Little time has been lost since Hyundai launched the Genesis sub-brand. The brand was announced in November, with sketches and spy shots of the G90 / EQ900 following shortly after. The luxury sedan has now been launched in Korea and as expected, it comes with three petrol engine options.

Options include a 3.3L T-GDI (twin-turbo) V6 engine that makes 365 BHP / 510 Nm of torque, followed by a 3.8L GDI V6 that makes 311 BHP / 397 Nm of torque. There's also a 5.0L GDI that makes 419 BHP / 520 Nm of torque. The car comes with rear-wheel drive as standard with optional all-wheel drive available. The power is sent through an eight-speed torque converter automatic gearbox.

Length x width x height x wheelbase dimensions come in at 5,205 mm x 1,915 mm x 1,495 mm x 3,160 mm. The feature list includes a 22-way adjustable driver's seat, 14-way adjustable passenger seats, a 12.3-inch HD screen in the centre console, a Lexicon sound system, three-zone climate control and a wireless phone charging system.

A host of driver assistance / safety features are offered, including advanced smart cruise control, lane keeping assist, Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB) with Pedestrian Detection, Active Blind Spot Detection (BSD) and Driver Attention Alert, Smart High Beam Assist, an Around View Monitor and a Korean market specific Smart Posture Caring (SPC) System, that automatically adjusts the seat, steering-wheel, outside mirror and head-up display to the optimal position for the driver.

The G90 has been introduced in Korea and will be launched in other markets, including the United States, China, Russia and countries in the Middle East. A further five Genesis models will be launched over the next five years.

Courtesy : Team BHP

We drive the Mumbai-Pune leg of Mahindra’s epic Goodness Drive from Kashmir to Kanyakumari in the e2o 

A few weeks back, Mahindra flagged off a first-of-its-kind all-electric expedition from Kashmir to Kanyakumari with the e2o. Christened the ‘Goodness Drive’, the expedition of three e2os was flagged off by Arvind Mathew, CEO of Mahindra Reva, in the presence of former Sri Lankan cricketer Arvinda de Silva on November 16. As the expedition arrives in Mumbai, we get a chance to be a part of this epic journey by driving the one of the three e2os from Mumbai to Pune.

The lack of infrastructure in India has been one of the prime reasons for the limited development of electric vehicles here. And that is exactly why a lot of people shy away from purchasing the Mahindra e2o. With this Goodness Drive from Kashmir to Kanyakumari Mahindra wants to clear all myths about the driving range of an EV.

So, as the expedition arrived in Mumbai, with our batteries completely charged (pun intended), we set off to Pune. The first thing I noticed was that the Mahindra e2o was absolutely noiseless. For an auto enthusiast like me who has a thing for loud pipes, this was indeed a welcome change.

Considering that we started early the highway to Pune was fairly unpopulated. We could easily maintain speeds of about 70kmph and still consume energy pretty efficiently. The regen system on the e2o was really put to good use especially on some downhill sections. This system not only stops consumption of power on a downhill, in fact it helps recharge the battery. Although at a pace that we are generally not used to driving, especially on the Express Highway, the e2o climbed up the ghats of Lonavala to our breakfast destination with quite some juice left. However, since we halted for a bite, we decided to charge them, just in case. For those who are wondering, the e2o just needs a simple 15amp plug point for charging. Soon after that, we continued on to Pune and arrived at our destination with close to 20 per cent charge left.

Mercedes-Benz takes top place amongst luxury brands in customer satisfaction in dealer services in India

Mercedes-Benz India has achieved the top position in achieving highest customer satisfaction in J.D. power 2015 India customer service index (CSI). The survey is mainly focused on the authorised dealerships of the brand. The three point star brand has achieved an overall score of 842 amongst its peers in the Indian market. The survey which is in the third year, constitutes the satisfaction of 265 luxury car owners who had visited the authorised dealership to carry out maintenance or repair work between first and second year of ownership. The survey is split of the basis of overall satisfaction on five factors- service quality, vehicle pick-up, service advisor, service facility and service initiation, listed in order of importance.

Luxury car owners look forward to a direct interaction with the service adviser handling their vehicle. This section of the survey includes the satisfaction received by the owners on the basis of the timely updates of their cars and reviewing the work done.  Such interaction have been observed to be less frequent in 2015, with 56 per cent of the owners mentioned their service advisors to be interactive as compared to 74 per cent in 2014.

In terms of dealership service towards customer loyalty, 24 per cent of customers were very much satisfied with the dealer faculty, out of which 79 per cent said that they ‘definitely would ‘ return to their dealers for services after warranty period and 85 per cent said that they will recommend their dealer to friends and family. In comparison to the owners who were less satisfied, only 46 per cent agreed on returning to the dealer after warranty period to carry out service and repair work followed by 66 per cent of owner would recommend the respective dealer to others. Same day delivery of vehicle was also observed to be 64 per cent for 2015 as compared to 56 per cent achieved in 2014.

“Luxury vehicle owners around the world normally expect a high level of personalized service, and that holds true for their service experience,” said Mohit Arora, executive director at J.D. Power, Singapore.

 “Customers expect their service advisor to have an ongoing dialogue with them so they can know the status of the work being done throughout the process. Luxury car manufacturers and their dealerships need to develop appropriate communication protocols in order to fulfil this expectation and drive greater customer engagement.” he further added.

Customer service is a crucial factor when it comes to top luxurious brands. Mercedes-Benz on the basis of survey finding will be expected to focus on improving the reviewing of the work carried out on the vehicle, performing proper inspection prior to work completion followed by cleaning of the car exterior as well as interiors. Statically, 21 per cent of owners indicated their vehicle were not cleaned properly when returned back to then after servicing which was 7 per cent in 2014.

Courtesy : Zigwheels

The updated A-Class will be available as a A180 Sport and A200 CDI Sport; both engines mated to a 7-speed DCT gearbox.

Mercedes-Benz launched the facelifted A-Class today at Rs 24.95 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi) for the A 180 Sport petrol version. The diesel-powered A 200 CDI Sport costs Rs 25.95 lakh.  The updates on the facelifted model are purely cosmetic. On the exterior, the new A-class gets a redesigned front bumper with new air intakes and the option of LED headlights. The rear too gets a restyled bumper with a new, integrated dual-exhaust system and tweaked tail-lamps and LED lights.

The interior of the A-class is more in line with the new CLA, and features an all-new three spoke steering wheel. The infotainment system also has been updated with an optional 8.0-inch COMAND infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and MirrorLink software for smartphone integration. Other changes in the cabin include galvanised buttons and switches, a refreshed instrument cluster, and the use of new colours and materials on the dashboard.

The new car will get the same engine line-up as the previous model, with a choice of a petrol and a diesel engine. The power will be transferred via Merc's seven-speed dual clutch transmission.  It will be equipped with Mercedes' Dynamic Select system that offers three driving modes – Comfort, Sport and Eco.

The facelifted A-class is the last launch for 2015, as per Mercedes-Benz's '15 in 15' strategy that was planned for the year. The car will rival the likes of the BMW 1-series and the Volvo V40.

Courtesy : Autocar