The upcoming Range Rover Evoque will get additional equipment set as per new reports. As of now we know that there will be a new touchscreen infotainment system to go with, and a lot more new features for the interiors. With the summer launch of the 2017 Evoque, we will know more about the car.

As of now, we know that a Special Edition Ember variant in Black and Red combination has been launched. There need to be some detailed reports to figure out what the Special Edition has in addition to the regular Evoque.

So far we know that the 2017 Evoque will come with a huge 10.2-inch touchscreen advanced infotainment system with InControl Touch Pro system. This is the same one in the new convertible version of the Evoque, and in the Jaguar XE, XF, and F-Pace.

The InControl Touch Pro system enables pinch in and out zoom feature like in Smartphones. It also functions as a home screen that can be customized. The screen resolution will be 1280×542 pixels, thereby making an 8 percent improvement on the previous 8-inch screen. The system will be offered on the Evoque HSE Dynamic, Dynamic Lux, and the Autobiography variants.

The changes made to the exterior design too are worth noticing. There will be a total of 18 exterior paint options. The list will include new colors called Aruba, a mysterious new color, Farallon Black, Carpathian Grey, which will be a matte looking paint, and Silicon Silver, which will be a shinier version. All these new paint options will be premium metallic colors.

Now coming to the Ember Edition model, the Special Edition version will have a turbo diesel engine which will be mated to a 9-speed AT, and will offer 180BHP of peak power. The roof of the model will be Firenze Red color and the body will be Santorini Black. The interiors too will follow the black and red color theme, with mostly black elements with red accents.

The Evoque Ember is a limited edition car which marks the celebration of 520,000 sold units of the Evoque worldwide. The car will be on sale only for three months with the launch beginning early summer.

The Range Rover logo will be boldly placed in front in black paint and the Evoque logo will sit at the back in black and silver finishing. The red color will not only be present on the top of the roof, but also on the front and the back bumpers, thereby, giving the car an evenly distributed yet subtle fiery theme.

The 2017 Evoque will come very soon once the production takes full acceleration, and the waiting period too will be short, as the car is being produced at the Halewood plant in the United Kingdom, where it takes just about 80 seconds for a new piece to roll off.

The price of the car is a little bit of a bummer. The base variant will start from $50,000. For better understanding, this is an Indian equivalent of INR 33.35 lac. However, for those who like the Evoque and the Ember Edition already, the ride experience and status make the car worth the price.

Launched in the country on 22^nd April, the Bentley Bentagya is the most luxurious car of recent times. Designed exclusively for the richest, this SUV has become the most expensive SUV so far.

The model starts at INR 3.8 crore and the top trim variant, loaded with luxurious features costs INR 6 crore. The first piece of the most expensive variant was exclusively booked for the Queen of England. Hence, one can understand the status of this car, and the required status qualifications to even dream about it.

Though most of us reading this article would never have the riches to buy a car like this, it does not harm to take a look, either in awe, or just out of a little bit of curiosity. The name Bentagya comes from the Spanish mountains, the black peaks of Roque Bentagya.

The luxury SUV gets all the luxury treatment with over 20-inch alloys, panoramic glass roof, and the most premium interiors including plush leather upholstery, handcrafted wooden dash, and the best infotainment system.

Now, we can talk about the engine and performance of this super luxurious car and find out if it all is worth the price. The SUV runs on a 6.0 liter W12 engine with twin turbocharged fuel. It offers peak power output of up to 610PS, which is almost 602BHP, at 5,000-6,000rpm. The maximum torque output is 900Nm between 1,250-4,500rpm. The transmission system of the car includes an 8-speed AT.

Being addressed as the “World’s fastest SUV” on almost all websites that the car is being spoken of, it is probably good to know the real specs of some others. Amidst random claims that the Bentagya is the world’s fastest car and the most expensive one in India, here are some statistics.

The SUV can go from 0-100kmph in exactly 4.0 seconds, which is almost a second faster than the BMW X6 M model, and the R8 V10 from Audi, but a little slower than the Panamera Turbo S, and 0.8 seconds slower than the Bugatti Veyron.

