According to the market experts at Hagerty, 2014 was a banner year for collector-car sales, with more than $1.3 billion in action from th...
Showing posts with label Amaze. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Amaze. Show all posts
Road Test and Review: Honda Amaze
Road Test and Review: Honda Amaze In the past couple of years, the Indian car industry introduced us to a series of new segments. Ne...
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 even...
Meet Amaze - Honda's first diesel car in India
These are the first pictures of the Honda Amaze sedan that will be launched in India next year. Already launched in Thailand, the Amaze is e...
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Showing posts with label Amaze. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Amaze. Show all posts
Monday, 29 December 2014
The 10 most expensive auction cars of 2014
According to the market experts at Hagerty, 2014 was a banner year for collector-car sales, with more than $1.3 billion in action from the major events in Arizona, Pebble Beach and elsewhere. Here's the Hagerty list of the 10 most expensive cars sold at auction this year
Forget Wall Street, or Silicon Valley. Oh, to be a dealer in exotic cars. Your biggest problem would be where to stash all the loot.
Consider that 2013 was surely thought to be a high water mark in the collectible car world, with $1.2 billion in auction house sales. But 2014 will beat that, notching $1.3 billion in hawked sheetmetal — about a third of that during Pebble Beach’s iconic auction week — thanks in large part to vintage Ferrari sales that continue to beggar belief.
Consider that the 10 most expensive cars sold this year were all Prancing Horse models from the ‘50s or ‘60s, which combined brought in north of $125 million. For just ten cars.
Numero uno? A 1962 Ferrari GTO that Bonhams sold for $38 million. Second? A 275 GTB/C for $26 million hammered down by RM Auctions. Well, let’s see, what’ll it be today, a new sprawling ranch in Colorado, or a car?
“It was another banner year for classic cars, with gains at the top-end and more modest growth for the bulk of the market,” says McKeel Hagerty, CEO of the classic car insurer Hagerty, which tallied the 2014 auction stats.
While the Ferrari numbers don’t surprise Hagerty, interest in cars for far saner prices suggest 2015 may witness a new crop of stars coming to the fore. “For example,” he says, “as some people have been priced out of the Shelby Cobra market, they have shifted their focus to Sunbeam Tigers, a lightweight British roadster with an American V8.”
Conversations with execs from four top auction houses echo a few overlapping themes, while revealing some disagreement over some hot models will continue their meteoric rise.
For starters, everyone’s in agreement that these prices are no fluke. Unlike the crazy and largely speculator-driven boom in the late ‘80s, when seemingly anything exotic sold for comical multiples of its true value, today’s huge sales are for vehicles that could well be considered rare automotive art.
“There is a solid foundation around the current boom,” says Alan Squindo, vice president at RM, whose top three sales were the aforementioned 275, a 1964 Ferrari 250 LM ($11 million) and a 1967 Ferrari 275 ($10 million).
“What you won’t hear about are the cars that did not sell for $10 or $20 million. It’s only the cream that rises,” he says. “It’s the best color, the best restoration, the best history. You’ve got to have the perfect storm.”
David Gooding of Gooding and Company is adamant “we’re not in a bubble,” and in fact is not so secretly pleased whenever high-priced cars that perhaps aren’t quite superstars fail to achieve sales figures that should be reserved for truly rare steeds.
“Some cars’ (valuations) had been going up too fast I thought, which wasn’t sustainable, so it’s great to see sanity prevail,” says Gooding, whose top three sellers were a 1961 Ferrari 250 GT ($15 million), a 1955 Aston Martin DB3S ($5.5 million) and a world-record setting McLaren F1 GTR ($5.2 million). “Naysayers say cars not hitting their mark is a sign of weakness (in the market). No, I say that just shows that there is always strong demand for fresh, quality cars at the right price.”
Frank Mecum, 2014 represented “our biggest year of growth yet, in fact, we are enjoying peak years that I feel will continue for another two or three.”
Mecum’s outfit is particularly known for its sales of classic American iron, and this past year saw some big numbers for a range of machines. Topping the heap was a 1964 Ford GT40 Prototype, which fetched $7 million. Next was a 1971 Plymouth Hemi Cuda at $3.5 million, and third was yet another Ferrari, this one a 1961 Ferrari 250 Series II Cabriolet at $2.2 million.
