What’s new? The Mahindra Scorpio and the Tata Safari have been on sale in India for well over a decade and the battle for supremacy has been fierce. Since the time of launch, both Tata and Mahindra have made it a point to update them regularly, to help them adapt to changing technology, customer demands and of course, to get a jump on each other. The last time we compared them, the Scorpio took the crown back thanks to Mahindra updating it extensively, with a new chassis, better interiors and more features. It was much better to drive, the cabin was nicer to be in and it offered tremendous value. Now, Tata has given its Safari yet another update; along with mild design changes and a much better interior, the Storme also gets a more powerful engine. So, it was quite an obvious move to get them together yet again, to see if Tata has done enough to wrestle the trophy back from the Scorpio. What are they like to drive? The key change on the Safari Storme facelift is the adoption of the more powerful 2.2-litre Varicor engine from the Aria. Start the Tata up and you’ll notice that the engine feels quite refined – it’s as quiet if not quieter than the Scorpio’s 2.2-litre unit. It’s also more rev happy and the power delivery is smoother than before. However, the engine still takes a bit of time to wake up from low speeds and it still isn’t as effortless to drive as the Scorpio. Even the gearbox feels a bit unpolished and transfers a fair amount of engine vibrations to your palm. What the 10bhp bump up in power has done is made the updated Safari quicker to 100kph by over a second, now completing the sprint in 14.06 seconds. The Scorpio is the nicer one to drive of the two, especially in the city. The clutch and steering are light and easy to use. The engine’s ready responses coupled with the Scorpio’s lighter body means it’s quicker to accelerate than the Safari too, which is useful, especially in traffic. The engine pulls without fuss from as low as 1,500rpm and there’s a strong surge after 1,800rpm. The mid-range punch of the Scorpio is superb and you feel there’s surplus power. Overtaking, as a result, is effortless and the Scorpio can be wafted past slow-moving vehicles quite easily. Unlike the Safari, the Scorpio’s mHawk engine doesn’t like to be spun hard though, so it’s best to shift up before 4,000rpm. Courtesy: Autocar

Famed Italian sports and GT carmaker Maserati is set to re-enter India. Earlier distributed alongside Ferrari, the Italian brand will now come to India on its own steam. Now to be a part of the Fiat and Alfa Romeo subgroup, rather than Ferrari, the Italian carmaker is expected to launch its first dealership in Mumbai in the coming months. Said to be in close proximity to Mumbai''s domestic airport it will, in all probability, be owned and run by the Galaxy group from Ahmedabad. The first cars on offer are likely to be the Granturismo GT car and the Quattroporte four-door. Where as the former is famous for its balance of stunning looks and performance, the updated Quattroporte is expected to garner a lot of attention. The updated V8 engine now gets twin turbos and 530bhp and is the one shared with the new Ferrari 488, albeit with changes. Other Quattroporte models include a 404bhp twin turbo V6 and a smooth 271bhp V6 diesel, designed and built by diesel engine specialists VM Motori. These will followed by the recently launched Mercedes CLS competitor, the new Ghibli four-door, which will be powered by both the same diesel V6 and twin turbo 404bhp V6 as the Quattroporte. The Ghibli could receive a bit more attention because of its stunning looks and estimated price tag of around Rs 80-95 lakh. What is also likely to get Indian customers going is the introduction of Maserati''s first SUV, the yet-to-be-launched Levante, expected to hit our shores mid 2016. Exciting times ahead. Courtesy : Autocar

Jaguar’s flagship sedan, the XJ has been given a mid-cycle update. The 2016 Jaguar XJ sedan gets new LED headlights, and the inside gets better quality leather seating. The sedan’s infotainment system also receives a thorough revamp. It now gets Jaguar’s InControl Touch Pro system. The Jaguar XJ facelift gets a new top-spec Autobiography trim for the international markets. This variant will be available only on the long wheelbase XJ sedan. The new Jaguar XJ Autobiography features 20-inch alloys, quilted leather seats, illuminated treadplates, special individual rear seat set-up and a bespoke rear entertainment system. Also on offer is the new 2016 Jaguar XJ R-Sport version. It gets minor styling tweaks, a rear spoiler, sport seats and special trim on the inside. The Jaguar XJ’s 3.0-litre V6 diesel now churns out 296bhp while the 5.0-litre V8 powerplant remains untouched. As with the XJ’s 335bhp V6 engine. The updated XJ also gets a new Swiss Mens Replica Watches Online,Luxury Fake Watches Cheap ... electronic power steering system which, according to the company, is more responsive and helps improve agility. We expect Jaguar to launch the updated XJ sedan in India towards the end of the year. Courtesy : Autocar

