AutoQ: Car Air Quality, Indian Cars in Crash Test & More
Here’s a look at the top car and bike stories of the week.
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AutoQ is our weekly wrap of the top car and bike stories of the week.
Too Many Cars? Maruti Shuts Production At Two Plants For a Day
The country’s largest car maker Maruti Suzuki India shut production for a day on 27 May at its plants in Gurgaon and Manesar in the national capital region to manage rising inventory levels, sources told PTI.
The company's installed manufacturing capacity at its two plants in Gurgaon and Manesar in Haryana stands at around 15.5 lakh units per annum.
Read the full story here.
How Bad Is The Air Inside Your Car?
Air pollution is a big problem in our cities these days. But did you know that the air quality inside your air-conditioned car could be even worse than it is outside?
Studies have shown that besides particulate matter, which can be controlled to some extent by rolling up the windows and using an air-conditioner with a filter, cars have another deadly pollutant – TVOC or total volatile organic compounds.
TVOCs are chemical gases that are given off from the plastics, rubber, leather and other materials inside cars. These become worse when a car is parked in the sun and the temperatures rise.
How bad can it get? Watch the video here.
Indian Cars Pass Global NCAP Crash Tests, But Are Scores Enough?
The new safety norms that kicked in from 1 April 2019 and upcoming Bharat New Vehicle Safety Assessment Program (BNVSAP) crash tests ratings in India have led all car makers to upgrade their vehicles.
And that’s a good thing, as some of these India-made cars that were crash tested by Global NCAP, have passed with reasonable performance.
The made-in-India Suzuki Ignis that was exported to Africa from Maruti’s Gurugram plant was picked up for a crash test by UK-based Global NCAP as part of its “Safer Cars for Africa” programme.
Read the full story here.
Yamaha R15 V3 or Suzuki Gixxer SF: The 150cc Bike Worth Buying?
Suzuki launched two bikes last week in India, but my eyes were firmly glued to the 150cc Gixxer SF.
The new, full-fairing avatar of the Gixxer has been priced at Rs 1,07,400 (ex-showroom), but its overall dynamics and the motor on board make it a direct competition for the Yamaha R15 V3 which costs Rs 30K more than the Gixxer SF. Which brings us to the main question, as always.
If you’re in the market for a sporty, 150cc bike and would like to choose from either of these makers, which one is worth the money?
Read the full story here.
Ather Energy Raises Rs 355 Crore in New Round of Funding
Ather Energy, a Bengaluru-based startup that has launched a range of electric scooters, has raised an investment of $51 million (Rs 355 crore) in its latest round of funding.
This round was led by Flipkart co-founder Sachin Bansal, who put in $32 million (nearly Rs 223 crore).
Ather Energy was one of the earliest start-up investments of Sachin Bansal when he invested about Rs 3.5 crore in the firm as an angel investor in 2014. Another investor, Hero MotoCorp, has converted its convertible debt of $19 million (Rs 132 crore) as a part of this round. In addition to this, InnoVen Capital has extended a $8 million (Rs 55.72 crore) venture debt.
Read the full story here.
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