Reaching God’s Own Country

In the recent times, I have traveled by car from Chennai, TamilNadu to Thrissur, Kerala. For sure an unplanned trip to unavailability of train tickets had forced me to take my car.

The travel had helped my family to rejuvenate, healthy debates to long family conversations & plans for future to avoiding disasters.

Now to story, What I love about the road trip?
Of course it is the roads and road side scenery.  It is those broad and almost safe roads from Chennai till Salem, after which few developments on roadways, all the way till Coimbatore. The only feeling is that we pay more tax and still continue to pay whopping toll fees.

Once you reach Walayar, for sure you know that you have stepped in to God’s own country. Your car which was skimming on a buttered roadways at high speeds finally sees a narrow lane, filled with potholes, some patched and dangerously brushing buses which slide on the opposite side of the road.

Your average speed drops from 60 to less than 20KMPH.

What people of Kerala and it politicians have to know and understand?
Infrastructure, road developments & Power i.e Electricity. If Kerala starts to understand and even puts in 10% of the effort of what TamilNadu and Karnataka have been doing. They can make progress. I am sure the future developments will be bound to happen to Kerala after the much saturated neighboring states. For sure Kerala and its people will probably feel that pinch later for their unplanned developments in the State. Well for sure, Tamilnadu is feeling that pinch for every 2 hour power cut daily in the Chennai city, While Kerala seems like heaven for a scheduled split power cuts of half an hour in morning and night, for a consolidated one hour power cut in the state.

From Chennai to Coimbatore, I could reach for lunch in to day’s road conditions, for sure if Kerala thinks about infrastructure developments, I can make it up to Palaghat There is lot more to read in between the lines, Chennai – Bangalore 6 hours, their future developments could be just 2 hours. It means business.

Funny Baby Logos

Amazing Photoshop work, Imagination and creativity at its best

When I grow up I would look like this

Courtesy: fubiz

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Can TATA or BAJAJ make 1 Lakh rupee Truck?

Does TATA or BAJAJ really care for Indians?

Indian consumers bought about seven million two-wheelers and one million cars in 2006/07.
Source

The Solution:

according to Ratan Tata, the company’s 70-year old chairman: — “That’s what drove me — a man on a two-wheeler with a child standing in front, his wife sitting behind, add to that the wet roads – a family in potential danger,” Tata wrote on the company website.

I have heard the similar kind of statement twice. One from our Reliance Ambani and one from Henry Ford.
The Reliance one actually helped many, to lower the cost on Phone calls.

Well If TATA brings Buses for 1 Lakh rupee that makes lot of sense in helping Indians. I know this is an exaggeration.

What will be the impact, if the 1Lakh rupee car Tata Nano becomes a hit?
In 2006-2007, Indian consumers bought 70 Lakh two wheelers and 10 Lakh cars. Source The equation for the coming years could be 35 Lakh low cost cars which could hit the Indian roads. My questions are simple, Whether our roads are built to bear that kind of traffic explosion. What about the pollution and What about the parking space in the city malls for consumers.

Who are the actual beneficiaries?

I don’t blame any businessmen for that matter. Any businessmen who finds opportunity will exploit it. Why can’t people understand the TATA’s and BAJAJ new venture in to cars and how about few more foreign car makers (Adding fuel to the fire) who are trying to make a mark in to the Indian consumers market.Why are the Politicians keeping mum?
End of the day they actually know that the cars can kept in their garage there will issues and they will come up with a solution which will benefit them. Let us say the solution would be to invest in more infrastructure like roads, parking lots etc etc
The solutions are costly only for the middle class people not for the rich and not for the business class and certainly not for the politicians.

Do the Government will make more money?
YES, certainly. How?

1. The CC of two wheelers at a maximum is only 300 CC on an average. Hence the registration cost is going to go up by 600 CC and Odd.
2. The road tax
3. Then the Insurance cost (education excess) etc.

Why are the BAJAJ’s in to the car scene any Ideas?
Potential threat from the TATA’s One man’s dream car.