The maximum speed the car can achieve is 301kmph. All these specs are pretty impressive. However, a few other luxury SUVs, like the Audi, Bugatti and Panamera mentioned above, the Mercedes-Benz model SLS AMG, and also the Chevrolet Corvette ZR1, are actually faster than the Bentagya, with some of them having a peak speed limit of 350kmph and even 420kmph.

As far as the price is concerned, even the top INR 6 crore mark of the Bentagya is way below the INR 12.0 crore mark of the Veyron. The Chevy Corvette ZR1 is likely to start from INR 7.0 crore. The Range Rover Sport Autobiography Edition too will be a competitor of the Bentagya in India.

Hence, though the Bentley Bentagya apparently looks like the hottest deal around, it is actually lesser efficient than some cars worldwide, and also, a lot less expensive than some of them too. The deliveries of the car in India will start from June, and there will be only 20 units allotted to the Indian market for 2016.

The all new Toyota Innova Crysta is just days away from its market launch in India, and is obviously being stocked up by the authorized Toyota dealers across the country. Thus, it is no surprise that the Innova Crysta has been just spied at a dealership yard in Mumbai. This simply indicates that the second generation Toyota Innova Crysta’s Indian launch is most imminent.

The new generation Toyota Innova Crysta was unveiled in India at the 2016 Auto Expo by the Japanese car major, while it is scheduled to hit the car market of India for sale on 3^rd of May 2016. The new Toyota Innova Crysta is going to replace the first generation Innova which has been India’s all-time favorite MPV, segment ruler and the bestselling product from the house of Toyota Kirloskar Motor India.

Most of the crucial information regarding the all new Toyota Innova Crysta MPV has been already leaked over the internet. As per the reports, the top of the range model of the Innova Crysta will be one of the most loaded new MPV models in the market with a number of premium features that will be offered as standard. The range topping Innova Crysta model will obviously come with all the bells and whistles and offer interesting features such as smart entry, pushbutton start/stop and an extensive package of seven airbags as standard. Other features on the top ZX trim model will include ABS with EBD and BA, automatic projector headlights, 17 inch alloy wheels, 7 inch touchscreen integrated audio system with navigation, premium wooden trim on the steering wheel and much more.

It is already a well known fact that the all new Toyota Innova Crysta is a much more premium and bolder looking vehicle as compared against its predecessor. It flaunts a new aggressive design language and is based on a new generation platform that is stronger and lighter than before, which makes the MPV safer along with enhanced handling. The second gen Innova Crysta is a bigger MPV and 150 mm longer, 70 mm wider and 35 mm taller than the previous model, while retaining the same wheelbase. The Innova Crysta measures 4,735 mm in length, 1,830 mm in width and 1,795 mm in height and sits on a wheelbase that measures 2,750 mm.

The new-gen Toyota Innova Crysta comes powered by a new engine lineup as well. Under the hood, it gets a 2.4L and a 2.8L GD diesel motor choice. The smaller mill is capable of churning out 149 PS of max power and 343 Nm of peak torque, while the larger engine pumps out 177 PS of power and 360 Nm of torque. The engines will come mated to the transmission options of a 5 speed manual and a 6 speed automatic transmission gearboxes. The AT option will be available only on the base GX and the range topping ZX variants.

Post its Indian launch the new Toyota Innova Crysta will be locking its horns with the Renault Lodgy and Honda Mobilio.

India’s second largest car maker, Hyundai Motor is currently basking in the tremendous success of the Creta compact SUV. The South Korean car major already has a commendable SUV lineup in India that includes the Santa Fe, Creta and the i20 Active crossover, and wishes to further strengthen it in order to make the most of the ever growing and highly potential SUV market of India. Hyundai India is already planning to re-launch the Tucson SUV in the domestic car market this year, while it is also working on a sub-4 meter compact SUV to go up against the newly launched Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza.

