Future for Diesel Cars in India.

A Report By: Economic Times Mumbai; Date:2009 Feb 22
Written by: John Sarkar

Forget gas. Diesel seems to be the fuel of the future with new launches planned globally. Now prices of diesel too could also go down and car makers are betting big on the Indian market. John Sarkar talks about the road ahead

ON a squally September morning in 1913, a steamer named Dresden discovered a decomposed corpse floating in the English Channel. It belonged to Rudolph Diesel, the creator of the first diesel engine. Till date, nobody knows how or why Diesel died under such mysterious circumstances. But what people know is that Diesel spent his entire life trying to create a thermodynamically efficient engine, the engine that experts say is slowly changing the way people drive today.

Sample this: Four of the top ten models sold in the world are diesel powered. More than half the personal vehicles sold in Europe today are diesel powered. Diesel vehicles sales have grown 80% since 2000 in the US. Then in Japan, the government has also started to look at promoting diesel cars back on to the roads. And if that wasn’t enough, India too is now ready for the diesel overhaul.
Agrees Pawan Goenka, president, automotive sector, Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M). “The demand for diesel cars in India is rising,” he says. “This is logical since diesel engines are highly efficient and consume about 30% less fuel than similar sized petrol engines.” Put another way: One litre of petrol is roughly equivalent to 700 ml of diesel, which makes it the choice of millions of priceconscious car buyers.

Goenka also feels that the availability of a larger number of vehicles with contemporary diesel engines will accelerate the trend. “Notably more diesel Logans are sold than petrol Logans despite a significant price differential,” he says. “We believe this is true also for the Tata Indica and Indigo. Maruti has also joined the bandwagon with its 1.3 litre diesel engine in the Swift range, which has reportedly done well.”

This is significant because traditionally India has been a petrol-car market with around 80% of the cars sold here being petrol cars. But now the scenario is changing fast with a host of carmakers lining up new dieselpowered models and variants. Says Dilip Chenoy, director general of Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), “Diesel engines are now becoming smaller and more frugal.” Chenoy is referring to the GM-Fiat 1.3 multijet oil burner that powers the Suzuki Swift. And today not coincidentally, Maruti’s sales are skewed 60:40 in favour of diesel in the categories where it is present with diesel cars.

But not one to rest on its laurels India’s largest carmaker is also planning to launch a diesel variant of its C-segment contender, the SX4. When contacted, a Maruti spokesperson refused to comment on future launches. But talking about launches there is Toyota as well, which is lining up a diesel Altis for the Indian market. Then Korean carmaker Hyundai has also confirmed the launch of a diesel i20 later this year. Similarly, Italian-carmaker Fiat also has a couple of launches up its sleeve. But if you thought that these are the only firms to believe in the power of diesel, you are wrong!

Companies such as, Ford, Honda, General Motors, Skoda, Toyota, Audi, Porsche and Mercedes-Benz are also bullish about the potential of the diesel-car segment. Says Michael Boneham, president & MD of Ford India, “Around 70% of the cars that we sell here are diesel powered. The demand for diesel cars has been steadily increasing over time. For instance, the 1.4 Duratorq engines that we have been importing from Europe are now being made locally in Chennai. A part of the $500 investment that we earmarked for India is being used for this.” And Ford apart, even the fat-cat segment of the automobile market is reaping the benefits of Diesel’s invention. Sample this: Diesel cars account for around 50-60% of Mercedes-Benz’s total sales in India. Then for Germany-based premium carmaker Audi, diesel cars constitute about 75% of their sales in the domestic market. And now Porsche, the maker of some of the world’s best sportscars, is also planning a foray into the diesel segment with a oil-burning variant of its popular SUV, the Cayenne.

So, what sparked the trend? What prompted a carmaker such as, Honda, a firm believer in petrol engine technology, to launch a i-DTEC (diesel engine) abroad? The answer comes from Benoit Tiers, MD of Audi India. “The original diesel engine has changed comprehensively during the last decade,” Tiers explains. “What a customer had in mind when thinking of a diesel engine doesn’t exist anymore.” What Tiers means is that diesel engines are now no longer considered noisy and polluting. Technological advancements over the last few years have removed these drawbacks and buyers are slowly realising this.

