All posts by : Car Bima

Indian industrialist Gautam Singhania has launched his latest venture called GS Design, which transforms standard people movers into luxury vehicles with plush interiors. Singhania also operates the Super Car Club Garage (SCCG), which restored Ravi Shastri’s iconic Audi 100.

1. GS Design’s custom Innova Crysta costs Rs 45 lakh
2. Custom designed Force Traveller costs Rs 85 lakh

Customised Innova Crysta by GS Design 

The modified Innova Crysta gets a complete interior makeover, with the second and third rows getting two captain’s chairs – that get a powered recline and ottoman function – draped in perforated leather. For privacy, there is a solid partition that separates the front of the cabin from the rear. The partition comes with additional storage spaces, and it is also where the 40-inch TV is mounted for rear-seat entertainment, however, sizes can range from 32 to 55 inches, depending on customer preference. The customised Crysta by GS Design is also equipped with internet and telephone connectivity, ambient lighting and a starlight headliner with a shooting star effect, like Rolls-Royce cars.

GS can build eight such Innovas simultaneously and the price for the custom Innova Crysta is around Rs 45 lakh (including the price of the vehicle), and the conversion process will take about 2.5 months.

Customised Force Traveller by GS Design

GS Design also offers customisations for the Force Traveller, which gets seven seats. Three of the seats are captain’s chairs like in the Innova with powered recline and ottoman functions. Like the customised Innova, this too comes with a 43-inchTV, internet and telephone connectivity, and ambient lighting, but that’s about where the similarities end. The customised Traveller gets a built-in chemical toilet and a mini pantry to keep occupants at ease on journeys.

The Traveller that was showcased had an election campaign vehicle and comes with a platform that can be raised via a Hydraulic lift to allow politicians to address crowds from the roof. There’s a fixed enclosure with guard rails present on the top to ensure the safety of users. The election campaign vehicle also boasts of two 32-inch LED TVs on the outside along with a PA system with external speakers.

The customised Force Traveller costs Rs 85 lakh, including the cost of the vehicle. GS Design says that they will take approximately three months to modify the Traveller and the workshop can build two of these vehicles simultaneously. Like with the Innova, the Force Traveller is offered in multiple customisation options.

Have a look at a video of the vehicles

GS Design Warranty, registration and future products

Since there is a change in seating configuration from the stock vehicle, this would have to reflect in the RC book and other official details. When asked if the company would be re-registering the vehicles, GS Design said that it would not be handling that aspect. A point worth noting is that the original warranty of the vehicle offered by the manufacturer will also be void once it’s customised. However, GS Design is offering a 1-year warranty on the customisations done to the vehicle.

Speaking to Autocar India, Singhania shared that the company has received over 20 orders for the Innova Crysta and Force Traveller over the past week. He also revealed that the company is looking at working on projects involving the Volvo Vanity Van, Kia Carnival and even the Toyota Vellfire.

Also see:

Ravi Shastri’s iconic Audi 100 fully restored

It is only a matter of days before TVS reveals its upcoming electric scooter. The initial teasers suggested that this will be a production-spec machine drawing inspiration from the Creon concept that the company showed a few years ago, and now, the latest teasers give us an idea of some of the features it will have.

The first teaser pertains to the display itself, which will be a colour TFT screen. A number of snapshots of the display are shown in the teaser, and there are a couple of interesting observations to be made. One of the screens shows the speedometer reading 105kph, suggesting this will be a performance-oriented product. This backs up the Creon connection, since that concept was also quite a hardcore little thing.

Another snapshot shows what appear to be music playback controls on the screen. This seems to confirm the presence of Bluetooth connectivity – something that is once again backed up by the second teaser. This second clip shows a smartwatch display containing a few controls for the scooter. These seem to be locking/unlocking the underseat boot, locking/unlocking the handlebar, and some sort of alarm that could have an anti-theft purpose or serve to locate the scooter.

At its annual Independence Day event, Mahindra unveiled the Scorpio N-based pickup and an electric Thar concept, among several other announcements. The brand also confirmed that along with the Thar, the Scorpio and Bolero will get electric variants, and that these EV SUVs too will use the ‘.e’ moniker. 

At the event, the brand also unveiled the new logo for its born-EV SUV line-up. Mahindra executive director and CEO (Auto and Farm Sector) Rajesh Jejurikar said, “Over a period of time, we will electrify all our ICE brands.”   

Mahindra Scorpio.e, Bolero.e: platform and powertrain

As far as powertrain goes, the Scorpio and Bolero EVs will get a RWD set-up with motors sourced from Volkswagen. The Scorpio.e could also get AWD with a dual-motor set-up. Both SUVs are expected to use the Thar.e’s rugged P1 version of the INGLO platform, which will help with the SUV’s off-road character. The other versions of the same platform will be aimed at the road-focused SUV line-up.

Mahindra Scorpio.e, Bolero.e: India launch timelines

While there was no launch timeline given for these two SUVs, Mahindra has already confirmed as many as four born EV SUVs that will launch between December 2024 and April 2026, which means a market launch of the Scorpio.e and Bolero.e is only likely to take place after April 2026. 

