Ten biggest inventions in the car industry

1. First Diesel car in the world : Citroen Rosalie was the first production diesel car in the world. But the official diesel car to be sold commercially was the Mercedez Benz 260D. Both were introduced in 1936. The engine was a 2545cc engine designed by bosch was made 45 bhp and 2000 units had been sold until 1940. The Citroen Rosalie on the other hand had a 1766cc 10 DI diesel engine.

2. First Supercharged car: The first ever supercharged car in the world was the 1921 Mercedes- Benz 6/25/40 hp. Llaunched at the Berlin Automobile Exhibition in September 1921, the 2.6 litre engined 10/40 and the 1.6 litre 6/25 were the first cars to have ever been installed with a supercharger. 


These were the first models with engageable Roots-Type Superchargers and it went on to be used on both Mercedes and Mercedes-Benz road and race cars in the two decades to come with great commercial and racing successes as a direct result.

3. First Turbocharged Car: The first production Turbocharged car was the Oldsmobile Cutlass. The 1962 Oldsmobile Cutlass Jetfire had a Garret Turbo fitted to the car making215bhp. The car was one of the major sales toppers for the company.

4. First Turbo Diesel car: The Mercedes-Benz 300SD (W116) was the first diesel car in the world to be fitted with a Turbocharger. This was one of the most significant car for the company being crowned the car of the year in 1974. Also this was the first car to be officially called the 'S' class.

5. First Bi-turbo car: The first vehicle ever to feature both a supercharger and turbocharger was the Lancia Delta S4. This function also commonly known as twin-charging led to the power from a 1800cc engine to peak at 600bhp.

 6. First Automatic Car: The Oldsmobile Hydramatic was the first car to feature automatic transmission. The ads touted the invention as the best thing since the automatic starter. The main reason for choosing Oldsmobile and not Cadillac was if in case the transmission was a failure, it would not affect Cadillac's image.

7. First integrated electrical lights : The Cadillac Model Thirty was the first car to have a complete integrated electrical lights system installed including an electric starter.

8. First Radio in a car: The 1929 Cadillac and Lasalle range of cars were the first to have a company fitted radio. Daimler cars had previous provided an after market option to install a radio in their cars.

9. First Power windows in a car: The first ever power windows in a car were installed in the 1940 Packard 180 Hydro-Electric car.

10. First Production car to touch 200mph: The first ever production car to touch 200mph was the 1987 Ferrari F40. It was Ferrari's most powerful and fastest car in the day.

 

A decade of romance with Motorcycles

I often hear how my mother used to watch a lot of races on doordarshan(The only channel in the 90's) when I was about to be born. It has also been joked often that I didn't come to life with a slap to my back but by the vibrations of my Grandfather's AJS entering the Clinic's parking.

Jokes apart, it is also true that I am not a professional journalist. I blog on the weekends because it keeps me up to date with the information about bikes and cars. Also, it makes sure I keep things quiet amongst friends who warn often how I might not get that free cup of tea. Neither am I a racer. I have never raced a motorbike or car on the road or circuit (Video games are a completely different matter). But then one doesn't need these qualifications to love the art of motorcycling.




Until the time I was able to ride a cycle, I used to zoom around on a scooter, the one you ride by pushing it ahead with your other leg. I once remember my dad bringing home a Rajdoot from work. It belonged to the person who fixed his faithful Bajaj Chetak. That evening I was on the bike seat all day vrooming the steering left and right. What strengthened the feeling was the fact mentioned by dad that he himself had a similar bike before my grandfather made him sell it after my older sister was born. The Rajdoot was everyday Joe's 2-strok 175cc bike manufactured by Escorts under license from SHL (M11) Poland and not from Yamaha as thought by many.

