Feature

The Month of Superlaunches
	What a month April was! We’re witnessing a historic time in the Indian automotive industry – marked, in this case, by three gorgeous women playing the violin. I’m referring to an exceedingly newsworthy press conference in the Capital by InterGlobe Enterprises. InterGlobe General Aviation has undergone a change in brand identity, and will now be referred to as InterGlobe Established Products. The ESTD, as it’s known, will have under its umbrella a slew of luxury products, ranging from hypercars and specialist superbikes, to luxury yachts and personal submarines – all of which will be up for grabs for India’s super-rich. The ESTD is a one-stop luxury outlet for lifestyle solutions, and has a portfolio spanning the world’s most elite products in the aviation, yachts, and automotive segments. The automotive space will be populated by the pioneers of exclusivity – Koenigsegg, Gumpert, Deronda, Nostalgia, Vyrus, and Hollister. Nigel Harwood, CEO of The ESTD, said at the launch, “With such iconic global brands, The ESTD will deliver its customers with the ultimate luxury experience, be it for land, air, or water. It’s a company for the Established, by the Established.” Well, we’re convinced – but we now need to rob a bank. Or two! Better make that three actually, because April also saw the introduction of the new Bentley Continental GT, as well as the Maserati and Aston Martin brands into India. Bentley showed off its new Continental GT at the Exclusive Motors showroom in Delhi. And the new car builds perfectly on everything that made its predecessor such a hit across the world. Maserati has tied up with the Shreyans Group, and will bring its entire range to India when it opens its first showroom in Mumbai later this year. Just consider the Maserati Gran Turismo, for instance, it’s all that a Maserati should be – discreet, yet tantalizingly gorgeous, and elegant, yet massively powerful. Aston Martin also announced its official foray into India – finally ending years of speculation – with its first showroom in Mumbai, in partnership with Performance Cars. Aston brings its entire range of GT cars, as well as the stunning, and very fast, four-door Rapide. Read on.
Koenigsegg Agera R
	Sweden is a relatively small country, and, though blessed with a beautiful landscape, doesn’t really have top-of-mind recall for anything. For instance, Italy has the Romans and fashion, England has the Queen and fish-and-chips. But, if you paid attention during Trivial Pursuit, you may know that the Kingdom of Sweden does, in fact, defy your expectations. It’s actually a country of amazing inventions. Had it not been for Sweden, you wouldn’t have been able to tear off the packaging of your favourite juice packet and gulp the ingredients down your throat. The Tetra Pak was invented by the Swedes, as was the milking machine. But we’re more keen on motoring facts, while milk is useful, we’re prefer gasoline and mechanical bits. And that’s why we’re more interested in other things that Sweden is famous for – the propeller, for example, or, the turbocharged engine for that matter. You see, it was Bengt Gadefelt at Saab who, in 1976, came up with a turbocharged engine for cars, and the rest, as they say, is history. Turbocharging, ever since, has been a religious practice for performance junkies. And that brings me to the Koenigsegg Agera. The Agera is a supercar – hypercar would be more like it. It contains a 5.0 litre twin-turbocharged V8 motor that produces – hang on tight for it – 940bhp and 1100Nm of torque! Yes, many of you would say that the Veyron beats those figures well and proper, so why am I making such a fuss about the Agera? Well, that’s because the Agera is hardcore, and a direct rival to the fastest car in the world, Bugatti Veyron. You see, it weighs 1,300 kilos to the Veyron’s 1,900. So, don’t be surprised if you see this little Swedish automaker in the record books soon. After all, the Agera does 0-100km/h in 3 seconds, and 0-200km/h in 8 seconds. And now, those of you who have preposterous amounts of money in the bank, or under your mattress, can actually drive, and own, this Swedish hypercar on Indian roads. If you fit the description, and you’re still reading, it’ll cost a cool 12 crores, no less!
