We know prices of raw materials have gone up. The dealer price for this car will be Rupees one lakh! Because a promise is a promise!

Ratan Tata kept his promise of the 1 lac car and the people’s car was released as Tata Nano
– looks really good (personal opinion :-)
– 624cc engine developing 33bhp with four speed manual gear
– more than 20kmpl (claims 20 kmpl in city and 26 kmpl on highway)
– 8% smaller than maruti 800 (bumper to bumper), 21% bigger internal volume
– deluxe edition to have air-conditioning, standard won’t have it
– passed the full-frontal crash and the side impact crash
– meets bharat 3 (euro 4 as well)
– no power steering
– no airbags

Overall, this car looks interesting. Sure enough, I would have loved to see air-conditioning, power steering, power windows, central locking, ABS, air-bags and all other features in this cute package (yeah the car looks really cool to me), but that would not have been possible at the price point. At an on-road price close to 1,20,000 this car should be good value for money and I suspect good news to all those planning to upgrade from a two wheeler.

At about 12,00,000 (INR) it might be a bit expensive but I would not let that stop me from dreaming. Available in Bangalore at Orion Motors, #518, Hosur Road (Opposite to Forum Mall)

This is being brought to India via the CBU route which means Yamaha could have been selling this for about 500,000 (INR) on-road had it not been for our very greedy government asking for more than half my money as taxes/levies/duties :-(

Now if only I could get a (very) good hike that would let me buy this baby… Ah!

Karnataka Judge’s car parked in Brigade Road – Bangalore.
If he can park in the no parking area, then y can’t I do..?????????
Looks like law and order don’t apply to the judiciary system…

I personally am of the belief that traffic rules should apply to all vehicles (I am okay with exemptions for ambulances, but not for official cars). And it’s kind of interesting to note that we seem to have a different set of laws for those who wield some power (executive, legislature, judiciary) and another set for the normal folks like you and me…

Thanks to the picture of this car belonging to the Judge of Karnataka High Court parked where you and I can’t, we now know that some people are above traffic laws. Bangalore traffic is a power game where those who interpret the laws are not bound by them.

Words of Wisdom:
1. Don’t Drive.
2. If you must drive, don’t drive on roads that have bad lighting.
3. If you must drive on roads with bad light, drive at 10kmph or less.

Note to my co-workers: I should (hopefully) be back on Monday (08 January 2006)

Could not help clicking while waiting for the light to go green. Near Sony World, Koramangala. Btw, that’s a Karizma – a bike that can make you feel you are not driving fast because it can do a 100kmph so effortlessly and (as an unfortunate side effect) also lead to a bad crash where a helmet might prove useful.

PS: The title came to my mind because the helmet covers the number plate so well that am sure it will survive an accident, not sure if the head will survive though.

the letters of the registration mark shall be in English and the figures shall be in Arabic numerals – Rule 77, Chapter 3; The Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989

Guess this mean that meaning of “English letters” and “Arabic numerals” has changed.

Our traffic cops have perfected the art of reading number plates from far (ever noticed how accurately they can stop vehicles with TN, KL, AP, DL etc registrations?), but they still can’t find (or at least I have not seen them stopping) these vehicles carrying number plates that very few people can read.

Could not help noticing this. Check the buses coming from NGV side occupying both sides (Note: In case you are thinking that this road is a one-way, its not). Looks like you can drive on both sides – entirely your choice. At least it looks that way to me.

Traffic terms continued!
Traffic terms – enjoy some more
Some more traffic related terms
‘Hungry auto’ and some more
‘Belly hunters’ and ‘rattle therapists’
Dancing hands and leaking two-wheelers
Hand-of-god and more concepts of Indian city traffic

My favorite definitions are “q turn” and “hand of god”.

Did you know about “q Turns” ? Let me describe this rather easy to explain Bangalore specialty. “q turn” is stylish Indian cousin of the plain vanilla “U turn”. A U turn happens when you keep turning right and right till you reverse your direction. But when executing a q-turn, the driver first turns slightly to the left to announce that hey, I am about to start on a U. This left deviation is then followed by the series of rights that eventually puts him in the reverse direction. Vehicle’s trail almost resembles a “q”, hence the name “q turn”!

I hit into the “hand of god” phenomenon at least twice a day. You are doing 60 kmph and you suddenly see a pedestrian jump on the road. You have the momentum, and right of way as well, so you assume the ped will try get out of the way. But no. Out pops a hand. Stop! One hand this direction, second hand in another. This is called the hand of god way of crossing an Indian street.

If you want to know about indian traffic or if you endure it on a daily basis, these posts would qualify as a must-read for you.

The disappointing news first: Its a 220cc engine and not a 250 as was expected. And it can give you a top speed of only 135kmph (I would have been happier with at least a 150kmph). But anyway, hope that there would be an upgrade soon that would be capable of a 100mph (161kmph).

Here are some pictures for your viewing pleasure :-)

Also, check out this video (NDTV Car and Bike Show). Thanks to Suthin for sending me this video.

Here are the specifications for the 220 pulsar that we should be seeing soon:

Engine
Cylinder : Air Cooled, 4 Stroke Sohc
Valve Train: 2 Valve
Displacement: 220cc
Starting: Electric Start only
Ignition/fuelling: Fuel injection (DTS-Fi)

Performance
Max. Power: 20 bhp
Max. Torque: 1.95 kgm
Top speed: 135 kph
Fuel economy: 50 kpl (i would expect more like 35-40)

Transmission
Gear Box: 5 Speed Constant Mesh

Electricals
Battery: 12V 9Ah
Head Light: Ellipsoidal projector 55W/parabolic 55W H7
Tail Light: High intensity LEDs

Suspension
Front: 37 mm Telescopic Hydraulic Type 130 mm travel
Rear: Ellipitical section Swing Arm With twin Hydraulic Gas-charged Shock Absorbers; 101 mm travel

Brakes
Front: 260mm Disc Type
Rear: 230mm Disc Type

Tyres
Front: 90/90-17 tubeless
Rear: 120/80-17 tubeless

Dimensions
Kerb Weight: 150 kg
Wheel Base: 1,350 mm
Length: 2,035 mm
Width: 750 mm
Overall Height: 1,140 mm
Ground Clearance: 177 mm
Tank Capacity: 15 l

Bajaj too had been in the fray for first indian bike with Fuel Injection, but Bajaj is looking at entering the slightly higher market segment (200-250cc) and the bike would be available only be the last quarter to 2006 and likely to be priced at about 80 to 90 thousand rupees (INR)

Hero Honda on the other hand has launched this bike sqaurely at the lower end of the market (125cc). The prices are 49,990 for the standard model and 53,990 for the deluxe model (electric start and front disk brakes) ex-showroom Delhi. Hero Honda Glamour FI will feature Honda’s first 125 cc PGM-FI Engine (Programmed Fuel Injection)

The bike has a 124.8cc engine, 2 valves, providing 9 bhp (7,000 RPM) and a maximum torque of 10.35 NM (4,000 RPM)

Overall, the bike has the same ratings for maximum power and torque, and looks same as the old one (equally silly and pathetic)