Hyundai Motor India has already revealed its plans of launching one new product in the domestic auto industry every year in order to grab more market shares. In this current calendar year of 2016, the South Korean car company will be bringing back the Tucson brand by launching the new Tucson premium SUV while in 2017 it will launch the new generation Hyundai Verna premium SUV. Hyundai India had also drawn a lot of attention by unveiling the Carlino subcompact concept at the 2016 Auto Expo in the month of February. And although the company said that it is only studying the market for such a product, several reports have confirmed that the South Korean auto giant has already started working on a new mini SUV based on the Carlino concept, which is expected to launch sometime in 2017.

It is being said that the Hyundai HexaSpace concept based new MPV project has got delayed just to prioritize the introduction of the Carlino based sub-4 meter compact SUV in India. The reason is very simple and clear, while the demand for the compact MPV models in India is very less, the sub-compact SUVs are the new rage. Capable compact MPVs such as the Renault Lodgy, Honda Mobilio and Nissan Evalia are witnessing poor sales, while even the very popular Maruti Ertiga MPV has received a comparatively dull market response recently. On the other hand, the sub-compact SUV models such as the newly launch Maruti Vitara Brezza is receiving superb market response, while the Mahindra TUV300, Mahindra KUV100 and the Ford EcoSport are all selling very well.

The sub-4 meter compact SUV market of India is a very popular and highly potential segment. Thus, all the car majors are very eager to launch their own mini SUV representatives as soon as possible. Indian car major Tata Motors will launch its highly awaited Nexon subcompact SUV by the end of 2016, while Honda is also preparing a new mini SUV reportedly named as the WR-V, which is expected to launch in 2017 or early 2018.

The Hyundai Carlino based mini crossover will be pinned on the Elite i20 platform like the incredibly popular Creta. The Carlino subcompact SUV will be available in both petrol and diesel versions and could be powered by a 1.4L petrol motor and the 1.4L U2 CRDi diesel mill. Transmission options might include a 5 speed manual and an automatic gearbox.

The sub-4 meter compact SUV as well as the sub-4 meter compact sedan segments are increasingly becoming popular in India. The heavy demands for these two body styles of vehicles have led to the car majors operating in India to work urgently and offer their own representatives in these two segments in order to take a piece of the sweet profit pie. The reason that the subcompact SUV and sedans are highly in demand is that they are more affordable that their full sized avatars while offering the same sort of benefits. Also a sub-4 meter car is highly city friendly owing to their compact size, while their small car category means tax benefits resulting in highly competitive price tags, which is a win-win situation for both the car buyers and the car makers.

Considering the high demands of the sub-4 meter compact sedan and SUV models and the car majors’ fight over them, it has been getting speculated for some time that Toyota India is also planning to develop such models to boost its sales in the country. The Japanese car major might be the world’s top selling car maker, but in India its sales are not impressive although Toyota does have segment leaders in some premium segments like the Innova MPV and the Fortuner SUV. Thus, it was thought that the company is looking into the highly popular sub-4 meter categories to reap some great sales figures. However, the company has denied such speculations recently.

While speaking to media, the Vice President at Toyota Kirloskar Motor India, Mr. Naveen Soni has cleared of the air by stating that the company will not be developing an India-specific sub-4 meter compact SUV or a subcompact sedan, despite the fact that these two segments are immensely potential and popular in the domestic car market of India.

Soni said that as far as the sub-4m category of vehicles in the Indian auto industry is concerned, the company doesn’t want to make any tailor-made models that will be India specific, which the company has been saying it won’t be doing as that would be sort of compromised solution in case of a car or an SUV.

This recent company statement further indicates that the company is going to go by what it had said previously about not going the small car way to concentrate only on premium market. Sometime back, Toyota Kirloskar Motor India had announced that it will not be focusing on the small car market of India anymore and will shift its focus towards the premium car segments of the country, as the company wishes to remain premium as it best produces high quality cars rather than low-cost cars. Toyota India already has a strong presence in the premium car market of India and is likely to strengthen that further. Toyota India is also going to launch the all new Innova Crysta on 3^rd May, while the new-gen Fortuner is likely to come by the end of the year.

On the other hand, for low cost cars Toyota India is planning to introduction the Daihatsu brand in India.