The only thing stopping me from driving a bike was the legibility. In India, once cannot drive a bike under 18 years of age if it is geared or above 60cc. With the arrival of my 18th birthday, I had already started scouring through automobiles for what would be the perfect bike for me. The Yezdi's and RD350's had died years ago. The Hero Honda's were killing what ever little adrenaline Yamaha was able to infuse with the RX135's and RX-Z's with their onslaught of 90kmpl CD100 bikes. Two of my neighbors had purchased Yamaha's a year before. So it was evident I was looking at the 2-stroke rocket of a RX-Z which then sold for 60,000 Indian Rupees (1200 USD). But my parents were very worried about my safety because of the fellow foolish drivers on the roads. Since I was restricted to 100cc bikes, I bought the motorcycle that had just entered the market. The LML Adreno.

The bike was made by LML under license from Daelim of Korea. The 3 valves per cylinder 100cc single engine was alien tech back in 2002. SO was the Front fixed semi-fairing look.The bike offered 60kmpl which was decent for a heavy 100cc bike. But the best part was even at the max speed of 90kmph, it offered such stability other performance bikes including Hero Honda CBZ would commit suicide for.  That my father was able to drive it comfortably to work and back was reason enough that he started taking it to work regularly. This left me with a big car to drive to college. Now at this moment, most guys and girls would be happy to get an air conditioned car to drive to college everyday. But, not the Boyracer. The narrow street leading to college was always packed and didn't help matters either. No, it was not about reaching college on time either (Not that I ever was on time, mind you. :P). A second bike was the need of the day. The time had come to promote myself from the 100cc motorcycle league. Enter Bajaj Pulsar 180.

The 180 was the fastest motorcycle of the time apart from the Royal Enfield bikes. The RX-Z again did cross my mind but Yamaha's dwindling fortunes and redundant dealer support led me to finalizing Bajaj Pulsar 180 right away. The 'Definitely Male' ad did work wonders. I did try to find a good well kept Yamaha RD 350. Various bikes had a going rate of 25-35K. But with parents restriction on used bikes, The Rajdoot 350 never saw space in my parking garage. Today these bikes have appreciated in value ten times. But pulsar was awesome in performance and handling. With the onset of Bajaj Pulsar I also got to install two KRP End cans on the LML Adreno which made the bike scream and feel twice as fast than it actually was. It was another case that I used to clean the motorbikes every day and wash them every week. The Bajaj in blue was not the usual Red black and silver and stood out in the crowd. The bike also saw wheelies and stoppies at each traffic light. Burnouts and skids were a regular thing too. Upgrading from 100cc to 180cc did no doubt feel great especially since the power had upped from 8.5 to 16.

Further education beckoned. This also raised the question of what would happen to the two bikes if not driven for two years. Sadly I had to see them go. My heart still skips a beat every time I see my Bajaj Pulsar 180 purchased by a pharmacist near my house. After finishing my education when I returned back home, I was already dying to drive a bike. It doesn't look good on profile if you have to borrow a bike to drive your girl around, does it? :D  One evening, I was having an argument with my dad for purchasing a new bike. His valid point was the heavy traffic and the dumb drivers driving them. My good old school friend happened to come to my house the same time. Next day I was the proud owner of a 1968 Yezdi Classic. The best gift I've received to date. The all metal motorcycle was from Czechoslovakia was also my first 2-stroker.

The reverse reline on the seat was a Yezdi trait which made those riding pillion hold the driver close. The Bike was a 250cc two stroke with 16bhp at hand a torque that would shame a Maruti 800. Things improved further when I removed the end pipes (RTO ruled be damned!!). The power improved marginally but the sound improved drastically. One fine night at 2-00 Am when I was entering the place I stayed, the manager was waiting for me especially to tell me to not drive this thing so late since it disturbed others living around. Such was the impact of Yezdi. The bike had to go when further education beckoned again.


Some years later I returned. The need for an upgrade to Yezdi was felt right away. Thanks to the politicians for everything that is wrong in India, the prices have risen highly since the last time I purchased the Bajaj Pulsar 180.  So I did not have many options at hand except the Royal Enfield Bullet 350, Royal Enfield Classic 500, Honda CBR250, KTM Duke 200 and Bajaj pulsar 200.  Ultimately I settled for the Royal Enfield Classic 500 in the exclusive Desert Storm colour. The Motorcycle had a six months waiting period which felt like a decade. Finally, today I am celebrating my decade of romance with motorcycles along with the delivery of 500cc Royal Enfield Classic 500 Desert Storm. Hope the Upgrade keeps going up and petrol prices keep coming down (wishful thinking).

