F1 season finale this weekend

The Abu Dhabi Formula 1 Grand Prix will take place at the Yas Marina Circuit this weekend after years of waiting. Billions of dollars worth of building work and months of hype have taken place to make this event a reality.

The 2009 season will witness its last event as UAE’s first proper F1 race. Even thought the title has already been decided, the drivers and teams have enough reason to still race for, as winning the race for the lower places would result in million dollars of income for the following seasons. In all, 50,000 tickets have been sold, leaving no more vacancy. This huge number of audience will help make a great atmosphere and a true F1 experience for the thousands of F1 fans who travel across the world for the event.

The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix being the final round of the Formula 1 season will mark a new chapter in F1 history by being the first twilight race in the sport’s history. At 5pm, the drivers will get underway in daylight but by the time the winner crosses the finish line, it will be dark around two hours later. The track will be illuminated with hundreds of floodlights once the sun sets. The circuit is the lagest floodlit track in the world.

BMW cancels 5 Series convertible launch

BMW has confirmed that it had plans to launch a convertible variant of the M5. The M5 convertible had been developed around two decades ago and was going to be launched at the next Geneva motor show. The plan of launching the car was called off owing to sales concerns. The manufacturer felt that launching a M5 convertible would drastically reduce demand for its other drop-top car. At that time the 3 series convertible was registering high profits for BMW and it didn’t want any in-house competition.

The M5 convertible was revealed to a select gathering of journalists. BMW also revealed that the car had been developed to be sold at a price of £50,000.

Honda's labour problems resolved

After running into deep labour problems for a few months now, it is said that Honda have resolved the labour issues by getting into a new agreement with the workers.

Honda is India's leading bike and scooter manufacturer with very good customer satisfaction ratings.

New Car Deliveries Delayed - Is it the right time to buy?

A spike in new car bookings has caught manufacturers by surprise. This has caused a backlog in deliveries and most manufacturers are unable to deliver cars before 20 to 30 days.

This means that as a buyer you will wait longer for your dream car and you will not be able to negotiate any deals with the car.

SX4 Facelift - 7.6 Lakhs On Road

Maruti’s once popular mid-size sedan, the SX4 has been given a mid-life makeover. The cosmetic upgrades include restyled bumpers, a honeycomb grille, new tail-lights and some much needed side accoutrements. The exterior changes have certainly helped it mask its height, which used to make it stand out like sore thumb in company of other sedans.

But the changes are not just cosmetic. Thanks to the upcoming BS-IV norms, the SX4’s 1.6 litre unit now boasts of VVT (variable valve timing) which has nudged the power up to 105 PS and the torque to a meaty 145 Nm. The previous iteration of the SX4 was already popular for its potent and torquey mill. However, it was also known for its healthy appetite. The VVT should bring on marginal improvements in both.

Interestingly, Maruti has also launched an automatic variant of the SX4. Automatics have never really caught on in our country, thanks to the penalty they incur in terms of fuel-efficiency. Apart from the notable exception of Honda and Skoda, none of the manufacturers have offered cutting-edge automatic gearboxes in our market. Even the SX4 sports just a 4-speed unit, albeit with a overdrive button on the shifter for overtaking situations.

Though the SX4 might still find it hard to match the City, it can certainly aim to be the best of the rest.




Prices:

SX4 VXi MT Rs 7.60 lakh.
SX4 ZXi MT Rs 8.34 lakh.
SX4 ZXi (Leather) MT Rs 8.70 lakh.
SX4 ZXi AT Rs 9.04 lakh.
SX4 ZXi (Leather) AT Rs 9.41 lakh.
*All prices On-Road, Pune.

Formula1: Jenson might drive for McLaren

If Formula One rumor mongers are to be believed, then Jenson Button will be donning a McLaren racing suit for the next season. The 2009 F1 champion is yet to sign a driver’s contract with any of the teams including Brawn GP. Mclaren intends to replace Heikki Koveleinan for the 2010 championship. They were interested in signing up Kimi Raikonnen but have been unsuccessful in negotiating a contract.

Hyundai plans to expand its used car arm

Hyundai motor says that it plans to expand its used car business exponentially. Currently it operates less than 50 used car supported dealerships and intends to increase it to over 200 by end of next year. The used car market is expected to grow multifold in the coming years, and manufacturers have been trying to keep up the pace of getting into this space as it also allows them to keep their customers satisfied with an end-to-end car buying experience, as most car owners are set to go down the exchange schemes in future.