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 According
to car lovers and automobile experts, the new BMW 7 Series is the
sole representative of the car of the future. It is totally beyond
the present concept of the ‘luxury car’. Many carmakers, including
Mercedes, have tried to come out with a really ‘futuristic’ car, but
all they have succeeded in doing is improving on existing features.
The BMW 7 is a quantum leap in car designing with the pneumatic
suspension probably the only feature retained from the old line. And
yes, the BMW 7 series 735i will soon be available in India—this
month, in fact. All you need to own one is a passion for cars—and
yes, it would be handy if you had Rs. 60 lakh in your pocket.
BMW design head, Chris Bangle, has made certain that the BMW 7
stands out from the current crop of new cars. Shrink-wrapped in an
organic skin, the new BMW is smooth, clean and sports a menacing
look. He has designed a totally brilliantly new profile. The long
nose, much on the lines of a sniffing predator and the sweep of the
hood are simply out of this world. The fin aerial on the rear
windscreen and headlights complete its likeness to a killer marine
mammal.
The interior is sheer magic. The old and the new dials fuse together
in the new panel which is dominated by a screen used to control a
large number of functions. The mouse-like control device—the i-drive
system—displays several menus and modes. The system has a large
amount of artificial intelligence and while the console gives a
space ship-like look, it could prove a distraction while driving. In
short, its going to be a long, long time before the automobile
industry can come up with a machine that can beat the BMW 7 Series.
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 Maruti
Udyog, India’s largest carmaker, announced the launch of upgraded
versions of its small car, the Wagon R. “The sales of the WagonR
jumped up by over 30 per cent this fiscal. "Growing sales of the car
prompted us to roll out new versions of the car which hit the Indian
roads two years ago,” company officials said. The two upgraded
versions of the car—Wagon R VXi and WagonR Lxi—will cost Rs. 610 more
over the respective prices of their base models while customers will
have to pay Rs. 4,570 more for the top end variant, WagonR VXi. Apart
from sporting a 1.1 litre engine, the top end version will have a rear
spoiler with stop lamp.
Car sales of MUL went up by 4.5 per cent at 30,905 units in February
2002 against 29,562 units sold in the same month last year. Cumulative
(April-February 2001-02) sales surged ahead by 2.6 per cent at 2.99
lakh cars. MUL recently launched a Maruti 800 Special Edition, and
started exporting Alto VX to some of the countries in western Europe.
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