 
PS: I am an avid follower of safety precautions and I purchased my helmet before taking delivery of my first bike. The helmet has been faithful till date and also finished a decade of safety. Here's an appeal to all the motorcycle riders to wear a helmet while driving.

10 bikes we need in India

1. Norton Commando 961: Cafe racer bikes are still a rarity in India. But with the rise of motorcycle sales and popularity, hi-end bikes are finding many takers. Norton Commando 961 is exactly the bike which is not meant for the takers of Yamaha R1 and Honda CBR. Norton Commando 961 is more of a grown up and efficient competitor of Royal enfield bikes.

The bike looks like nothing on the market at the moment. While the Ducati Streetmonster looks a thousand bucks, the Norton has the charisma of a retro bike that is less archaic than the enfield and demands respect. The Norton F1 engine is a 961cc machine capable of 80 bhp and instead of being high tech, the engine boasts of the British spirit which makes driving cafe racers extremely fun.

Many might argue that the brand is not as well known as a Ducati for the same price, but all it will take is a drive on this Commando.


2. KTM 300XC: The last 2-strok motorcycle we got to enjoy in India was the Yamaha RX-Z. The bikes were sold in extremely low numbers and dealers did not even put the vehicles through proper PDI (pre delivery Inspection). But KTM along with ATK/Maico are the only major remaining 2-stroke motorcycle makers of capacities bigger than 250cc. KTM now owned majorly by Bajaj Auto is all ready to enter India with their Duke 200 model in the next 48 hours. This also opens opportunities to get to buy the KTM 300XC in India. The success of Hero's Impulse motorcycle is already proof that Enduro bikes are the in thing.  1-cylinder 2-stroke engine, water-cooled engine is so light, the bikes total weight comes to only 104kgs/ 229lbs.

A major drawback faced by this motorcycle would be the image of 2-strokes as gas sippers. Also the low capacity engines of 2-stroke machines may be found lacking on paper compared to its capability and Just like SUV's, this KTM is not going to see any endurance drives.

3. Moto Guzzi Griso: Unconventional is the in thing in India. Hence we need Moto Guzzi. The Griso stands out in the crowd of mass produced motorcycles and that is its primary USP. The huge cylinders coming out on either sides reminds one of a BMW boxer engines but Moto Guzzi is as Italian as it can get. We also need the bike because we only have the conventional Japanese trodding our streets and we have every right to style in a democratic economy.

The bike feels great between the legs thanks to the wide engine and fuel tank design providing a stance that is midway between a cruiser and a street biker.

4. Cagiva Mito 525: To be successful, a motorcycle needs three things. Rocket pace, good looks and heritage. Enter The Cagiva Mito. This bike is powered by a 125cc 2-stroke powerplant that makes 37bhp enough to put many basic 4-sroke 250cc bikes to shame with a whooping power to weight ratio of  287 bhp per tonne. For the laymen, imagine a sleepy TVS Victor beating the hell out of a Kawasaki Ninja 250cc before yawning. The smaller capacity engine also makes it cheaper to buy without compromising on the performance. And above all, The Mito 525 needs to be bought for the sheer 2-stroke wail emanating from that small exhaust.

5. Ural ST: We Indians Loved the Jawa. We still love the Yezdis. So we need the Ural ST. Yezdi/ Jawa's were sold as the 'forever bike, forever value' product. IMZ-Ural from Russia is precisely that. Apart from the URAL ST solo, all other motorcycles come with a powered sidecar making them 2wd. And, thr Russian army still uses which makes them invincible. The Soviet look and the reliability are the major selling points for this bike which can scare a herd of 20 splendors without a drop of sweat. Custom design option is a plus. The 745cc engine makes 40 horses which is only enough to humiliate a  Royal Enfield.

