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 Fluidic Elantra. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Fluidic Elantra. Show all posts
Road Test and Review: 2014 Hyundai Santa Fe
Road Test and Review: 2014 Hyundai Santa Fe The previous generation Hyundai Santa Fe was a quietly sedate and remarkably practical ...
Inside Hyundai’s Production Line
Have you ever wondered how a car is made? Take a virtual tour of Hyundai’s assembly line in Chennai to see the various steps in assembling a...
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Showing posts with label Fluidic Elantra. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Fluidic Elantra. 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, 23 June 2014
Road Test and Review: 2014 Hyundai Santa Fe
Road Test and Review: 2014 Hyundai Santa Fe
The previous generation Hyundai Santa Fe was a quietly sedate and remarkably practical SUV, but it wasn’t a dreamboat that you looked cool in. Now, as with its younger siblings, the Santa Fe has undergone a drastic makeover that earns it a rightful place among the best-looking crossover SUVs in the market. It raises the bar even further with impressive performance, go-anywhere capability, state-of-the-art interiors and the amount of kit the car gets as standard.
Design
The new Santa Fe embodies ‘storm edge’ design concept, which is an evolution of the fluidic sculpture philosophy. The magnificent three-bar hexagonal front grille is certainly in vogue in contemporary automotive design. HID LED headlamps with trendy daytime running lights further enhance the visual impact. Dual tone skid plates add to the sportiness, too.
Side profile is equally impressive with 18-inch 2-tone Diamond Cut alloy wheels, muscular wheel arches, clean lines and roof rails. The rear design is congruous with the rest of the car and flaunts LED combination lamps, large bumper reflectors, rear spoiler, twin exhaust pipe and rear skid plate. Overall, the new Santa Fe’s exterior design is well balanced, dynamic, contemporary and not overdone, too.
Once inside, you are pleasantly surprised by the décor. The expansive greenhouse is full of fluidic soft-touch materials that look good and offer lots of bang for the buck. The heavily bolstered seats are perched high off the floor and feel commanding. The driver seat is 12-way power adjustable.
The clearly laid out centre console is easy to use but the 4.3 inch TFT screen is tad small for a car of this size. Audio, Bluetooth and some primary driving controls are simply grouped around the multi-function steering wheel.
Dual zone fully automatic climate control and manual sunshades on the second row do an effective job of keeping the cabin temperature pleasantly cool.
It is not the slightly increased length, but the smart interior packaging that makes the new Santa Fe’s cabin spacious and airy. There’s no complaint about the headroom or legroom on all three rows either. The third row folds flat to further expand the already lavish 585 litres of luggage space.
Performance
Be it off road or on, the Santa Fe does everything well. With 197Ps of power at your disposal, a gentle tap on the pedal has the Santa Fe straining at the leash. The electronically controlled variable geometry turbocharger kicks in very quickly and you feel virtually no turbolag. The 2.2-litre CRDi unit is Hyundai’s ‘R’ series engine, hence NVH levels are lower than the previous model. The engine is mated to a 6-speed manual or a 6-speed auto gearbox. Manual variant offers 420Nm of max torque while the automatic gets around 16Nm more, both between 1800-2500rpm.
The automatic variant is great for cruising but it’s somewhat hesitant to downshift when you need it to. I found this particularly frustrating while exiting sharp corners. It doesn’t offer paddle shifters either and that is just unacceptable.
Santa Fe returns a mileage of 14.74kmpl for the MT and 13.01kmpl for AT.
Ride and Handling
As I drove the automatic variant along the meandering roads that lace through Kerala’s mountainous region, I felt the Santa Fe’s steering is accurate, and the handling's just so. Santa Fe comes with Flex Steer that allows the driver to switch among 3 steering modes – Comfort, Normal and Sport depending on road conditions and driver preferences. Even though there is some body roll, Advance Traction Cornering Control (ATCC) and Vehicle Stability Management (VSM) ensure the car knifes into corners precisely and predictably. Intelligent 4 Wheel Drive System and differential lock ensure impressive handling off the road as well.
Santa Fe’s ride quality is compliant and surprisingly supple going by the SUV standards. Road, tyre and wind noise have been kept to a pleasingly low level.
