BMW X2 to launch at the 2016 Paris Motor Show

The BMW X2 SUV will launch at the upcoming 2016 Paris Motor Show in late September. The new addition to the X family – the X2 – will come to market next year and will be priced closer to the X3 than to the X1.

BMW’s X2 will be built on the X1 front-wheel drive platform and will follow the example of the larger X4 and X6 in receiving a uniquely styled steel body. It will feature a five-door layout, with its tailgate set at a more extreme angle than that of the more practical X1 to give it a coupe-like silhouette.

The X2 will separate itself from the X1 by having a higher rear belt line and smaller rear window as well as a more aggressively swept roofline. The interior is expected to be largely shared with the new X1.

BMW X2 is planned to be sold exclusively with three-cylinder and four-cylinder petrol and diesel engines, along with the choice of either front-wheel drive or four-wheel drive. They will be mated to either a six-speed manual or eight-speed automatic gearbox in combination with front or four-wheel drive.

The X2 will be produced alongside the new X1 at BMW’s Regensburg factory in Germany.

Mitsubishi Montero to be relaunched in September

Mitsubishi Motors is set to bring back its Montero SUV to India in September 2016. Bookings for the SUV are open now and can be made at Mitsubishi dealerships for Rs 10 lakh. 

Deliveries though are expected to start from October, however officials mention that they are striving to advance the date. The car will be brought in via the CBU route which could explain the steep pricing of Rs 70.43 lakh . 

• what’s new on the Montero? The soon-to-be-launched Montero will be the third facelift of the car. The platform and the engine remain the same, but now makes 10hp less than the old motor. The torque figure and the five-speed automatic gearbox remain unchanged.
•  The car's styling is a departure for that of the 2012 model which was sold here. The front bears the most changes, with a new bonnet, chrome grille, reworked headlamps and front bumper which now houses an LED strip too. Besides these modifications, the SUV also gets new alloys, revised side cladding, and a spare wheel mounted on the tailgate.  The Montero’s ground clearance has gone down by 10mm and weight has gone up by 25kg.

BMW unveils transparent Mini concept car

German automobile major BMW unveiled its transparent concept car 'Mini Vision Next 100' in London on Thursday. The car's most notable feature is the option of changing the exterior colour or pattern anytime as per a user's desire. The electric car also features a steering wheel which can slide across between passengers.

BMW to launch M2 Gran Coupé in 2019

BMW is to launch the M2 Gran Coupé and the 2-series Gran Coupé line-up in international markets by 2019.

As for the body style of the new BMW, until recently, senior BMW officials were undecided whether to follow a traditional four-door design as seen on the 4-series and 6-series Gran Coupés or to adopt a more radical five-door liftback proposal for the 2-series Gran Coupé. Insiders admit that the four-door option would be the best choice for structural rigidity. However, they have also confirmed that certain officials are holding out for a liftback format, suggesting it would provide the new BMW with greater practicality than its rivals.  

The wheelbase is set to be halfway between the 2,690mm span of the 2-series Coupé and the 2,810mm of the existing 3-series sedan, to accommodate two conventional front-hinged rear doors and sufficient rear-seat legroom. The 2-series Gran Coupé will also get a new interior that will be adopted by the successors to today’s 2-series Coupé and Cabriolet, which are due in international markets in 2020.

The M2 Gran Coupé will be powered by the same 370.06hp, 3.0-litre, turbocharged, in-line six-cylinder engine as the M2 Coupé. BMW will offer the car with either a standard six-speed manual or seven-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox.

BMW is also reportedly planning a plug-in hybrid model of the 2-series Gran Coupé that will use its turbocharged 1.5-litre, three-cylinder petrol engine mated to an electric motor mounted within the forward section of a standard eight-speed automatic gearbox. This, in combination with a lithium-ion battery pack, is intended to provide the new 225e Gran Coupé with an electric range of up to 49.88km. 

Skoda Superb to get Dynamic Chassis Control

The all-new Skoda Superb that was launched in February will soon come with DCC or Dynamic Chassis Control in India. The DCC adjusts the Superb's steering weight, its engine responsiveness and gearbox reaction time and also firms-up or softens the car's dampers to suit the desired driving situation. The system enables drivers to choose from three different driving modes – Comfort, Normal and Sport.

The Superb currently sold in India, has the three settings but applicable to the engine, gearbox and steering only. With the India car getting a ‘rough road’ suspension setup with a higher ground clearance, engineering and tuning the specific dampers for adaptive control is an added cost that Skoda had previously avoided. However, Skoda will now introduce the adaptive dampers to complete the DCC suite of controls for the Indian Superb. Fine tuning the suspension system will take some time and thus it may take until 2017 for the tech to roll out.

In India, 

Mercedes C 300 cabriolet India

Mercedes is working towards bringing the C-class cabriolet, which was recently unveiled at the Geneva motor show 2016, to India later this year. The India-bound model will be a fully imported unit.  The cabriolet borrows its styling and much of its dimensions from the C-class Coupe which is sold in international markets, but sits taller than its sibling. 

The C-class cabriolet will be a halo car for Mercedes in India and will rival the likes of the Audi A3 cabriolet. It comes fitted with a fabric roof that can be opened and closed at speeds of up to 50kph and folds into the boot when not in use. The car’s interior is almost akin to the C-class Coupe's, though it uses heat-reflecting leather and gets the addition of a button on the centre console to control the roof mechanism. 

The C-class cabriolet for India will come in the C 300 guise, powered by a 2.0-litre turbo four-cylinder petrol engine good for 245hp and 370Nm of torque. The cabriolet comes equipped with a nine-speed automatic gearbox as standard, with the option of Dynamic Select which allows the driver to choose from five transmission modes. The C-class cabriolet’s safety package includes an attention assist system, collision warning and autonomous emergency braking with add-on options including 360deg camera, lane keep assist and adaptive cruise control with steering assistance.

The C-class cabriolet is one of  the 12 launches Mercedes has planned for this year, from which a few have been launched already. In the wake of the recent ban on diesel cars in certain parts of the country, the carmaker has been pushing its petrol portfolio with the introduction of a number of petrol-engined models like the recently launched GLC 300.