The brand new Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza is a highly important new product from the largest car maker in India. Vitara Brezza is a new entrant in the intensely potential Indian sub-compact SUV segment; is the company’s first ever compact SUV model and the first project to be lead and developed fully in India by Maruti.

Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza has the potential to be a new game changer for the company, as despite Maruti’s limited presence in the SUV market, its first ever subcompact model has already created a stir in the market. Vitara Brezza is currently in a huge battle with the popular Ford EcoSport and relatively new Mahindra TUV300, and it need not be said that the competition in this space is only going to get more intense as Hyundai, Honda and Tata Motors are all readying up their subcompact SUV models.

Here is a look at Maruti Suzuki’s new market hit – the brand new Vitara Brezza:

Styling

The Vitara Brezza is certainly an overall good looking vehicle. It is not flamboyant and its neat and smart look is its mantra of visual appeal. It looks like a perfect mix of a sporty hatchback and a SUV and unlike any other vehicle in the current Indian market. It does not try hard to look like a SUV and gives a miss to all the extra cladding and ornamentation, while managing to look sporty and attractive effortlessly. It looks larger than its actual size and its dual-tone exterior color scheme is again really appealing and a first among its rivals.

Interiors

The Brezza is a bit smaller than its market rivals, but is a pleasantly spacious and comfortable vehicle, although a bit of more legroom and shoulder space at the rear would have been more appreciated. It gets well supported seats to offer comfort during long distance drives. The overall cabin is pleasant with decent material quality and styling and it offers a comfort zone which feels more like a family sedan.

Features like all-black interior scheme, user friendly touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay support, pushbutton start/stop, standard driver’s side airbag and many more make the Brezza a good value for money car.

Under the hood

The Maruti Vitara Brezza comes powered by the tried and tested 1.3 liter turbocharged diesel mill that offers 90 PS of power at 4,000 rpm and 200 Nm of torque at 1,750 rpm. The subcompact SUV comes with a certified fuel efficiency of 24.3kmpl, making it the most fuel efficient SUV in India.

The refined diesel mill offers overall good performance, while the Brezza also manages to not sound like a diesel car at all, as its cabin is impressively quite. High fuel efficiency although makes it a rather slow car in the congested city roads, but it feels great on the highways. However, being light weight, the Brezza makes up its lack luster low-end torque.

Conclusion

The Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza is not a flawless vehicle, but is an overall impressive package. All its great qualities can effectively make it the segment topper.

This year’s Bangkok International Motor Show unveiled numerous new concepts and models. One of them is the recently launched Chevrolet Captiva facelift. The Captiva facelift launched in Thailand, at a price equivalent to INR 30 lac.

The top trim variant is the one that costs close to INR 30 lac. Precisely priced at 1,549,000 Baht, the car is the LTZ All-Wheel Drive variant of the facelift. The Captiva lineup is on sale all over Thailand.

For the Indian market, another facelift of the Captiva is unlikely this year because it got one in 2015 itself. 2017 could bring the current Thailand spec to the Indian market, but that is only speculation.

Since the Indian market is not getting this facelift anytime soon, here is what we are missing out on. The latest facelift of the Captiva gets a lot of cosmetic changes on the front fascia, as well as on the back profile. There are new 19-inch alloy wheels, auto projector headlights, which are also accompanied with LED daytime running lights, and LED tail lamps. The back end also features new dual exhausts.

The interiors get equal attention with a lot of upgrades for the new facelift. The interiors are much more sophisticated on the new Captiva. There is a new dual-tone dashboard with deep silver inserts distinguishing between the theme colors. There is a new 7-inch MyLink infotainment system on the center console. With Apple CarPlay featured with the infotainment system, the Captiva will be Thailand’s first car to come with ApplePlay.

The 7-seater car gets perforated leather upholstery. The driver’s seat is electrically adjustable. Also, there is keyless entry feature with start/stop feature. The car also features cruise control, dual-zone temperature control, and tire pressure monitoring facility.

Safety features include the common features that have become the norm of every standard SUV. For example, ABS with EBD, Electronic Stability Control, reverse view cam, and Electronic Parking Brake system. In addition to these there are some advanced safety features like forward collision alert, and automatic balance for the rear suspension.