6. Moto Morini Corsaro Veloce: The 'I am friend with E.T.' name is enough to buy this bike before you actually look at the Sexy Italian design. The comapny has recently risen from bankruptcy (is the company logo a phoenix??) but the bikes are still fun to drive like anything Italian. Next time any superbike teenie tries to mess around with you on your streetbike, let the 1200cc v-twin engine with 117bhp on tap do the talking. That's the thing about Italian motorcycles. The suit makes you look smooth even when your paws are ready to scratch.

7. Husqvarna WR300 2-stroke-  Along with KTM, BMW has also kept 2-stroke development on fire. The hopes remain that one day people will stop worrying about Fuel Efficiency and refinement and give in to the urge for the rawness of the 2-strokes. This is also displayed in the designs of the now BMW owned Husqvarna WR300 2-stroke motorcycles. For years the big 500cc bikes always find a second place against this monster killer.

8. Husqvarna Nuda 900: The Swedes are the underdogs in the world of Automobiles which is evident from the fact that some of the best cars have come from the house of Volvo and Saab and some of the best bikes have come from the world of Husqvarna. Now owned by BMW, Husqvarna's designs still retains their quirky traits which is evident from the Husqvarna Nuda 900 streetbike. Never before have I heard a punchline as absurd as 'Mistreat the street' but it definitely works. This is also probably the first bike fused with 100% BMW technology and 100% Husqvarna performance as proudly advertised by the company.

9. Motoczysz E1PC: Electric motorcycles are the future since US will be left with oil but nobody to buy at their atrociously high rates. Realizing this An American company with backing from Bajaj Auto has made Electric bikes sporty and fun. The Motoczysz E1pC was the first bike to win Isle of Man TT championship in 99 years hailing from the land of Americas. With a 330V 12.5kwh battery and a complete carbon fiber structure this bike has a lot going in its favour. The C1 prototype has an engine with perfect balance and does not need a balance shaft. Some of the patented innovations include a slipper clutch with twin clutches, a unique front suspension, and many others.

10.Indian Bomber: Before there was a Honda, Vespa or Harley-Davidson, the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer was a company named 'Indian' which is now more than 112 years old. The company had saw bad times during the world wars and after bankruptcy some companies also imported various Enfield models from UK to be re-badged as Indian . Now owned by Polaris Owned Victory Motorcycles, Indian is still unique in the way its engines are specced and its body shells armed.

Ford and GM to Mahindra and Tata: The power shift

Automobiles have been part of history of every country since the beginning of 1900's. Sweden too had Volvo (founded in 1927) at Gothenberg And Saab (founded in 1947) at Trollhattan making their marks all over the world through quality engineering and providing employment all over the country. Jaguar on the other hand was founded in Britain in 1922 when car manufacturing was at its peak. LandRover was just one model under the  After the fall of the likes of Austin, Morris, Standard, BMC, Triumph, Land Rover and many others, what remained was niche manufacturers like Jaguar, Aston Martin, Lotus and Bentley sales of whom do not even touch 10,000 units per annum.Volvo was introduced by SKF as a subsidiary while Saab was introduced by Saab Aerospace as a diversified unit. Volvo was known for safety and Saab was known for its performance cars while Jaguar was a luxury notch above the Germans. During the peak of American Automobile revolution, Saab was purchased by General Motors (GM) in 1989 and Volvo and Jaguar were purchased by Ford in 1999. Land Rover passed through the hands of Leyland, BMC, British Aerospace and  BMW ultimately landing in the hands of Ford. The parent companies of both Swedish brands were looking to focus on their main stream business leading to the sale while the lazy butted Americans wanted ready made technology to be bought by their treasuries which prints US dollar bills 24X7. Jaguar and Land Rover on the other hand were the remnants of a fallen British car industry.