1. Auto ricksaw could be easily replaced with a comfortable 4 seater by looking at the cost, not much of a difference. Well seems like their own Indicab could get in to trouble with in city limits.
2. A Bajaj two wheeler at an average cost 50,000 Rupees, What about the new 4 wheeler another 60-70K on finance could solve the middle class problem of 1 Man’s Dream.

If not now, it is never for the BAJAJ’s to be in the market.

Technorati Tags: concept, cars, tata motors, tata, air car,1lakhcar

Tech Tags: 1lakh 1lakhcar TATA BAJAJ “public transport system” public system train bus

Rain or no rain, Day & Night test drive Mahindra Logan

Mahindra Logan 1.4 Litre GLX version in picture

Probably I was one of the lucky guys who had a test drive of a fully loaded Mahindra Logan 1.6 petrol version.

It was afternoon and was quiet hot in chennai when I took a test drive. It was an hour test drive which I took, I had a complete feel of this Logan 1.6 litre, I took the car from the showroom to my residence (20KMs away) to show the new car to my wife. It started to rain on the way, had the feel of the wipers. Indeed they are good, nothing great about that, infact most cars give you the same feel.

But the visibility of the road was good even when the rain started to pour down heavily.

Reached home, showed my wife the new car. The thing which I actually fell for was the boot space an awesome 510 Liters. My first car was Maruti 800 and traveled 3 times to Thrissur, Kerala and had a terrible experience with the baggages which were actually placed inside the car rather than the boot. My wife was also stunned. WOW

Took a quick spin with my wife in the Logan 1.6, well I should say that the test drive vehicles are always the top end ones provided, they are tuned to dance to all your tunes. They screech, give you an awesome feel of that mean machine.

My son just enjoyed as much as any kid would, as he moved and rolled all over the floor and the seat. Well too spacious. His comment was “The next time we go to native place, I can sleep well at the back or I could play with all my toys while listening to my favorite songs”

So now back to showroom, It started to become dark and I switched on the light, the driver, who sat next to me said “You could adjust lights according to your wish” and showed me the controls. He offered me to show on how to adjust the seat height, currently available in the top end models. (check it up before you buy) Well it started to rain again, I wasn’t feeling that uncomfortable even while it was dark and raining. There was decent visibility of the road even on the either corners of the glass. While the Maruti SX4 had small opening or vent kind thing to offer more visibility ( that actually sucks)

I had another option from a different vendor to test drive the Mahindra Logan 1.4 GLX and that is this one on the picture

If you thought that the Mahindra Logan 1.4 GLX, had power like the SX4 or a Ford Fiesta or Fiat palio or even a Maruti 800 which I owned earlier. You are quiet wrong, the car was not that responsive as its fully loaded Logan 1.6 liter engine, It neither screeched nor gave me a jolt. This car was meant to give the mileage which they are promising (15.5 KMPL on city traffic) Yeah quiet possible if didn’t had that power. I felt the same when I took my friend’s Honda City ZX. The moment ZX touched 40KMPH it kicked some ass. But the Mahindra Logan 1.4 GLX was not that great to feel. Brakes were responsive.

More on Mahindra Logan to come in future post… be sure to check out.

Tata Motors to make Guy Negre “Air Car” (air as fuel)

Tata Motors to manufacture Guy Negre’s (inventor) Air compressed cars called “Air Car”.

What is so special about this car?
Air car uses Air as the fuel (Compressed Air) . These cars can run at 68 mph (109.435 392 kmph) and run up to 125 mile (201.168 kilometer) with a single recharge. Air cars will be available in India by 2008 and the prices are not yet confirmed. And refueling the car will cost about $2 (80-90 INR) for every 201 KM.

well I am not joking here is the fact.

BTW is this the TATA’s 1 Lakh rupee car.

Source :

1. Yahoo
2. Air Car

Related Story:

1. Does TATA really care for Indians?
2. Mahindra Renault Logan – Usability Explored, Review
3. Tested on animals – Mahindra Renault Logan

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