Safety
Santa Fe’s three layers of safety with ABS, Electronic Stability Control and VSM ensure efficient braking on different terrains. Six airbags, advanced dual seatbelt mechanism, Hill Start Assist and Downhill brake control grant you complete peace of mind.
Conclusion
Hyundai has launched the new Dynamic Santa Fe at the Auto Expo starting from Rs. 2,630,000 for the 2WD M/T to Rs. 2,925,000 for the 4WD A/T. While it’s not easy to beat very stiff competition from cheaper alternatives such as Toyota Fortuner and Audi Q3, the hefty price tag can be justified by gorgeous exterior design, nicely crafted spacious interior and the long list of equipment.
Design
The new Santa Fe embodies ‘storm edge’ design concept, which is an evolution of the fluidic sculpture philosophy. The magnificent three-bar hexagonal front grille is certainly in vogue in contemporary automotive design. HID LED headlamps with trendy daytime running lights further enhance the visual impact. Dual tone skid plates add to the sportiness, too.
Side profile is equally impressive with 18-inch 2-tone Diamond Cut alloy wheels, muscular wheel arches, clean lines and roof rails. The rear design is congruous with the rest of the car and flaunts LED combination lamps, large bumper reflectors, rear spoiler, twin exhaust pipe and rear skid plate. Overall, the new Santa Fe’s exterior design is well balanced, dynamic, contemporary and not overdone, too.
Once inside, you are pleasantly surprised by the décor. The expansive greenhouse is full of fluidic soft-touch materials that look good and offer lots of bang for the buck. The heavily bolstered seats are perched high off the floor and feel commanding. The driver seat is 12-way power adjustable.
The clearly laid out centre console is easy to use but the 4.3 inch TFT screen is tad small for a car of this size. Audio, Bluetooth and some primary driving controls are simply grouped around the multi-function steering wheel.
Dual zone fully automatic climate control and manual sunshades on the second row do an effective job of keeping the cabin temperature pleasantly cool.
It is not the slightly increased length, but the smart interior packaging that makes the new Santa Fe’s cabin spacious and airy. There’s no complaint about the headroom or legroom on all three rows either. The third row folds flat to further expand the already lavish 585 litres of luggage space.
Performance
Be it off road or on, the Santa Fe does everything well. With 197Ps of power at your disposal, a gentle tap on the pedal has the Santa Fe straining at the leash. The electronically controlled variable geometry turbocharger kicks in very quickly and you feel virtually no turbolag. The 2.2-litre CRDi unit is Hyundai’s ‘R’ series engine, hence NVH levels are lower than the previous model. The engine is mated to a 6-speed manual or a 6-speed auto gearbox. Manual variant offers 420Nm of max torque while the automatic gets around 16Nm more, both between 1800-2500rpm.
The automatic variant is great for cruising but it’s somewhat hesitant to downshift when you need it to. I found this particularly frustrating while exiting sharp corners. It doesn’t offer paddle shifters either and that is just unacceptable.
Santa Fe returns a mileage of 14.74kmpl for the MT and 13.01kmpl for AT.
Ride and Handling
As I drove the automatic variant along the meandering roads that lace through Kerala’s mountainous region, I felt the Santa Fe’s steering is accurate, and the handling's just so. Santa Fe comes with Flex Steer that allows the driver to switch among 3 steering modes – Comfort, Normal and Sport depending on road conditions and driver preferences. Even though there is some body roll, Advance Traction Cornering Control (ATCC) and Vehicle Stability Management (VSM) ensure the car knifes into corners precisely and predictably. Intelligent 4 Wheel Drive System and differential lock ensure impressive handling off the road as well.
Santa Fe’s ride quality is compliant and surprisingly supple going by the SUV standards. Road, tyre and wind noise have been kept to a pleasingly low level.
Safety
Santa Fe’s three layers of safety with ABS, Electronic Stability Control and VSM ensure efficient braking on different terrains. Six airbags, advanced dual seatbelt mechanism, Hill Start Assist and Downhill brake control grant you complete peace of mind.
Conclusion
Hyundai has launched the new Dynamic Santa Fe at the Auto Expo starting from Rs. 2,630,000 for the 2WD M/T to Rs. 2,925,000 for the 4WD A/T. While it’s not easy to beat very stiff competition from cheaper alternatives such as Toyota Fortuner and Audi Q3, the hefty price tag can be justified by gorgeous exterior design, nicely crafted spacious interior and the long list of equipment.
