RideLust

When Gelandewagens are outlawed, only outlaws will drive Gelandewagens.

There’s radical and then there’s radical: while American environmental activists are content to vandalize and occasionally torch SUVs, India’s Minister of Environment & Forests wants them banned from India’s roads. Not radical enough for you? He also wants driving an SUV to be considered a criminal act, according to Autoevolution. Jairam Ramesh, the Indian minister in question, even went so far as to target German SUVs as the worst offenders, despite the fact that Mercedes, Volkswagen, BMW and Porsche go to great lengths to portray themselves as green manufacturers. The German automakers have pushed for sustainable manufacturing, reduced CO2 emission levels and even increased fuel economy via the use of clean diesel engines and hybrid drivetrains.

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Have you ever been sitting home in the dead of night watching TV? In the wee-hours of the morning there is little on aside from old movies and QVC infomercials. One such item that I remember seeing (but didn’t purchase) was the Bedazzler. This little waste of money allows you to put fake diamonds and gemstones on just about anything you wish, so that you too can fit in at your local trailer park. Then there is the Tata Nano, a small automobile that cost $3000 brand new with the tendency to go up in smoke without warning. Put these two together and you have a match made in heaven.
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The Zap Alias, one of 32 vehicles in contention.

Sooner or later, any comparison between vehicles comes down to this: it doesn’t matter how good it looks on paper, you’ve got to back that up with performance on the race track. So it goes for competitors vying for Progressive Insurance’s Automotive X Prize, a massive promotional effort to highlight alternative fuel and green car technology. The payout for the winners is a shared purse of $10 million, plus the international notoriety that will come with grabbing the title. We’ve previously told you about teams such as RaceAbout Association and OptaMotive, but there are a total of 32 teams in the competition. Some, like Tata Motors, have the full backing of a parent with deep pockets. Others, like RaceAbout and OptaMotive are working on shoestring budgets.

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Which one is guns and which one is missiles?

If you’ve been following the development of the 2011 Ford Explorer, you can’t help but wonder if the classic SUV has been neutered to become just another cute ute. After all, base models will be powered by an EcoBoost four cylinder motor, it features unibody construction and it powers the wrong wheels unless you opt for the four wheel drive version. All these changes may produce a more fuel efficient Explorer, but can you still take it off road?

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The Tata Nano is an automobile that costs a scant $3000 brand new. For that you get two seats, tiny little wheels and an egg shaped dome that doubles as a coffin if the moment presents itself. The owner of this Nano was being chauffeured home (that’s right, I said chauffeured) when his little roller skate went up in smoke for no apparent reason. Can you imagine this little putt-putt over here in the States? I don’t know what would be funnier, the fact that the owners will be made fun of mercilessly, or the fact that these apparently go up in smoke like a powder keg.

I actually made a new category for these in the sidebar because I have a feeling we’re going to be seeing more of these things in the future… and not in a good way.

Source: http://blogs.cars.com/

Land Rover LRX Concept

The revitalization of Britain’s two most storied automakers by Indian-owned Tata Motors can not begin soon enough. Following news last month that the companies had lost a combined $501.5 million, it is not surprising that now they have announced that 300 jobs and production of the X-Type will be cut. Can the LRX stop the bleeding? Read More…

Tata Execs Force Smiles Amid Financial Downturn

Give Ford credit, their timing in unloading Jaguar and Land Rover could not have been better. Despite dwindling sales and the dark looming clouds of factories being shuttered, Tata Motors has finally introduced its Jaguar and Land Rover brands in India, one of the world’s fastest-growing automobile markets. Unfortunately, saddled with the two of the biggest money drains in the auto world, Tata is reporting an annual loss for the first time in eight years. How much have Jaguar and Land Rover cost Tata? Read More…

Here’s the skinny on the tiny: Tata of India has confirmed that they’ll bring over their pint-sized wonder in around 2 years, according to a report by one of their US spokespersons. Of course, this raises a host of questions. For one, what American can actually fit inside one? Can it swim through shallow mud puddles? Will it come with fine Corinthian leather? Details, details.

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Recent rumors crawling their way throughout the auto blogosphere say that Hyundai is planning a .8/1.0-liter super compact vehicle to compete with the famously affordable Tato Nano. Fortunately for us, Hyundai’s preliminary plans appear to relegate the new micro car to the Indian market, mercifully sparing Americans from yet another penny racer. The specifics of Hyundai’s new mystery ride are still very much under wraps, but if the whispers are to be believed, Hyundai intends to begin selling the new pocket rocket during the latter half of 2010. Read More…

Jaguar Suffering From Lagging Sales

Similar to the govenment assistance of American automakers, the British government is in negotiations with Tata Motors and the two-headed monster that is luxury carmaker Jaguar/Land Rover.  However, much like here in the U.S., it is rough going for the automakers in completing a deal that would guarantee both short- and long-term financing.

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