Saturday 8 February 2014

Dubai's magnificent mega-development, District One

Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum has inaugurated District One of the Mohammed Bin Rashid City development. The mega-development features business parks, residential villa communities, schools, hospitals and business towers along with luxury waterfront developments and shopping destinations

The project is expected to be completed by 2018-2019.


Mohammed Bin Rashid City District One is a new freehold development of 1500 villas across more than 1030 acres making it one of the world's lowest density residential developments


District One is situated less than 3km (10 minutes driving distance) from the Burj Khalifa


Developers say District One will enclose a city within a city and feature all the amenities needed for comfortable living.


Restaurants, bistros and retail areas will also be available for residents and visitors alike.


The highlight of the project will be 7km of fresh water lagoons and serene man-made beaches


District One offers a community with parks, lagoons and villas with over 18 floor plans to choose from.


A map displaying the location of District One. It is being developed by Meydan Sobha.


The project will feature 1,500 villas of three styles - Modern Arabic, Mediterranean and Contemporary.


The community will also include a variety of entertainment options including waterfront cafes, bistros, theatres and lifestyle retail.


According to developers, all the District One Villas will offer a series of well conceived features and amenities in a spacious interior.


An artist's impression of the interior of one of the villas


The villas will blend luxury and comfort


Saturday 1 February 2014

Auto Expo 2014: 10 launches to watch out for

The 12th edition of the Auto Expo is all set to begin on 7th February. With as many as 70 new cars expected to break cover during the event, the 2014 Auto Expo will be the biggest India has ever witnessed. As we are gearing up for the comprehensive coverage, here’s a look at the 10 hottest launches to watch out for.


Auto Expo 2014: 10 launches to watch out for

Celerio will introduce Auto Gear Shift, which will have the flexibility of both manual mode and auto drive mode in the same car, with a simple shift of gear lever. Maruti claims a mileage figure of 23.1kmpl
Auto Expo 2014: 10 launches to watch out for

Hyundai Grand i10 was one of the most popular launches of 2013. Hot on the heels of this grand success, Hyundai will unveil a sedan version of the Grand
Auto Expo 2014: 10 launches to watch out for

Expected to be launched in February 2014, the Grand sedan will be priced aggressively to take on Honda Amaze and Maruti Dzire
Auto Expo 2014: 10 launches to watch out for

Nissan has re-launched the Datsun brand after 32 years. Datsun will launch its first car early this year called the Datsun GO. The Datsun GO will be priced under Rs. 4 lakhs in India and will be powered by a 1.2-litre, 3-cylinder engine, paired to a 5-speed manual gearbox
Auto Expo 2014: 10 launches to watch out for

The same engine does duty on the Nissan Micra Active, producing 68 PS and 104 Nm. However in the Datsun GO, the company might detune the engine in the interest of boosting fuel economy
Auto Expo 2014: 10 launches to watch out for

Honda will re-launch the revised Jazz in 2014. Although the first generation Jazz had a much-loved design, poor pricing resulted in bad sales
Auto Expo 2014: 10 launches to watch out for

The 2014 Jazz will certainly be aggressively priced and will also have the advantage of a diesel powertrain and a futuristic design
Auto Expo 2014: 10 launches to watch out for

VW's Taigun is likely to be the first car on the Up platform (codename: PQ12) to come to India. The Taigun concept, based on a stretched version of the VW Up's NSF (New Small Family) platform, made its debut at the Sao Paolo International Motor Show in October last year and previews VW's future SUV face
Auto Expo 2014: 10 launches to watch out for

With its bold, clean styling, the Taigun is sure to appeal to the Indian psyche. It looks a lot less radical than the Ford EcoSport and its less controversial lines are designed to appeal to everyone and offend no one. As for the interiors, VW designed it to resemble the simplicity of the latest smartphones. Its clean, minimalist look aims at being visually clear and simple to use
Auto Expo 2014: 10 launches to watch out for

Mobilio, the third car to be built on the Brio platform, marks Honda’s entry into the MPV segment in India. The Mobilio will be available with the 1.5-litre i-VTEC petrol and 1.5-litre i-DTEC diesel options
Auto Expo 2014: 10 launches to watch out for

Both engines will be mated to a five-speed manual transmission. The production version of the Mobilio is expected to be unveiled at the 2014 Delhi Auto Expo
Auto Expo 2014: 10 launches to watch out for

Audi is all set to unveil its A3 sedan at the Auto Expo. It is Audi’s first compact sedan in the luxury segment to come into the Indian market
Auto Expo 2014: 10 launches to watch out for

Along with the A3, Audi will also showcase special editions of Q3, Q5, the sportier SQ5, Q7 and its recently launched sports car Audi RS 7 Sportback
Auto Expo 2014: 10 launches to watch out for

The BMW 3 Series GT will be one of the most important launches by the Bavarian carmaker at the Delhi Auto Expo
Auto Expo 2014: 10 launches to watch out for

The GT model is 200mm longer, 50mm taller and 17mm wider than the regular 3 Series model. The GT 3 Series comes with a 2-liter diesel engine producing 184bhp, while the petrol variant gets 2.0-liter motor developing 245bhp of power output
Auto Expo 2014: 10 launches to watch out for

Mercedes-Benz India will unveil the dynamically styled Concept GLA and CLA45 AMG at the 12th edition of the Auto Expo. Focusing on the company’s ‘Year of Excellence’ strategy, Mercedes-Benz will also launch its first SUV Guard 
Auto Expo 2014: 10 launches to watch out for

The AMG 2.0-liter turbo engine, with a maximum output of 265 kW (360 hp) and up to 450 Newton meters of torque, is the most powerful turbocharged four-cylinder engine in series production in the world
Auto Expo 2014: 10 launches to watch out for

Hyundai will launch the new Santa Fe in India at the Auto Expo. The full-sized SUV is expected to undercut Toyota Fortuner in terms of pricing when it is launched. To achieve this Hyundai will assemble the Santa Fe at its Chennai plant
Auto Expo 2014: 10 launches to watch out for

The new Santa Fe will have a more appealing presence, derived from Hyundai’s fluidic design philosophy
Auto Expo 2014: 10 launches to watch out for