In the Indian context, Ian Fletcher, an auto consultant with UK-based IHS Global Insight feels that part of this is the result of vehicles powered by the 1.3 multijet oil burner such as, the Suzuki Swift, Tata Indica Vista and Fiat Linea. “Although others from Renault, Mahindra, VW Group have also helped, these companies showed Indians that diesel is more efficient. And more companies will also undoubtedly come through as demand continues to rise,” he says.

And then for auto firms planning to showcase their diesel power, the lower cost of diesel is the icing on the cake. Diesel is touted to be clean too. According to M&M’s Goenka, a modern diesel mill emits about 30% less greenhouse gases than petrol and about the same as CNG. Overall diesel emissions including diesel particulates are also down by over 90% from pre-1998 days and diesel is significantly cleaner than earlier with its reduced sulphur content. Says Goenka: “With further tightening of Indian fuel standards concurrent with the introduction of tighter emissions, these will be reduced significantly further.” So it’s time now to wait for the new generation of diesel cars. Logic says it won’t be long.

Why a diesel car costs more than a gasoline version?

A Report By: Economic Times Mumbai; Date:2009 Feb 22
Written by: John Sarkar

Mr.CV Raman, chief GM in Maruti Suzuki’s engineering division, has the answers. “In most cases, the same model usually has different engine capacities when it comes to diesel and petrol versions,” he says. “And the diesel is generally bigger.” Case in point: The Hindustan Ambassador with a 1.8L MPFI petrol engine and 2.0L diesel power plant.
But big doesn’t always guarantee a higher price as new car prices suggest. The secret lies somewhere else. Raman also points out that a contemporary diesel engine e.g. common rail direct injection (CRDI), uses more expensive components than a similar petrol engine. “A diesel generates more heat. Unlike a petrol engine, a diesel doesn’t have spark plugs to ignite the fuel-air mixture. The ignition happens when it intakes air and compresses it. The heat of the compressed air lights the fuel,” explains Raman. So, the high operating temperature ensures that the diesel enjoys premium treatment when it comes to component quality.
Along with expensive components, most oilburners also come fitted with turbochargers and this increases the overall price as well. A turbocharger is a forced induction system that increases an engine’s horsepower without adding too much weight. It compresses the air that flows into the engine. This means that more air can be squeezed into the cylinder, and more air means more fuel can be subsequently added to create greater power during combustion.
Well, so far so good. But then Gupta’s retailer also mentioned to him that the diesel Swift would ensure better fuel efficiency. And again the would-be car buyer wanted to know why. Well, this time the answer lies in the inherent quality of diesel.
It takes less refining to create diesel which explains its slightly lower cost. Also it is more oily and heavy than petrol for which it evaporates slowly (in fact diesel’s boiling point is higher than water). Diesel also posseses more carbon atoms in longer chains than gasoline which explains its higher energy density than petrol. This coupled with efficient engines gives diesel cars the tag of being more fuel efficient.
Also, in environmental terms diesel emits very low quantities of hydrocarbons, carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide — the ones responsible for global warming. The disadvantage lies in the fact that burning diesel emits high amounts of nitrogen compounds and particulate matter, also known as soot. But continuous advancements in technology coupled with ultra-low-sulphur diesel have managed to cut this down by over 90%. And if automobile experts are to be believed, this is just the beginning.

User Interface Design

What does UI Design mean?

In simple words as I put it "Interacting with ideas and information, transformed through the medium of visual communication, enhancing the user experience."

What is interesting to know is how we can successfully communicate ideas through User Interface Design. It is important to use the correct methodology and some basic principles.

As always any design is made for his user. It is important to do a User Profiling. This will give you correct information about who your user is.
There are specific goals associated to any user, and to filter the same can make your job easy in implementing a design for your user.
Technically speaking the communication link which is directly between the end user and developers, can radically transform the development process.

