Video: Rob Dyrdeks takes on Ken Block in Gymkhana 2.1!

Ken Block features in another kickbutt video with old friend and team mate, Rob Dyrdeks in Gymkhana version 2.1.

Watch Dyrdeks in the custom made shifter car, thats identical to Block's Subaru WRX STI , getting almost run over by the bigger monster!

Scoop! VW Polo caught testing in India!

What you can see in the video below is the Volkswagen Polo on test in India. Volkswagen is in its final testing procedures for the Polo before it will be unveiled at the 2010 Auto Expo. To be manufactured at VW's new state-of-the-art Chakan plant, the Polo will set new benchmarks in terms of quality, fit and finish and refined engineering.

The Polo for India will come with three choices of engines - 3-cylinder 1.2-litre/70PS and 4-cylinder 1.4-litre/84PS petrol mills and a frugal 1.4-litre TDI diesel engine. While many would speculate these to be similar to the HTP and PD engines doing duty in the Polo's familial sibling, the Skoda Fabia, take our word for it, the Polo will house completely new engines. In fact, the Fabia in turn will have its powerplants replaced with the Polo's engines once the VW goes on sale.

The hatch is one of the most awaited small cars for India, primarily owing to its competitive target pricing. If our sources are to be believed, then VW is all set to price the Polo in the Rs. 4.25 to 6 lakh price bracket which will pitch this potent hatch against market leaders like the Swift/Ritz and other hot hatches like Grande Punto, Indica Vista and the i20. Expect the car to go on sale instantly after its unveiling at the Expo in January 2010.

Special thanks to Motoroids' eagle eyed reader Satyajeet Bhaskare for the video capture!

Scoop! Hyundai i40 for India

What you can see here are pictures of the new mid-size sedan from Hyundai which will go on sale early next year. This model is set to replace the current Sonata line-up, with an aggressive design which is now defining all the latest Hyundai's. And you guessed it right, the 'Sonata' badge might be dropped as well, to follow the Korean carmaker's new 'i' naming conventions.
This sedan will most likely be conferred with the 'i40' tag when it takes on the mid-size luxury sedan segment. The car will grace Hyundai's exhibit at the upcoming Auto Expo and is expected to go on sale in India by Q2 2010 at a price bracket ranging from Rs. 14-lakh to Rs. 19-lakh for the petrol and diesel variants. We speculate the India model to be powered by the same range of Theta-2 engines that do duty under the current model. As the photos show, the interiors will sport an upmarket feel as compared to the current model, and Hyundai are to be believed, will also sport high quality materials similar to the ones we have already witnessed in the i10/i20. At the price bracket mentioned above, we feel this car will be one helluva value offering and has the fire-power to break the jinx that has been plaguing the India Sonata all this while!

Stay tuned for more news and scoops...

World Exclusive Scoop! Chevy Beat caught undisguised!

We caught Chevy's new small car for India, completely undisguised! This car will be christened the 'Beat' for Chevrolet's global market and will essentially replace the Spark (M200 platfrom) the world over. For India however, this hatch will co-exist alongside the Spark as a more premium offering. The car will be powered by a 1.2-litre, 82bhp Chevrolet Family-B petrol engine to start off and will later be joined by a 3-cylinder 936cc, 57bhp Multijet oilburner from FIAT. With almost 140 Nm of torque, this would be one potent city slicker!

Design-wise, the Beat is radical as you can see in the video. Apart from the large sweeping headlights, the other bit we love are the new type of rear door handles which are now integrated behind the rear window. Its surely taken a toll on the window space, but adds a streak of sportiness to the car's overall appeal. The Beat will be manufactured in Chevy's new Talegaon factory and will be unveiled at the upcoming Auto Expo. Expect it to go on sale instantly afterward with a price tag in the range of its rivals - the i10 and the A-star.

Infiniti M

This is Infiniti's answer to the BMW 5 Series, the Audi A6 and the Mercedes E-Class. Infiniti is Nissan's answer to the German luxury sedans, just like Toyota has Lexus. The M will be launched with a 3.7 litre V6, which will send power exclusively to the rear-wheels. More importantly though, the M will get a 3.0-litre V6 diesel and a hybrid version by end of 2010.