Bentley Continental GT
	Over the past few years, one of the biggest success stories in the international luxury car market has to be the stupendous success that the Bentley Continental GT has enjoyed the world over. Blessed with an imposing presence, as well as luxurious hand crafted interiors that epitomize the Bentley brand, the Continental tapped a customer base that was hitherto completely non-existent for the brand. As a result, a majority of Bentley customers now are a much younger and more flamboyant demographic, which is in stark contrast to the older and more reserved customer base that the British marque traditionally attracted. And this trend has been mirrored in the Indian market as well, where rich and successful customers have lapped up the Continental with glee in virtually all of its body forms. So, it came as no surprise that soon after the international launch of the refreshed Continental GT, Bentley Motors decided to hold its Indian unveiling at the premises of their dealers in India, Exclusive Motors in Delhi. The new Continental, rather than being a new car from the ground up, is more of an extensive facelift of the older generation, and comes with a completely new handcrafted interior and a heavily revised W12 engine producing higher power and torque. When it comes to the design, the new sculptured exterior design has been produced using advanced production techniques that allow for a more sculpted body and sharper power lines, while the trademark matrix radiator grille has been made more upright for increased presence. The previous Continental was no slouch when it came to performance, but the new car raises the bar further for high-performance luxury cars, with the heavily revised 6 litre W12 engine generating 567bhp and 700Nm of torque. Bentley claims a 0-100km/h time of a 4.6 seconds, and top speed of 318km/h – numbers that would shame many an established supercar, forget about mere luxury coupes. Helping put all this power and torque down effectively is Bentley’s standard all-wheel drive system with a 40:60 rear-biased torque split, which enables a sportier driving feel and reduced understeer when accelerating out of bends – helped also by the quick-shifting 6-speed ZF transmission, which cuts shift times by 50%. Having said that, most of Bentley’s competition seems to have progressed to more advanced 7 and 8 speed gearboxes. And, at 1.9 crores, it’ll cost you. But Exclusive Motors already has plenty of orders, and that’s not really a surprise when you consider that the new version contains everything that the world loved about its predecessor, and takes it up a few notches. Speaking at the launch, Chris Buxton, Bentley Regional Director, mentioned that they expects Indian sales to reach the three-figure mark on an annual basis in the near future, which should give you some sense of how important the Indian market has become for Bentley.
Maserati Range
	Following the announcement of Ferrari’s imminent entry to the Indian market, it was just a matter of time before Fiat owned sister concern Maserati also made the move to our shores. And, as expected, it wasn’t a very long wait – with Maserati announcing its arrival into the Indian market later this year with a dealership in Mumbai. One of the most iconic names in the history of the motorcar started with the Maserati brothers manufacturing sports cars in 1926, largely with the intention of going racing – something they were highly successful at. They reached the zenith of their success in 1957 when the late great Juan Manuel Fangio won the F1 title for the 5th time in a Maserati 250F. But, from then on, Maserati’s fortunes took a turn for the worse, which lasted the good part of four decades where they saw several different owners and a steady decline in sales – before being rescued by Fiat in 1993. Towards the turn of the last decade, Maserati, under Ferrari’s control, went through a renaissance that brought the company’s product range and fortunes back to life. In 2005, with a strong foundation, Maserati was brought back under the control of the parent Group. Partnering in India with the Shreyans Group, which will also be introducing Ferrari to India, Maserati offers its complete product portfolio for sale in our market. The cars, in typical Italian fashion, are achingly good to look at – and, with their big, naturally-aspirated V8s, make a noise that can make an enthusiast quiver at the knees in excitement! In terms of variety, Maserati covers virtually all the major spots with their range. A business tycoon can have the flagship four-door saloon – the Quattroporte, or its even more powerful version, the Quattroporte Sport GTS, which hides a 433bhp 4.7 litre V8, good for a 0-100km/h time of just 5.1 seconds. Admittedly, it is, in our opinion, one of the best looking four-door luxury sedans in the market today. For the more flamboyant customer, Maserati offers a choice of either their GranTurismo Coupe or Convertible, which are offered with an option of either the standard 4.2 litre V8 producing 405bhp, or the S range with the 4.7 litre V8 putting out 433bhp. In either case, the customer is assured of two things – head turning looks, and an exhaust note to die for! Prices of the GranTurismo start from 1.20 crores, while the Quattroporte starts at 1.23 crores. A heavy price to pay, yes, but all one can say about Maserati is that travelling in luxury has never looked quite so stylish!
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