far, the concept promises a lot! After the Mahindra XUV 500 has been exported to various foreign markets, let’s see how this Indian SUV fares!
Renault Kwid – A Peek Into The Future
In the world of the futuristic concept automobiles, one can find many innovative and creative ideas in the crossover SUV field as well. From unique exterior looks to innovative features or performance systems, you will find them all. However, the well reputed French automobile giant, Renault, decided to step things up a notch. The consequent result of this decision was the Renault Kwid SUV Concept.
As we dug deeper into the features and the looks of the SUV, we quickly concluded that the SUV will target young customers looking for fancy and aggressive rides, combining style and technology together. Worthy of mentioning, the Renault Kwid features so many of unique technical features and looks that it definitely looks like a new generation revolutionary vehicle. Some might even go as far as calling the design of the vehicle impractical. But hey! Even the airplane model made by the Wright Brothers back in history was called impractical, wasn’t it?
Look at the exteriors of Renault Kwid and you will notice an aggressive looking sturdy design which at the same time, looks extremely futuristic. To top it all, the company revealed the model with a steel finish, accompanied by shiny yellow touches here and there. The front grill is also painted yellow. It might sound quite awkward but wait till you get a look at the thing! The vehicle looks really mighty and yes, futuristic.
Now if you thought the exteriors were a bit too much, wait till we introduce you to the interiors. The vehicle features a completely new and opposite interior layout as compared to the modern cars. There is a space for three passengers in the front while two in the rear. Another very strange thing about the interiors is the fact that the driver sits in the centre of the car, while the two front passengers sit in the sides, turned a bit away to the outwards so as to keep the interference with the driver controls to a minimum. Also, the looks of the interiors of the car suggest that Spiderman might have practiced his targeting skills there, as the entire space is covered by thick band like designs.
And if you thought that Renault is done with this, then you’re wrong. The most impressive and daring feature that comes with the car is a quad copter. Yes, you read it right. A drone. The SUV comes with a drone, which can be controlled wirelessly with the help of a tablet device, which also comes with the car itself. Now if you get stuck in a jam, just take your badass quad copter out and fly around to see what’s going on ahead!
Getting under the hood, we found a 1200cc engine powered by petrol and turbocharged with the help of a turbocharger. The engine of Renault Kwid will be mated to a dual clutch transmission system, adding to the uniqueness of the car. Further features include high tech stuff like electrically controlled doors, touchscreen controlled gear shifting (with the help of a screen placed by the steering wheel), etc. With such unique innovations, the Renault Kwid might now really face any stiff competition. But, will it be practical enough to attract buyers?
Honda’s New Vision XS – 1 SUV Replaces Vezel!
The 2014 Auto Expo held in India a few weeks earlier saw a very large number of new cars and vehicles line up for display. Many companies of all statures brought their vehicles to the event and flaunted them to the Indian markets. Most of them, of course, had the Indian market on their minds while they were planning to bring their models here. One of these well planned models at the 2014 Auto Expo was the Honda Vision XS – 1 Crossover SUV concept. The SUV has been well planned for the Indian markets and roads, and also features some of the most modern accessories and features of the SUV World.
One thing to note about the Honda Vision XS – 1 concept is that although it is quite small and compact, it features a capacity to carry seven passengers at one time. Yes, it features a third row of seats as well! The concept SUV is very literally a living proof of Ford’s capabilities to fit in all that a local market requires in an appropriate amount of compact space. However, contrary to what one may assume, the interior space of the vehicle appears to be quite spacious and comfortable!
The Honda Vision XS – 1 is quite largely compared to one of the company’s previous compact suv concepts, the Honda Vezel. The Vezel concept SUV was not received very well by SUV lovers as critics. However, the Honda Vision XS – 1 concept is clearly a much more emphatic version of the Vezel concept SUV. As far as the looks of the Honda Vision XS – 1 are considered, it can be said to be a much sportier version of the previous Vezel SUV concept. It will be quite worthy of mentioning that the Honda Vezel concept was unveiled at the Tokyo Auto Salon, and might soon be seen riding the streets of the United States of America.
The technical specifications and features of the car are pretty much unknown to the outside world as the company decided to keep these details to themselves for a while. But as far as the build of the vehicle is considered, one can expect an in line 4 cylinder engines, with a displacement of around 1400cc. The engine would most probably produce a power of around 140 Horse Power and a torque of over 120 Nm. Acceleration statstics of the vehicle are expected to show that it will be capable of going form rest to a speed of 62 miles per hour (100 kilometres per hour) in 10.5 seconds, which is fairly good for a SUV like this one. The top speed is expected to be 120 miles per hour (193 kilometres per hour).
One of the unique things about the car is its doors. The SUV features sliding doors, which are seen only in vans so far. Also, Honda stated quite clearly that the Honda Vision XS – 1 will feature the new “Exciting H Design!!!” that the company recently introduced. The three exclamation marks in the name stand for ‘High Tech’, ‘High Tension’ and ‘High Touch’.
Chevrolet Adra Concept and newly done Beat at the 2014 Indian Auto Expo
At the 2014 Indian Auto Expo, one of the big names in the industry, Chevrolet revealed an all new compact SUV concept with the moniker Adra. Styling cues from the MINI Countryman are amazingly prominent in the design of this new SUV concept which was both conceptualized and materialized solely in India. However, the design is truly international. The lines and contours, the body of the Chevrolet Adra Concept speaks of the brands worldwide design appeal.
While the parent brand, General Motors has not made any official statements about the new Adra Concept making it to production, the concept, the first look was enough to grab a lot of attention at the auto expo. There are no precise numbers and specification available about the 2014 Chevrolet Adra Concept as yet, but this concept can be taken as a fine way to showcase impressive abilities of the Indian Technical Centre of General Motors to develop something essentially indigenous to India yet truly international in its approach. GM was yet to enter the market for compact SUVs in India for there has been a dramatically tremendous growth in this niche. And, it couldn’t have got any better than the Adra Concept.
The Indian Auto Expo, 2014 also brought with itself a newly refurbished Chevrolet Beat. What was most apparent at the moment it was unveiled was the amazing front grille. The new grille of the 2014 Chevrolet Beat is hands down a showstopper. It is bold and it is stylish. The front grille is accompanied by new headlights. These crystal clear headlights are lens based and look even more prominent with the black accent around them. Even the foglights get a new housing. The big show is not just about the front façade of the car. As a matter of fact, the rear of the 2014 Chevrolet Beat has also been worked upon with revamped taillights and an LED inserted, stylish spoiler.
The interior of the 2014 Chevrolet Beat has also been renewed. Besides the new accents in the tone of silver that brighten up the insides, the new Beat also sports a vertically adjustable driver’s seat in all base models. The higher trim levels are set to feature steering mounted audio controls. For people to have no regrets about having not enough options, the automaker will release the 2014 Chevrolet Beat in ten trim levels out of which four will be petrol powered, two will run on Petrol-LPG and the remaining four will be diesel powered. The powertrain of the Beat sees no change for the new model year, which simply translates to an availability of a 1.0 liter three cylinder diesel engine, good for 59 PS and a 1.2 liter petrol motor capable of supplying 80 PS to the vehicle.
Chevrolet made quite an appearance the 2014 Indian Auto Expo with the Adra Concept making the most news, followed by the newly done Beat. Alongside, there were the Chevrolet C7 Corvette, the Chevrolet Trailblazer and the Chevrolet Camaro on display.