Traditionally, these Japanese rivals have never been able to make a dent on the Germans except for the American market. However with such competent products their popularity is surely on the rise.
Is it coming to India? No, at least not anytime soon. Nissan itself hasn't established itself in India yet and it will take at least a couple of years more till they get the Infinity brand to India.

Venom GT to be faster than the Bugatti Veyron?

The debut supercar from any low-volume ultra-exclusive supercar maker (read Ascari, Koenigsegg, Pagani) is preceded by claims to beat the best 0-100 acceleration and top-speed figures. Following the trend, American tuning firm Hennessey, better known for tinkering with Cadillacs, Corvettes and Dodges is now planning a supercar, to be introduced at the next Geneva Motor Show.

The mid-engined two-seater, christened the Venom GT will be powered by a V8 dishing out a claimed 1,200bhp. Hennessey claim that the new car with so much power and a kerb-weight of less than 1100 Kg will take no more than 2.4 seconds to hit the 100kph mark from a standstill and should be good for a top speed of 272mph.

Those figures could easily shame a Veyron, but as you would assume, its easier said than done. Hennessey have made some real tall claims, let's see whether they manage to live up to them.

Ferrari 458 Italia Ringtones

There is hardly any petrolhead who is not fascinated by the sound of a roaring V8 with the Ferrari emblem on it! For all such enthusiasts, here are a few sounds clips of the new Italian steed, the F458 Italia. Available in MP3 and iPhone formats:

1. Off The Mark:


2. Acceleration:


3. Overtaking Maneuver:


4. On The Track:


5. On Board:

New Indica Vista Ignis variant with 1.4 petrol engine

Expected Launch: September 2009
Expected Price: 4.5 to 5.5 lakhs (On-Road)
The Indica Vista hasn't done as well as expected in the market thanks largely to customers not having faith in the Tata brand. So Tata has decided to give the Vista a new lease of life by plonking in Fiat's 1.4 litre petrol power-plant from the Grande Punto. The Vista currently comes with a 1.2 litre engine variant which is a tad underpowered for the car. It was introduced just to keep the car inside government's skewed excise cut parameters for cars with petrol engines smaller than 1.2 litres. The Ignis will be the only Indica variant which wont be eligible for the excise cut driving up its price.

The 1.4 litre engine is good for 90 bhp and 115 Nm of toque. Expect the price to slightly undercut the Swift petrol by 10-20,000 rupees. At that price the Vista will be a sensible alternative to the Swift thanks to better (much better) space and practicality, drivability and value. The engine being a Fiat unit, it will also be as reliable. The top-of the range Aura variant is loaded to gill with a 2-DIN stereo with bluetooth connectivity, steering mounted controls, electronically adjustable mirrors, chunky 175 section 14 inch tyres and last but not the least ABS and 2 airbags.

New Lancer on its way!

A few days back we told you about HM's plans to launch the Mitsubishi Lancer Ev0-X in India, early next year. But if you are already disappointed by the speculated Rs.40-lakh price tag, then Hindustan Motors might put the smile back on your face!

Come Auto Expo 2010 and you may see HM-Mitsubishi's new Lancer gracing its exhibit. Designed to reflect the familial connection with the Evo-X, this model, if launched in India will replace the existing Lancer Cedia line-up. Doing duty under the new hood will be the 1.8-litre MIVEC petrol engine. There would be a frugal 2.0-litre diesel powerplant too.

This model is loaded with all the latest safety and dirver aids along with the fun quotient that one can associate with a 'Mitsubishi Lancer', albiet with less than half the horses.

Scoop! Hyundai's new SUV for India

Wondering where the Hyundai Tuscon suddenly disappeared? Well, to start off, the SUV never took off on the sales charts which in the past couple of years, forced the Korean car maker to give it the axe-treatment. However, with the overall SUV market showing a healthy growth now, Hyundai has now decided to make a re-entry into this segment.

