Saturday, May 31, 2008

Tata Xover / Indiva ?? - Spy shots





Saw these Cars in the second week of May on the Pune-Solapur Highway... They were very fast and made a U-turn even before we could think of chasing them in our Toyota Qualis.... Managed to click some pictures through the rear windscreen... A lot of news is coming from Tata Motors nowadays. Now the latest buzz is that the Tata Indicruz, an MPV which is based on the existing
Safari platform is being readied for a 2009 launch. The Indicruz would compete head on with the Toyota Innova when its launched. I expect the Safari's 2.2 litre DICOR diesel engine to do duty on the Indicruz and it might also get the four wheel drive system as an add on. The Indicruz prototype has been seen road testing close to Pune and the MPV looks rather modern with a large grille and peeled back headlamp which look very indica-ish (the new Indica). The interiors appear very roomy and are beige in color. The dashboard is well sorted out with a lot of storage space. The wheels appear to be 16 inchers and fill the wheel arches nicely. Quality is expected to be much better than the Safari and a shade better than the new Sumo Grande.The Tata Indicruz would launch priced beween Rs.10-12 lakh.

Prototype Pictures of the Tata Indicruz



Source Link - http://indimoto.com/blog/index.php?cat=27

Friday, May 30, 2008

Not everybody is paying higher prices for oil

HALF of the world's population enjoys fuel subsidies. This estimate, from Morgan Stanley, implies that almost a quarter of the world's petrol is sold at less than the market price. The cheapest petrol is in Venezuela, at 5 cents per litre. That makes China's pump price of 79 cents seem expensive, but even this is a bargain compared with $1.04 in the United States and $2.35 in Germany.
India's state-owned oil companies face mounting losses, as they are forced to sell fuel at fixed prices below cost. Petrol prices are actually slightly higher in India than in the United States, because Indian motorists pay much higher fuel taxes, but diesel is about 40% cheaper than in America. The oil firms are partly compensated by bonds which the government issues to them—a trick which allows the government to keep the subsidy off its books. At today's prices, the total subsidy (including the full losses of oil companies) could be as much as 2-3% of GDP this year. Morgan Stanley estimates that the government's total budget deficit (central and state governments and all off-budget items) is running at 9% of GDP in this fiscal year. The government must hold an election by May next year, so it is reluctant to raise fuel prices by much. It is thought to be considering a modest rise combined with a cut in excise duty.

Thursday, May 29, 2008

"Make Money" Links

Make Money

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