Thursday, 24 January 2013
Inside Hyundai’s Production Line
Have you ever wondered how a car is made? Take a virtual tour of Hyundai’s assembly line in Chennai to see the various steps in assembling a car.
Robot arms assemble cars inside the Hyundai Motor India Ltd. plant at Kancheepuram district in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu October 4, 2012. Running around the clock and selling everything it can build, Hyundai Motor's Indian factory is bursting at the seams. But as demand grows and rivals scale up, the car maker has chosen to take its foot off the pedal. Hyundai's strategic decision to focus on quality over quantity, even as its production lines are stretched in India and elsewhere, risks losing hard-won market share and is forcing it to divert output from its plant outside Chennai away from exports to other high-growth markets to meet domestic demand.
Workers stand next to the assembly line of the Hyundai Motor India Ltd. plant at Kancheepuram district in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu October 4, 2012. Running around the clock and selling everything it can build, Hyundai Motor's Indian factory is bursting at the seams. But as demand grows and rivals scale up, the car maker has chosen to take its foot off the pedal. Hyundai's strategic decision to focus on quality over quantity, even as its production lines are stretched in India and elsewhere, risks losing hard-won market share and is forcing it to divert output from its plant outside Chennai away from exports to other high-growth markets to meet domestic demand
A worker assembles a Hyundai i10 car inside the Hyundai Motor India Ltd. plant at Kancheepuram district in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu October 4, 2012. Running around the clock and selling everything it can build, Hyundai Motor's Indian factory is bursting at the seams. But as demand grows and rivals scale up, the car maker has chosen to take its foot off the pedal. Hyundai's strategic decision to focus on quality over quantity, even as its production lines are stretched in India and elsewhere, risks losing hard-won market share and is forcing it to divert output from its plant outside Chennai away from exports to other high-growth markets to meet domestic demand
A worker assembles a Hyundai i10 car inside the Hyundai Motor India Ltd. plant at Kancheepuram district in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu October 4, 2012. Running around the clock and selling everything it can build, Hyundai Motor's Indian factory is bursting at the seams. But as demand grows and rivals scale up, the car maker has chosen to take its foot off the pedal. Hyundai's strategic decision to focus on quality over quantity, even as its production lines are stretched in India and elsewhere, risks losing hard-won market share and is forcing it to divert output from its plant outside Chennai away from exports to other high-growth markets to meet domestic demand.
Workers assemble a Hyundai i10 car at a plant of Hyundai Motor India Ltd in Sriperumbudur Taluk in the Kancheepuram district of Tamil Nadu
Workers assemble cars inside the Hyundai Motor India Ltd. plant at Kancheepuram district in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu October 4, 2012. Running around the clock and selling everything it can build, Hyundai Motor's Indian factory is bursting at the seams. But as demand grows and rivals scale up, the car maker has chosen to take its foot off the pedal. Hyundai's strategic decision to focus on quality over quantity, even as its production lines are stretched in India and elsewhere, risks losing hard-won market share and is forcing it to divert output from its plant outside Chennai away from exports to other high-growth markets to meet domestic demand.
A worker works next to the assembly line of the Hyundai Motor India Ltd. plant at Kancheepuram district in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu October 4, 2012. Running around the clock and selling everything it can build, Hyundai Motor's Indian factory is bursting at the seams. But as demand grows and rivals scale up, the car maker has chosen to take its foot off the pedal. Hyundai's strategic decision to focus on quality over quantity, even as its production lines are stretched in India and elsewhere, risks losing hard-won market share and is forcing it to divert output from its plant outside Chennai away from exports to other high-growth markets to meet domestic demand
Workers assemble cars inside the Hyundai Motor India Ltd. plant at Kancheepuram district in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu October 4, 2012. Running around the clock and selling everything it can build, Hyundai Motor's Indian factory is bursting at the seams. But as demand grows and rivals scale up, the car maker has chosen to take its foot off the pedal. Hyundai's strategic decision to focus on quality over quantity, even as its production lines are stretched in India and elsewhere, risks losing hard-won market share and is forcing it to divert output from its plant outside Chennai away from exports to other high-growth markets to meet domestic demand.
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