And it looks good too! Seen here are the scoop pics of the Korean car maker's entry level SUV. As you can see, the car sports an aggressive stance as compared to the Tuscon that was sold here. Hyundai's recent philosophy of rating quality higher than quantity are evident from this new vehicle. The car will be powered by a 2.2-litre engine for India. The 2010 Tuscon is based on the 'ix-onic concept' which Hyundai showcased a few months back. Expect this SUV to go on sale in March 2010 and may be renamed as a the iX35 to gel with their 'i' naming convention.

VDO: Ken Block and Travis Pastrana on the sal flats

This time around, the duo go around doing their thang on the salt flats

VDO: Tuner car vocals

Porsche 911 Turbo 2010 - First pictures out!

These are the first pictures of the new Porsche 911 Turbo which is the fastest, sharpest and the most brutal 911 to have seen the light of the day. the Ferraris, Lamborghinis and the GT-Rs of the world have a new scare!

The new car will feature a twin-turbo direct injection 3.8-litre flat six engine. The engine, picked basically from the Carrera S has revised variable-vane twin turbochargers to increase responsiveness and power. The result is a 20bhp boost in power, which is now rated at 493bhp.

According to Porsche sources, the new cars will have a more playful character compared with the outgoing version with power biased more towards the rear wheels. A six-speed manual gearbox is standard and a seven-speed dual-clutch PDK is optional. The gear ratios have been revised and the clutches are larger when compared with the other 911s.

Also, as a first, the 911 gets proper paddle shifters, replacing the flawed button shifters to change gears in PDK models. The paddle shifters come at no extra cost. The new 911 turbo now does a 0-100km/h sprint in a super quick 3.4 seconds, about 0.3 seconds quicker than the older version. The top speed too has increased by 2mph to 194mph.

Stay tuned for more pictures, wallpapers and news on the new 911 Turbo

2010 Maruti Suzuki Swift

The Swift has become a volume player for Suzuki not only in India, but across the entire globe! The Japanese giant has now decided to breath a hint of fresh air into this model by giving it its second facelift. Seen here are the spy shots of the new Swift on test. Expect the car to be a combination of rakish and curvaceous body lines in various sections of the design. The headlights and tailights will retain the same outer shape, however the internal arrangement of the bulbs and refelctor elements will be significantly different and will hint towards a sporty design. The new Swift will be shown in flesh at the upcoming 2010 Auto Expo.

Pics Source: Diablomotor

VDO: Accelerator

If you have a couple of mins. to spare, then check out the video of this upcoming project called the 'Accelerator'. We dont know if its a movie or a tele-series or a spoof, but whatever it is, its just plain stupid!

VDO: Shaggy's Fly High

Loads of eye candy!!
Check out the music video of Shaggy's new track "Fly High":

E3: Auto Games to watch out for...

DiRT 2:


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Forza Motorsport 3:




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Gran Turismo 5:



Gran Turismo 5 PSP:

Aston Martin DBS Volante Wrist Watch

Indians still like subtle colours...

According to a latest study by DuPont regarding the most preferred colours for cars throughout various countries, it was proved that 'White' (Solid/Pearl) still tops the list. And India is no different as 28% of the votes prefer White cars, with Silver finishing a close second at 27%. Red, which is considered auspicious by many throughout our country lies at 3rd with 12% votes. Goes to show that the subtle shades are what people prefer in today's market. If you go to think about it, aren't all our politicians roaming around in White cars as well? Maybe they contributed to these 'votes' a lot....

For a detailed view, click on the image for a larger view:

Dr. Vijay Mally strikes deal with Mclaren...

Force India ended their partnership with Ferrari as the 2008 season came to an end. Though Ferrari gave them great support throughout the season, Force India decided to look elsewhere in the pitlane for technology under the hood for 2009. And while doing so, it seems they have decided to enter the Mclaren backyard for the 2009 VJM02! 

The deal includes a supply of gearboxes, hydraulic systems and the KERS, apart from the basic engine. The deal will also give Force India an access to Mclaren's other vendors for rest of the components if needed. This would be the first time in the history of Mclaren that the company will support a satellite team with their technology. Talking to the media, team boss Vijay Mallya said, "We are absolutely delighted to be able to announce a technical partnership with McLaren Applied Technologies and Mercedes-Benz HighPerformanceEngines, and also our plan to expand the composite manufacturing capability and drawing office within our Silverstone facility."