The engine options that are available in the Thailand spec facelift of the Captiva include a turbo diesel unit and a flex-fuel unit. The diesel engine comes in a 2.0 liter package that offers up to 163BHP and 400Nm. The other engine is a 2.4 liter unit that gives up to 167BHP and 230Nm. The transmission system on offer is a 6-speed automatic gearbox with DSC.

The new facelift is based on a breakthrough design platform that comes with improved entertainment features and safety features. The new facelift has been named the 2016 Captiva Revv, ‘Revv’ standing for ‘Revolution’ of the ‘Revved up’ new technology.

The sales have picked up in the Vietnamese market with an encouraging incentive on offer for the first buyers who booked their car within March. With the new revolutionary design language, the new Captiva Revv is expected to do better than its predecessor in the global market which has only started with the Thailand market.

J.D. Power which is known for rating various car models as per its performance, from the customer’s point of view, has released its latest findings as to which car model fared well. The research that J.D. Power conducted has hailed three Hyundai car models to have lesser problems experienced by their owners. All problems are summarized as the number of problems per 100 vehicles (PP100), with a lower PP100 score indicating a lower incidence of problems and higher initial quality. The study was done as per the problems recorded in newly purchased cars during the initial six months of ownership.

Hyundai cars ruled the roost with Eon topping the entry compact segment with a record of 78 problems measured per 100 units. The other Hyundai models such as Hyundai i10 and Hyundai Elite i20/Active were placed on the top in the compact segment and the premium compact segment respectively. As per the analysis performed by J.D. Power, Hyundai i10 recorded 83 PP100 and Hyundai Elite i20/Active came up with 61 PP100.

Apart from Hyundai car models which stood first in three of the eight category segments, the other car models which topped the charts in other segments were Honda Brio, Honda City and Toyota Etios. Now, we all are well aware of the fact that there is a growing sense of incline of the Indian automobile buyers towards the SUV and MUV vehicles. Toyota Innova and Ford EcoSport was deemed as the best models with the least problems per 100 vehicles in the MUV/MPV and the SUV segment respectively.

Further praising the enhanced and ever-growing manufacturing capabilities of the Indian automakers, the executive director, J.D. Power, Singapore said, “The industry overall has made significant strides in improving the quality of vehicles, dramatically reducing defects and malfunctions”.

Some of the key parameters which was monitored in vehicle models to draw conclusions regarding its performance were engine and transmission; HVAC; driving experience; vehicle exterior; features, controls and displays; vehicle interior; seats; and audio, entertainment and navigation.

The entire evaluation process was based on the inputs received from 8,438 vehicle owners who purchased vehicles between November 2014 and July 2015. 69 car models were targeted to come up with conclusive findings regarding its performance.

Its is quite evident from the evaluations made by J.D Power that the quality of the vehicles have improved in the past years which also indicates that the Indian automobile industry is heading in the right direction.

The evaluations also exposed some key findings which pointed out that the owners who are briefed about the features of their vehicles report fewer problems as compared to the owners who do not receive such briefings. It’s the owners who have faced less problems with their vehicles are more likely to recommend their vehicle model to their family and friends as compared to the owners who experience more problems. Henceforth, it has become very important for car makers to ensure that the vehicle models that they are selling do well in the first six months.

The new upcoming Hyundai Genesis G90 that is expected to hit the market in the month of December this, has been spotted on the road by spy shutterbugs. The new G90 is going to be the replacement model of the popular Equus premium sedan and is going to be a part of the new luxury car model lineup in the newly formed luxury brand Genesis from Hyundai.

The new upcoming Hyundai Genesis G90 flaunts great design and alluring premium looks which looks premium-most in the entire Genesis lineup. Like the new Genesis G90, there will be several new premium models that will join and expand the Genesis luxury lineup in the future.

South Korean car major Hyundai formed the Genesis luxury brand in the same name as its top of the range Genesis sedan. Hyundai’s Genesis brand is like the Lexus luxury brand from Toyota, and many such luxury car brands from several global car majors which are made separate entities in order to draw the attention of the luxury car buyers with unique up-class products. Hyundai aims to build a strong ground in the global luxury car segment with its recently announced Genesis brand.

