German luxury car maker Audi on Thursday launched three all-electric SUVs under its e-tron range with prices starting from Rs 99.99 lakh kicking off its electrification journey in the country.The three all-electric SUVs -- e-tron 50, e-tron 55 and e-tron Sportback 55 -- are priced at Rs 99.99 lakh, Rs 1.16 crore and Rs 1.18 crore respectively (all prices ex-showroom), Audi India said in a statement.Commenting on the launch of the e-tron brand in India, Audi India Head Balbir Singh Dhillon said, "we are launching not one, but three electric SUVs that begin our electrification journey."The three electric SUVs are "the perfect confluence of luxury, zero emissions, performance and everyday usability", he added.

The car is built in a manner that stands tall and rugged on the city streets, without ever being uncomfortable, says Pavan Lall.

Fancy your chops are a designer? Skoda Auto India has a challenge for you. Rajesh Karkera/Rediff.com brings us the lowdown.

Hyundai Motor India expects its SUV range to gain further traction in the domestic market with demand for personal mobility gaining momentum post the second wave of COVID-19, according to a senior company official.The company, which already leads the SUV space with models like Venue, Creta, Tucson and recently launched Alcazar, is looking to maintain its lead in the segment which is growing with each passing month.

However, it has an auditory feature that throws up a soft but audible whirring sound like a spaceship while driving as well as a different tone on the outside to let bystanders know a car is on its way, says Pavan Lall.

The Tiago NRG is available in a single fully loaded variant that has all the features from a start-stop button to a 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system, says Rajesh Karkera.

A new XUV, a new logo, and a big bang at the launch! Mahindra revealed its keenly-awaited XUV700 in Chennai on Saturday.

Is the XUV700 just a facelifted XUV500 or is it a completely new breed in the vast range of SUVs available today? Rajesh Karkera takes the latest offering from the Mahindra stable for a spin to find out.

Mercedes-Benz, Ferrari, Porsche and Lamborghini are some marquee badges that have introduced track cars to excite hard-core customers who want to push their cars to the limit, says Pavan Lall.

The MG Motor India management is focused on scaling up and launching smaller cars to play the long game in the country, says Pavan Lall.

At a time when fuel prices across the country are going through the roof with no sign of it moderating, electric vehicles seem the likely choice for car buyers who are looking at saving fuel costs.And add to it the negligible maintenance of electric vehicles.Continuing with this revolution with their 2nd offering in the EV segment, Tata Motors now offers the 2021 Tigor EV to its customers.Tigor petrol with its style-back design has always been a stunner since its launch and it still is.

The wait for the new iPhone is over as the tech giant Apple officially launched its new iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro on September 14.

Volkswagen's new SUV is set to lock horns with half a dozen rivals, says Pavan Lall.

This SUV will look as cool in 2030 as it might have in 2010 and ultimately that's what drives the core appeal of Mercedes-Benz and its products -- being classic, says Pavan Lall.

For the longest time the Polo GT had no real competition in terms of its build quality and product positioning. Until now, says Pavan Lall.

Four XUV700s entered the challenge and all four recorded over 4000 km in 24 hours, says Rajesh Karkera.

I was not expecting to be impressed by the Tata Punch. But my drive proved me wrong, says Rajesh Karkera/Rediff.com.

Every M&M car shares a certain DNA which is rugged, with an off-roading quality and built for hard wear and tear.The XUV is all those, but also has a smoother edge for those who want city comfort now offered in competitor vehicles such as the MG Hector, Hyundai Creta, Volkswagen Tiguan and Tata's Harrier, says Pavan Lall.

'The global semiconductor shortage has inadvertently provided an imm­ense fillip to the pre-owned car market'

While the Q5 is a light driving car that feels like you can easily fling it over and around brooks and brushes and hills and plains, it's also versatile in that its rear seat is as comfy and spacious as you'd expect, says Pavan Lall.

Stylish, sleek, a coupe-like sedan with generous amount of space is what the Slavia is all about.

It takes a while to get used to the constant and instant supply of power that is the case with EVs, and handling the S1 Pro when it takes a corner or makes a turn can be tricky, says Pavan Lall.

And it feels entirely different when compared to all its earlier avatars, observes Pavan Lall.

It's a zippy, well-engineered ride that offers comfort, quality, low cost of ownership and fuel efficiency at affordable prices, says Pavan Lall.

Rajesh Karkera and Hitesh Harisinghani set out to test drive the new CNG versions of Tata Tiago and Tigor, and come away impressed.

Suspension that has fully acclimatised to Indian roads and handles potholes and bumps with ease, plush interiors that feel premium beyond just surface level, and aggressive and imposing design cues give this SUV a presence and profile that has little competition, says Pavan Lall.

So what's special about the Kaziranga range? Rajesh Karkera and Hitesh Harisinghani find out.