renault will soon launch a pickup version of the popular Duster in the international market. This new car will be called the Renault Oroch and will be mainly for the South American market in which Renault is a major player in. The Renault Oroch pickup truck is highly unlikely to make its way to India due to no real demands in the private pickup truck segment. Previewed as a concept back in 2014, the double cab pickup was recently photographed in production guise while shooting an advertisement last month in Brazil. According to Renault, the new Oroch, which is being portrayed as a Sport Utility Pickup will benefit from all the qualities behind the success of the Duster while offering a lot more in terms of practicality. Although Renault has not officially confirmed the Oroch nomenclature, recent spyshots did showcase the Oroch name embedded into the tailgate, which indicates that the production version will keep the concept’s name.

Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Devendra Fadnavis inaugurated the new facility of Mercedes-Benz at Chakan, on the outskirts of Pune in India Keeping to its ‘2015 Live the Best’ philosophy, Mercedes-Benz India has invested Rs 1,000 crore to expand its existing car manufacturing facility in Chakan, Maharashtra. This move will facilitate the German Luxury car company to keep up with the increasing demands and to take Mercedes-Benz’s growth drive to the next level. The plant had an initial production capacity of 10,000 units annually which has now been doubled to 20,000 units annually. With this Mercedes-Benz becomes the luxury car manufacturer in India, with the highest installed production capacity. The new Mercedes-Benz facility has been inaugurated by the Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Devendra Fadnavis in the presence of other guests of honour including Prakash Javadekar, Union Minister for EF & CC and Subhash Desai, Industry Minister, Maharashtra. The company has started 2015 on a high with new car launch like the Mercedes-Benz S600 Guard, CLA-Class, the C 220 CDI, the new B-Class, the E-Class Cabriolet and the CLS 250 CDI. The luxury carmaker has announced that it will locally produce the GLA premium compact SUV at its Chakan plant. In Q1 2015 Mercedes-Benz also reported a 40 percent growth, selling 3,566 units and thus claiming to be the leading luxury car manufacturer in India. Commenting on this occassion, Piyush Arora, Executive Director, Operations, Mercedes-Benz India, said, "Our state-art production facility which is benchmark in quality and technological advancement in manufacturing and has been the backbone of our growth in India. The high level of refinement and implementation of advanced technology and felxible processes ensures our production quality confirms to the most stringent global Mercedes-Benz standards, and creates new benchmark in manufacturing for the luxury car industry in India. With teh sixth model now added to our local production portfolio, we are even better positioned than before to cater to the increasing market demand for our fascianting products. We will continue our local value addition and make the best of global products available for our discerning customers in India." Mercedes-Benz India’s car manufacturing plant was set up in 2009 and is spread over 100 acres in Chakan near Pune. The production facility carries an investment of Rs 1,000+ crores and has an installed production capacity of 20,000 units annually. Among the locally produced Mercedes-Benz models are popular luxury car models such as the Mercedes-Benz S-Class, Mercedes-Benz E-Class, Mercedes-Benz C-Class Sedans and the Mercedes-Benz GL-Class and the Mercedes-Benz M-Class SUVs. Imported as Completely Built Units include the recently launched Mercedes-Benz S600 Guard, Mercedes-Benz A-Class, Mercedes-Benz B-Class, Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class, Mercedes-Benz GLA-Class, Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class, Mercedes-Benz SLK-Class, Mercedes-Benz E-Class Cabriolet among others. The product portfolio also comprises the iconic off-roader Mercedes G 63 AMG as well as a wide range of other AMG performance cars like the CLA 45 AMG, E 63 AMG, SLK 55 AMG, GL 63 AMG, ML 63 AMG and the GLA 45 AMG. Courtesy: ZigWheels.