The Genesis sedan is a full-sized 4 door, luxury sedan that can seat 5 passengers. The sedan comes with rear wheel drive system and is a well accepted luxury car in the global car market. The first generation Genesis was powered by a wide range of engines including a V6 and V8 petrol units that were coupled with a choice of a 6 speed or an 8 speed automatic transmission. The next generation model that launched back in the year 2013 was named as the Equus which came with an extended wheelbase to offer enhanced interior space and comfort. This gets powered by a pair of V6 engines and a top of the range 5.0 liter V8 petrol unit.

The spy shots of the new Genesis G90 reveal that the luxury sedan has even become larger than the Equus and might also be positioned a segment higher than the Equus. The car flaunts a premium and aggressive front fascia with large hexagonal radiator grille looks, sleek headlights, while it has a neat non-flamboyant side profile. The car gets stylish 19 inch alloy wheels that are wrapped with low profile sporty looking tyres. The luxury sedan’s rear design seems to be similar to the Mercedes-Benz S-Class.

The Genesis G90 could carry over the same powertrain optins from the current Equus, meaning the V6 and V8 engines which are likely to be coupled with 8 speed automatic transmission. If the Genesis G90 sit above the Equus, then there could be another Equus replacer that is rumored to be called the G80, while there is another new car to be placed below the G80 which is speculated as the G70.

On the whole, Hyundai has all plans to grow its luxury brand Genesis with many luxurious new car models going ahead.

The new Mercedes SL Class got a grand debut at the LA Auto Show recently. The Sportlich-Leicht, yes, that is the German story behind the SL class, first went in production in 1954. The SL stands for Sport Lightweight in English. The sixth generation SL Class is now over 4 years old and needs a mid-life facelift with the latest upgrade.

Mercedes-Benz had displayed 32 high resolution pictures of the new SL Class, which managed to tease the world with revelations about the new facelift. The SL Class now looks sharper and sportier with the recent changes made. For those of us who did not have the luck to be the lucky few at the 2015 Los Angeles Motor Show, here is all about the changes Mercedes made to the SL Class.

The front fascia will feature a new grille which helps the SL Class identify with the rest of the Mercedes family. The diamond grille is the signature style definition for the SL Class. The SL Class will get new LED daytime running lights that look similar to the AMG GT lights. The bumper has been revamped and the bonnet too has been redesigned. The SL Class will now feature new outside rear view mirrors and alloy wheels.

The rear end of the 2016 Mercedes-Benz SL Class looks similar to that of the CL Class. The bumper has been revised to accommodate new diffusers. There will be LED tail lights to match up to the revisions in the front fascia. The rear hood has got a sculpted design with the Mercedes-Benz logo placed in the center. The rear end also gets a small spoiler.

The SL Class will have an AMG version, which will stand for a sportier appearance and ride handling. The AMG version will be getting quad-AMG exhausts and carbon fiber accents for the lower bumper and also for the side sills.

The car also has its convertible surprise just at a push of a button. The roof withdraws smoothly into the back and reveals the sporty roadster class of the car. The car will be available in two new color options, blue, and grey. Mercedes-Benz deliberately added two classy colors, keeping in mind the class of purchasers for the model. The wheels are 5-spoke or 10-spoke ones and get a high-gloss back color.

The interior design features ambient light with a red or blue or white color option for the upholstery and other interior color layout. The SL Class will feature a 3-spoke steering wheel. The airbags also get detailed Nappa leather stitching.

The Super Light car gets a 12 buttons navigation menu that controls the audio system as well. The instrument cluster neatly packs all the buttons for a clean look and a convenient handling of the buttons while on the go. There are two tubes on the instrument cluster to display the speed and rotations per minute.

The SL Class also gets the Keyless-Go feature with remote control access for the boot. The boot can be opened with a simple kick below the bumper. The SL Class will be available in 4 variants, namely the SL 400 and SL 500, and the AMG variants, SL63 and SL65.