Here is the original:

I took the following photos during various stages of the drawing:

Had a nice time meeting with Shrawan (www.indianautosblog.com) and Harish (autotechblog.org) and a whole lot of the IndiBloggers !

However there is one issue – the front jawline doesnt remind me of a Cheetah – [...]]]> The Mahindra XUV 500 was launched yesterday and details of pricing and variants shared today. The pricing seems to be spot on and the buzz on the net indicates Mahindra has done their homework on the pricing very well. 

However there is one issue – the front jawline doesnt remind me of a Cheetah – its more of  The Predator.

Here is an image I mashed together – do you see the resemblance ?

Was able to get only two photos (taken by my wife) [...]]]> Saw this Renault Koleos in heavy traffic on Anna Salai (Mount Road) near the Saidapet bus stop around 5:30 PM wearing very minimal camo – just some cover of tape on the badges at the rear. This confirms reports of its release being very near.

Was able to get only two photos (taken by my wife) as I was driving and there was too much traffic.

Overall it looked good and paint quality seemed nice. Has decent road presence. Was not able to see the front due to traffic. Hope it is priced well.

For those that don’t know him he [...]]]> This color pencil sketch is dedicated to Mr. Shyam Krishnamachary (a.k.a StanHer on a certain forum). His passion and knowledge about all cars made by the Standard Motor Company is limitless and he is always ready and willing to help whenever possible with queries regarding cars (preferably Standards).

For those that don’t know him he is probably one of the first to have an almost complete collection of Standard Motors cars.  This is his latest (b)ride a 1964 Standard Herald mk1:

Reference photo was nicked from here:

Here is the reference photo below:

More pencil funniness. A bit too much shading perhaps ? Reference photo os from a magazine advert.

This series starts with a hunch that Hyundai may phase out the Accent (Feb sales of around 1224) and replace it with the current Verna Transform (Feb 2011 sales 1241)(with the ugly nose rings) as their entry level [...]]]> I plan to post some wild hunches of mine and check if they come true later.

This series starts with a hunch that Hyundai may phase out the Accent (Feb sales of around 1224) and replace it with the current Verna Transform (Feb 2011 sales 1241)(with the ugly nose rings) as their entry level sedan offering when they launch the new Verna (code name RB) sometime in the middle of this year. They may call it the Verna Executive .

The indications of this happenning will be discounts starting on the Verna and the Accent anytime soon. Why such a hunch – Ford has done this with putting their long time success story the Ikon to sleep and plan to move the Fiesta as the Fiesta Classic as their entry level sedan offering prior to launching the new Fiesta which can be branded as their more premium offering. I think it makes sense for Hyundai to do the same especially since the sales of the Accent are not worth mentioning. The Accent now looks very dated and has had no visual change in atleast 4 years and is lingering on.

Am I way off with this theory ? Do let me know…

Jazz in Sherbet Blue

This is a short offline(done over email) interview with Mr Girish T.,  one of my close friends who is probably one of the first in Chennai (maybe in India as well) to buy a Honda Jazz. Many thanks to Girish for agreeing to this interview and sending over his answers [...]]]> 

Jazz in Sherbet Blue

This is a short offline(done over email) interview with Mr Girish T.,  one of my close friends who is probably one of the first in Chennai (maybe in India as well) to buy a Honda Jazz. Many thanks to Girish for agreeing to this interview and sending over his answers in a very short time.

Sushil: What was your old car and how long did you have it ?
Girish: Fiat Palio – 7 years

Sushil: Why were you replacing your old car/getting a new one ?
Girish: The Fiat Palio was a Fuel Guzzler, Great car but was not backed by service. Fiat had stopped production as well. Time for change.

Sushil: What were your requirements for your new car?
Girish: Fuel efficient, Hatchback with lots of space and preferred that it be a Japanese this time

Sushil: What options did you evaluate ?
Girish: Jazz, I20 and Punto

Sushil: Why did you pick this car from the options you evaluated?
Girish: Lots of space, Excellent styling, Honda brand and tag of being decent on fuel efficiency

Sushil: Which dealer did you get it from and how was your purchase experience ?
Girish: Sundaram Motors – Nothing great. They have never been known to be great on the purchase experience or service. But went with it because that was the closest to my place. Can’t get a lazier reason

Sushil: Any freebies received ?
Girish: None – they managed to screw my chance to participate in the Honda festival and possibly get the Jazz free. They didn’t care much about it though. Speak volumes of their customer service. They did give me some money on the Fiat though. I thought that was a great freebie .

Sushil: What accessories did you add and what do you feel are must haves for someone buying this vehicle ?
Girish idn’t add any. But the rear parcel tray is a definite must. So is a USB port. They have brought in these options with Jazz X

Sushil: How many KM have you covered and how long have you had the vehicle ?
Girish: About a year now and 15K on KM

Sushil: What is the mileage it gives you so far ?
Girish: Gives me nearly 14 in city.

Sushil: What are the good points/features that stand out ?
Girish: Mileage, Drive, Space and Space

Sushil: Any irritants or negatives that stand out ?
Girish: Some more features for the price would have been great.

Sushil: Would you recommend the Honda Jazz to anyone and why ?
Girish: Definitely recommend for those looking for a hatchback to drive in the city with loads of space. The tag of being pricey and Honda has not been able to do anything about It has let the vehicle down.

If you have any further questions on the Jazz please post them here through the comments and will request Girish to answer them here.