Ford was early to enter recession but Mr. Alan Mullaly had foresight and decided to get Aston Martin, Jaguar, Land Rover and Volvo off their hands. General Motors being bigger in size was also a more corrupt corporation. Directors took heavy pays and left the company draining it of cash and leading into bankruptcy. While Hummer, Pontiac and Saturn died, Saab did find a desperate buyer. A Chinese company named Geely which makes cars using plagiarized technology purchased Volvo while Spyker cars owned by an alleged Russian mobster by GM Vladimir Antonov and Victor Muller purchased Saab. Indian carmaker Tata which was flush with money and wanted knowhow in premium cars purchased Jaguar Land Rover. Now After Spyker cars has failed to revive Saab, Mahindra has shown interest in buying Saab. The concentration of power in the Automotive field has shown a definitive shift from the United States to India. Will TATA and Mahindra repeat the same story that GM and Ford wrote in the 19th century?

Geely is one of the premier Chinese car makers. China has thrived worldwide making cheap imitation products of inferior quality. Wal-mart survives by filling its stores with 99% Chinese products. But off late after growing in size, Geely has been looking outside for quality and knowhow in car manufactury. Volvo happened at the right time in 2008. The motives behind purchase by Ford and Geely might seem same but are not. Ford purchased Volvo along with a stake in Mazda to make its own cars successful. Ford Focus, Ford Kuga and Ford C-Max were successfully built on Volvo C1 platform which also comprised of the Volvo S40, V50, C70 and C30. Geely on the other hand is looking to make a transition to Volvo completely.

Similarly Volvo S80, V70, XC70, XC60, S60 and V60 shared platform with Ford S-max, Ford Galaxy, and Ford Mondeo were based on Volvo Y20 platform. Unlike GM though Ford made no hassles for Geely while giving away Volvo which was a mutual favour. Ford was desperate for cash and buying Volvo was something no major car maker would do since Ford had completely drained all its technology for its own cars. Geely on the other hand knew that a Chinese Brand name would not get it a sound footing outside China and needed a strong brand name. The deal was set. But unfortunately Geely's ambitious plans are a bit larger than What Volvo can accomodate and bit more mainstream for a semi luxury brand. Geely wants to be amongst the major car makers in the world by selling Volvo as a mainstream product. Volvo on the other hand has always had a luxurious image. Not unlike the big three (Mercedes-Benz, Audi, BMW) but still above the likes of GM, Toyota, Honda, Ford and Hyundai. At the moment Volvo's new design philosophy and its precedence in safety, technology and luxury has helped the company reach sales targets but Geely is going to find it the hard way how tough it can be to build a luxury brand. Possibly a compromise they are aware of and are willing to make.

Similar to Volvo, Tata also got a clean sale by Ford. Alan Mullaly had been in talks for sometime to sell of Jaguar and Land Rover as separate brands. Tata Motors has been in the business in India for only two decades. Known mostly for its Indica cabs, the company hardly had any international presence apart from a dealer here or there. Tata Motors as a corporation is one of the biggest in the world and hence, When the time came in snatching up Jaguar for its sedan business and Land Rover for its UV's, Tata was quick to react. Ford purchased the rights to Rover Name worldwide (Rover, MG Rover, Land Rover) to be transferred with the deal. The $3 billion deal was once considered as too much for Jaguar and Land Rover which collectively hardly sold enough cars under Ford. Today JLR sells close to 20,000 units a month.

 Unlike Volvo, Tata has successfully built the Jaguar Land Rover Marque as a luxury marque above the Big three German Marque's which is a feat in itself. Additionally, instead of stripping the cars, the british factory was given the freedom to operate and innovate and build upon its own cars. Today, Jaguar Land Rover is a profit making brand for Tata Motors surprising even the who's who at Ford Motor company. Tata also has slowly learnt to build its own cars more efficiently which is evident in the new Tata Aria. But Tata is yet to exploit the concept of platform sharing especially since there is a huge gap between Tata brand of cars and Jaguar Land Rover cars since Tata is known for the cheapest car in the world (Tata Nano) while Jaguar Land Rover pitch their cars above most Luxurious brands. The best proof that Jaguar Land Rover is a successful brand today is its increasing number of dealers globally and the announcement to actually produce a concept super car (Jaguar C-X16).