“For 2015, I’m predicting more growth in a broader range of marques,” says Mecum. “And I’ll go ahead and say that the biggest growth could be in motorcycles. For such a long time it’s been a small hobby, but I see that changing.”
Drew Alcazar of Russo and Steele says he has been through three classic car booms and busts. And while he’s been the beneficiary of this most recent explosion in values — top three in 2014: 1956 Mercedes-Benz 300SL at $1.3, 1966 Lamborghini 350GT at $740,000 and a 1972 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona at $730,000 — he thinks today’s prices are causing some exotic owners to be overly optimistic.
“It’s interesting, today you talk to someone about consigning their (Ferrari) 330 GTC or even a Daytona or Dino, and they don’t want to sell them,” says Alcazar. “They seem sure their cars will be worth double soon. But will these prices leap exponentially as they have in the past 18 months? No.”
He uses the example of a classic ‘50s Mercedes Gullwing, which in roughly six years has tripled in value from $500,000 to $1.5 million. “Will that car triple again by 2020?” he asks. “I doubt it.”
Like all the top auto auction houses, Russo and Steele looks to the annual week-long car extravaganza in Pebble Beach as both a showpiece and guideline for the industry. While this past summer’s event raked in an impressive $430 million, Alcazar saw hints of sanity in the crazy sales.
“I noticed a leveling at Monterey this year, a hesitancy to perpetuate the exponential compounding of values for some cars,” he says, pointing specifically to Porsche’s legendary air-cooled 911 sports car. While very special editions of the model continue to see mushrooming values - such as rare RS, Turbo and Speedster variants — Alcazar says that 2015 may be the year that more pedestrian model values fall back to earth.
“The 911 is a special car, but it’s important to understand there are a ton of them out there,” he says, and Porsche itself brags that some 70% of its vehicles are still on the road today. “People will always pay for stellar, no stories cars. But the rest, they may not.”
As the new classic car auction calendar unfolds in Scottsdale, Ariz., next month with events from Gooding, RM, Barrett-Jackson and others, it will be interesting to see what their top sales tell us about the year to come.
Monday, 11 August 2014
Road Test and Review: Honda Amaze
Road Test and Review: Honda Amaze
In the past couple of years, the Indian car industry introduced us to a series of new segments. Needless to say, the sub-4 metre segment emerged the most popular, thanks to the tax benefit it enjoys. But the carmakers’ desperate attempt to cash in on the lower tax rate left us with a handful of mediocre designs that were merely squeezed up variants of existing models. Finally, we have in the market a well-thought-out, a well-sculpted sub-4 metre sedan -- the Honda Amaze.
Amaze comes to the market with a tough assignment -- to regain Honda’s lost sheen. It’s not going to be an easy fight with the Maruti Dzire, a car that’s already a household name. But the Amaze has advantage in terms of space, mileage, appearance and above all, it has reliability of a Honda car. Now, Honda has priced the Amaze on par with the Dzire too. Hmm...looks like the Amaze is going to give Dzire a run for its money.
And that’s not all. With a 1.5L i-DTEC engine that’s exclusively developed for India, the Amaze marks Honda’s entry into the diesel segment. That fact itself makes the Amaze recognisable in the already crowded diesel segment, but has the Japanese carmaker got everything right with the Amaze to win the lost market share back? Let’s drive the Amaze to find out.
Design
If you thought the Amaze is just the Brio with a boot slapped onto it, hey, you were wrong. Although the front half of the car is identical to the hatchback, designers have burnt the midnight oil to immaculately integrate the additional 380mm beyond the B-pillar. From the front, the Amaze can be distinguished by the twin-bar grille and a new bumper with subtle changes. The best design element of all is the two aggressive character lines in profile, which disguise the car’s compact dimensions and give it a full-grown sedan’s stance. The rear design of the Amaze is certainly the best in its class, owing to the seamless integration of the boot, stylish rear combination lamps and generous use of chrome.
Inside, there's virtually nothing to separate the Amaze and the Brio. The dashboard layout is the same and the same hard plastics feature throughout. However, the high-quality bright fabric creates a cheerful aura and a premium feel in the cabin.