To be continue…….

Travel Experience: Domestic Airlines in India

Air travel can give you a little edginess, if punctuality, pricing and service are not in place. After all why do you travel by air just to save time, Aaha!!! I mean lot of your time.

I am a frequent flyer from Hyderabad-Delhi-Hyderabad since last four years and have my own kind of experiences with different airlines. Well long back I had an opportunity to travel with Air Deccan or Simply Deccan also knows as “Dhakkan Airlines”, but I was lucky to have that flight cancelled. Fortunately in my flying history, I never traveled in Air Deccan and I think I will missed that opportunity.

Since then I have two trustable airlines which are economical in nature and offer good services.

I would like to start with Spice jet. Its one of my favorite airline, prices are cheap, services are good, and the flight is always punctual. What else you need.

Recently I was traveling from Hyderabad to Delhi in an evening flight. I was sitting in the front seat and was feeling little uneasy due to slight headache, also I had not eaten anything since a long time. I requested for medicine and I was offered food before that, and after consultation I was offer a better medicine, notifying me about the expiry.

It was a small favor but the way it was handled I was impressed which made me feel better after few minutes and enjoyed my flight. These small favors leave everlasting taste in our life and we remember it for long.

***** Economical / Caring Airlines / Punctual

The other favorite airline is INDIGO. Hmmm!! The flight prices vary but when they are in par with Spice Jet I like to travel in these too. Here too the services are good, and the flight is always punctual. The best memories remind me of the Sitting comfort and the food offered, although expensive but the quality is too good. Some how I find Indigo airplanes more tidy and sparkling from inside, giving you a corporate feel.

***** Clean and Tidy / Comfortable seating / Punctual

I have not traveled much in Kingfisher and Jet Air but I have a decent respect for these airlines and I would like to travel more in these and receive their goodies but only when they are economical to fly.

The other airlines experience is of GO air from Bombay which was good.

Some bad experience air travel experience was with Air Sahara / Jetlite, all aircraft need maintenance, and the food quality needs improvement.

Air India the most expensive airline, with very average service and food quality certainly needs improvement.

Sandeep Virmani

Times of India E-paper

Do we really need to buy newspaper after this……?



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Indian Farmers, A Life, Worth Sum Rupees

We must realize before it is too late.

I have been watching, hearing and feeling the realization of how different is spending money for us and for the rural farmers. The sum of rupees we spent on eating, shopping is on a par to a life of a farmer worth thinking about!

Read to know more:

Sunday, February 25, 2007 (Nalgonda):

From June last year, over 600 farmers have killed themselves in Andhra Pradesh alone.

In fact, ever since the UPA came to power an estimated 8,500 farmers have committed suicide in the country, indicating a serious crisis of hope and confidence.

Around six weeks ago cotton farmer Ranga Reddy from Ramulabanda village in Nalgonda district committed suicide.

"For his sons' education, he took loans. Despite all problems, he was keen to make them study. He would say they are boys, my life is gone at least my sons' should live well," said Sunanda, Ranga Reddy's mother.

Ranga Reddy was a proud father and the day he committed suicide his children had been sent back from school for not paying their fees.

His sons, Kiran and Yadagiri, were also not permitted to sit for the half-yearly exams.

It appears that an embarrassed father - who had just spent all the money he could raise to dig a borewell, which yielded no water - perhaps decided he could take it no more.

Inheritance of loss

"I have to pay up to Rs 2000 as annual fee. I don't know how I will pay it. They will not let us write the exam," said Kiran, Class X student.

What this situation has become for this generation next in the agriculture community is an inheritance of loss.

On the day that Ranga Reddy committed suicide in Nalgonda district, in the neighbouring district of Medak, a 21-year-old man drank pesticide and ended his life.

He took this decision because his farmer father had left each of his three sons with a debt of Rs 1.2 lakh rupees.

It is no wonder that one hardly finds any farmer who will say that he wants his son to take up agriculture, which is something that the entire country needs to worry about.