Saab's history separates itself from Volvo since the time GM purchased it. GM was quick to transfer knowhow to their American tin cans. But Saab had nothing of importance to learn from GM in return. Though smaller in scale, The Trollhattan based company made better cars in every aspect than the corrupt corporation, which was once the largest car maker in the world. After, stripping Saab for a decade Gm left it to fend for itself. A saab 9-5 launched in 1997 was sold unchanged for 14 years. Surprising, since even mainstream brands like Toyota refreshes their models every year. Such a practice is a strict no-no especially at the luxury end of the market. A Saab 9-3 with minor updates was also sold for 14 years. With only two mainstream cars in its portfolio and half-hearted attempts such as 9-2(Subaru based) and 9-7(Based on old GM platform) Saab was accused of not earning profit except for one year in eleven years. The govt. supported bankruptcy which was but only a curtain on the billions of U.S. taxpayers money mishandled by the top management meant that Saab, Saturn, Pontiac and Hummer had to go. The deal with Koeniggsegg going awry was a giveaway how GM wanted to kill the brand and keep the skeletons inside the box. BAIC (Chinese car maker) quickly purchased the old 9-5 and 9-3 tooling and those interested in reviving the brand reduced to a handful.

 But a desperate Victor Muller and Vladimir Antonov worked out a deal to keep the company up for two decades. But The new management were not an honest bunch either. While the company was struggling to regain lost ground, the new management again was taking fat paychecks while delaying wages. The company soon went under receivership in December 2011 after GM blocked a Chinese deal that could've saved the company. Reason given by GM was that they feared the Chinese Company would compete with GM posing a threat (Which they didn't think while selling the 9-5 9-3 technology to BAIC).

 While GM's Corruption drama with SAAB was unfolding, not the whole world has been a spectator. Apart from Youngman Lotus from China which is rumoured to have lost a couple of hundred Billion Euros, an Indian company has also been studying the proceedings closely. Mahindra known mostly as a UV maker before they tied up with Renault for a small car has expressed interest in buying SAAB. Mahindra learnt things the hard way when their outdated UV'S found it tough to compete but has been quick to utilize its financial standing comprising of strong liquidity. Kinetic's two wheeler business, Logan platform, Reva's electric car business and Korea based Ssangyong Car company which makes cars based on Mercedes-Benz platforms soon found themselves under Mahindra's umbrella. From making three decade old Willy's based UV's, Mahindra has come a long way in the last ten years making cars like the Scorpio, Xylo, Thar and XUV500.

SAAB can prove to be an important landmark for Mahindra since they need a premium brand (Just like TATA built upon with Jaguar) to team it with Ssangyong which has reliable and competent platform but lacks visibility and brand image. Ssangyong's vehicles have been known for their quality and workmanship especially in the UV field. SAAB's worldwide recognition for Mahindra can prove to be a boon. While the chinese have salvaged whatever remained of the technology (GM didn't oppose when Youngman Lotus purchased rights to build cars on the Phoenix architecture), Mahindra seems to be more interested in the brand image itself. Buying SAAB also makes sense since the Plant in Trollhattan will be available for much cheaper along with the tooling now that the company is bankrupt. Integrating Ssangyong cars along with SAAB can prove to be just another Jaguar-Land Rover for Mahindra where Saab makes Luxury cars competing with the Big three German marques and Ssangyong makes UV's on the premium end. Incase, Mahindra misses the point, SAAB has a superlative meaning in Indian languages. (SAAB: Means Master in Hindi and other South Asian Languages)

With the Indian Makers lapping up brands, it is clear that the power reigning in the hands of Americans has clearly moved to India. Mahindra and Tata are creating brand corporations just the way GM once did with Chevrolet, Buick, Cadillac, GMC, Saturn, Pontiac, Hummer, Saab, Opel, Vauxhall and Holden and Ford did with Ford, Lincoln, Mercury, Aston Martin, Volvo and Land Rover. How Mahindra and TATA progress learning from the American Big Three's debacles in the 19th century remains to be seen.