Space, Comfort and Convenience
Ask me one thing I liked most about the Amaze and I’ll tell you -- space. No matter where you’re sitting, there’s lots of space. The front seats offer plenty of kneeroom, while six-footers will have no trouble getting comfortable in the rear. The Amaze’s roomy feel extends to the boot as well, which has a class-leading capacity of 400 litres.
The easy-to-live-with cabin offers a great driving position and logical dashboard. Driver seat is height adjustable and steering column collapsible. The interior is suitable for a long road trip with bolstered seats, lots of storage zones, two cup holders and four bottle holders.
Engine
In India, Honda and diesel were two words that never belonged in the same sentence, but not anymore. Even though it took three years for Honda to develop a diesel engine for India, they’ve got exactly what we wanted. First things first -- the 1.5 litre i-DTEC engine returns the highest fuel economy in the Indian passenger car segment of 25.8 km/l, as per test data. What’s more interesting is that the impressive mileage is achieved without any compromise on performance. It offers a maximum power output of 100PS@3600rpm and 200 Nm of torque @1750 rpm. The diesel engine is coupled to a five-speed manual transmission.
The Amaze will also be available with the Brio’s peppy 1.2-litre, 88bhp petrol engine, linked to either a five speed manual or a five-speed automatic transmission.
Performance, Ride and Handling
The 1.5 litre i-DTEC engine pulls smoothly from as low as 1200-1500 rpm with no bogs or hesitation. Power builds up in a very linear fashion that you wouldn’t notice the turbo kick in at 3000 rpm. It delivers plenty of mid and high end torque to keep you moving swiftly along the streets. However, compared to the popular 1.3 litre DDiS engine, the 1.5 litre i-DTEC is not as much fun to drive but certainly more practical and more efficient.
Since we are not used to engine noise in a Honda car, the i-DTEC might unexpectedly be audible inside the cabin. Otherwise, the cabin remains well- insulated against wind/road noise. The petrol Amaze, on the other hand, is typical Honda – silent, peppy and fun to drive.
The heavier diesel engine required a stiffer front suspension than the Brio, but not taking a toll on the ride quality. The steering is slightly heavier, hence confidence-inspiring and the handling is worlds better than that of the others in the segment.
The Amaze has a ground clearance of 165 mm, good enough to clear most speedbreakers and potholes. Overall, the steering, brake and throttle all help make this an easy car to drive happily.
Safety
The Amaze features Honda’s active and passive safety technologies including dual SRS front airbags, ABS, EBD, 3-point ELR seat belts and impact-mitigating headrests. The front body structure is equipped with Pedestrian injury mitigation technology designed to absorb impact energy. The rear too has a shock absorbing structure which protects occupants in case of a rear crash.
Conclusion
Amaze comes to the market with a tough assignment -- to regain Honda’s lost sheen. It’s not going to be an easy fight with the Maruti Dzire, a car that’s already a household name. But the Amaze has advantage in terms of space, mileage, appearance and above all, it has reliability of a Honda car. Now, Honda has priced the Amaze on par with the Dzire too. Hmm...looks like the Amaze is going to give Dzire a run for its money.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.
- Maruti Suzuki is all set to launch the Celerio hatchback at the 2014 Auto Expo. Expected to be the most popular launch of the year, the Celeriogets a 1.0-litre, 3-cylinder K-Series petrol engine that develops of 67bhp and 90Nm of peak torque.
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
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
Expected to be launched in February 2014, the Grand sedan will be priced aggressively to take on Honda Amaze and Maruti Dzire
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
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
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
The 2014 Jazz will certainly be aggressively priced and will also have the advantage of a diesel powertrain and a futuristic design
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
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
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
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
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
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
The BMW 3 Series GT will be one of the most important launches by the Bavarian carmaker at the Delhi Auto Expo
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
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
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
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
The new Santa Fe will have a more appealing presence, derived from Hyundai’s fluidic design philosophy
Thursday, 29 November 2012
Meet Amaze - Honda's first diesel car in India
These are the first pictures of the Honda Amaze sedan that will be launched in India next year. Already launched in Thailand, the Amaze is expected to make it to Indian shores by April 2013. Powered by a new, 1.5-litre, four-cylinder i-DTEC diesel engine derived from the 1.6-litre Earth Dreams, the Amaze returns 23-25 kmpl. Prices could start from Rs 5.2 lakh for the basic petrol to Rs 7.3 lakh for the top-end diesel.
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