High ground clearance, a wide cabin and tall stance all mean that the Carens glides over bad roads with ease and comfort and an engine performance that is adequate in terms of the power of this vehicle, says Pavan Lall.

While the Slavia comes in eight different variants, it's the base model that starts at around Rs 10.7 lakh that is most likely to take a bite out of the market share of its competitors, says Pavan Lall.

Japanese auto major Honda Cars on Thursday unveiled its new offering for the Indian market -- City e:HEV sedan, marking its foray into the mainstream strong hybrid electric vehicle segment in the country.The company, which is present in India through a wholly-owned subsidiary, has commenced the bookings of the model and plans to introduce it in the market next month.As per the company, the model, an extension of its City model range, would feature self-charging two-motor strong hybrid system connected to a 1.5 litre petrol engine, entailing a peak power of 126 PS and fuel efficiency of 26.5 km per litre.

Jeep India, a part of automotive group Stellantis, on Tuesday announced the opening of bookings for its upcoming SUV Meridian, the production of which has also commenced from its joint venture manufacturing facility at Ranjangaon, Maharashtra.Customers can book the Meridian either at Jeep India dealership network or through the company's website with a down payment of Rs 50,000.Deliveries of the vehicle will start in June, it said in a statement.

The carmaker is set to redefine SUVs with the all-new Scorpio N. Rajesh Karkera offers a peak.

Billionaire Gautam Adani on Tuesday did an hour-long session of yoga exercises in the open air as he led corporate India to join the International Day of Yoga celebrations.Several public and private sector companies held yoga sessions at their offices to promote the adoption of exercise in daily routines to stay fit and healthy.Adani, chairman of logistics-to-energy conglomerate Adani Group, and his wife Priti, who heads the Adani Foundation, "participated with more than 1,000 members of the Adani Parivaar team to celebrate health, mindfulness and meditation," the group said in a statement.The session was held at a football ground at Adani Shantigram in Ahmedabad.Several other business leaders tweeted pictures of their yoga sessions.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman performed yoga during a mass yoga session at the Jantar Mantar in New Delhi to celebrate the eighth edition of the International Day of Yoga, June 21, 2022.

The Meridian feels comfortable and upright with the quality of gadgetry, interiors and plastics expected from an international brand car.However, it lacks the overall premium-ness that may come with a top-end Japanese car or even a mid-range German car, says Pavan Lall.

The X4 offers an imposing presence that you cannot miss even in a crowd of other cars, says Pavan Lall.

The Carens is a warning for cars such as the Tata Safari, Hyundai Alcazar, Maruti Ertiga, Toyota Innova Crista and Mahindra XUV 700, because Kia punches much harder than others in its weight category.

The first all electric Mercedes AMG launched in India

Tata Motors on Wednesday launched its Tiago EV with introductory prices for first 10,000 customers ranging between Rs 8.49-11.79 lakh

Google's premium smartphone series Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro will be around 15-21 per cent costlier in India compared to other countries, according to the prices revealed by the company.The company has started pre-booking the Pixel 7 at Rs 59,999 ($729.36) and Pixel 7 Pro at Rs 84,999 ($1033.27) on the e-commerce portal Flipkart.The devices would be available from October 13.

'La Nuova Dolce Vita' is the tagline of Ferrari's Roma which translates into 'The New Good Life'.The Roma is a Ferrari GT (Grand Touring) sports car and is also part of their entry-level lineup but it is everything but entry-level.This Rs 4.5 crore (on-road, Mumbai) performance machine is an all-new Prancing Horse that is visually striking, high on tech and being a Ferrari, offers thrilling performance that will excite your senses.

According to Siam data, Indian auto companies sold 982,456 units of utility vehicles in the first half of FY23, a 50.29 per cent growth over the corresponding period last year.

Innovation ranging from exterior designs of vehicles to EV charger locks grabbed eyeballs at the expo

That means a manufacturer looking at a market like India needs to decide whether small, cheap cars or small, expensive cars or both will work better for them, says Pavan Lall.

To come up with first EV by 2025, expects market to grow two to three-fold in the next ten years.

Both versions come up with the dynamic island feature that first debuted on the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max and the USB-C type charging.As per The Verge, an American technology-based website, the iPhone 15 also has an OLED Super Retina display, which supports Dolby Vision content with 1,600 nits of brightness.The peak brightness of this display is 2,000 nits in sunlight, double that of the iPhone 14.Apart from this, the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus also has an improved camera system.

Internet major Google will make the Pixel series of smartphones in India and they will become available from 2024 onward, a senior company official said on Thursday.Google senior vice president for devices and services, Rick Osterloh, said the company will partner with international contract manufacturers to make the phones in India.

Making the Pixel 8 in India will not necessarily bring the price down -- witness iPhones made in India that are more expensive than those in the US and Dubai.

Rajesh Karkera/Rediff.com takes the latest offering from the Mahindra stable for a spin.

'The plan is to assemble most of the new phones in India within three years.'