Scorpio Classic, Scorpio N, Bolero diesel to continue

The Scorpio Classic, Scorpio N and the Bolero line-up will continue to be sold with ICE powertrains underpinned by ladder-frame chassis. These models are major cash cows for Mahindra in the Indian market, which is why the brand will continue to offer both petrol and diesel iterations of these SUVs, and will further invest in these brands and their respective ladder-frame platforms. 

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Mahindra eyeing ASEAN, Australia with the Scorpio N-based pickup

Porsche’s SUV and the Indian-made submarine are both PHEVs. We take a ‘deep dive’ into what makes both machines tick.

Published On Aug 14, 2023 05:15:00 PM

As the sun sets, a large dark mass slips silently out of view. The cylindrical shape displaces water noiselessly as it submerges, the screw at the rear creates almost no churn, and, once the submarine pulls its periscope in and dives, it all but vanishes from the face of the earth. Totally invisible and near impossible to track, it slips through the water like a ghost.

Detection is made more difficult thanks to its shape; it’s designed to present the smallest cross section to anyone putting out an exploratory sonar ‘ping’. So serious are the designers about acoustic stealth, every single component on this submarine is insulated to prevent noise generation. You can’t kill what you can’t see; and here, the only way to ‘see’ is by using sound.

Hybrids you can charge

What goes almost unnoticed, however, is the submarine’s clever propulsion system. A diesel-electric submarine like the Kalvari Class is a very good example of the use of the right technology for the right application. In use since the late 1930s, the system is designed so that the diesel engines can do both, run the propeller and/or charge the batteries.

Hydroplanes flip, help the submarine dive under.

The diesel-electric submarine also, crucially, is a plug-in hybrid. Its batteries can be charged both by plugging in to a shore charger or by running the diesel engine out at sea. When it needs to charge, the boat rises to the surface, runs the diesel engine and charges the batteries. It can even charge the batteries while running just below the surface; all it has to do is put up a snorkel.

Wires go here to charge the submarine on shore.

Porsche’s Cayenne plug-in hybrid is similar in many ways. For one, you also plug it into a wall socket and charge the battery. It isn’t a very large battery, and at 14.1kWh, it gives you a range of only around 30km. But this can be sufficient, especially if you only need to run electric for short city runs. Like the submarine, the 3.0-litre, V6 petrol engine also charges the Cayenne on the move. This happens when you get off the throttle and slow down, and also when the generator is spun by the engine to make electricity.

Many periscopes and aerials are deployed here. 

In addition, the Porsche also has unique drive modes called E-Hold and E-Charge, selectable via the system menu on the screen. E-Hold keeps the level of the battery constant by topping it up regularly, and E-Charge goes one step further by actively taking the battery to full by running the engine at a higher speed than needed.

Kalvari in Malayalam means tiger shark.

While the submarine runs this part-electric system for greater stealth, the Porsche uses it to help deliver greater economy. The Cayenne, however, is still seriously performance-oriented. 0-100kph comes up in just 4.8 seconds and with combined power, at 455hp, there’s plenty of oomph. Pure electric power stands at 134hp and the petrol engine makes 335hp. Also, should you want to launch off the line on electric power alone, you can; the system is called E-Launch. To aid efficiency, Porsche has even given the throttle pedal a pressure point or detent that you can feel as you accelerate. Go beyond this and the combustion engine starts up.

On the surface

Before we get into the various systems and sub-systems of the Kalvari class boat, let’s take a quick look at just what we can see above the surface. But first, some perspective. It is big and very heavy. Approximately 70 metres long from stem to stern, with the conning tower and periscopes stretching around 12 metres high, it’s a fair-sized ‘boat’. And with a displacement of around 1,600 tonnes, it’s heavy. How heavy? Approximately the weight of 800 SUVs, if you take a rough average of two tonnes a car. Now for the details, and let’s start from the rear, where the propulsion takes place. Although we can’t see the screw or the propeller, the Kalvari class submarine uses a single multi-bladed prop, placed behind the large rudder.

E-Charge mode actively tops up batteries for you.

Up next, under some removable panels, sits a nest of plug points. Unlike a regular wall socket, the male part of the plug is fixed to the submarine and protected with a rubber casing. No, seriously. To charge the batteries on the submarine, you attach multiple plugs with high-tension leads coming from the shore. Don’t know how long it takes to charge the batteries, but I’m guessing the charging rate is high.

As I walk along, up next are stumps that have to be folded out. These help secure the boat to the dock. Don’t see a traditional anchor anywhere. Further ahead is the escape hatch for the submarine in case it gets stranded underwater and needs rescue. The rescue craft can affix itself onto the top of the hatch and take the sailors out.

The Cayenne can run as a pure EV for short distances.

Just below the conning tower is the main hatch. Yes, this is where you enter and exit from, not the top of the conning tower as many believe. While the conning tower looks plain and featureless, there’s actually a lot going on here. For one, take the teardrop-like shape that helps it slip through the water.

Above the conning tower sit a whole host of periscopes. While some are for navigation, others are for attack and weapons release. There are also communication aerials and others that send out radar waves when the sub is just below the surface. The wide chimney-like unit is the snorkel that takes in air for the diesel, and it is used when the sub is running just below the surface.

It can slip just under the surface and, via a snorkel, continue to run its diesel.

On either side of the conning tower are a pair of hydroplanes or control surfaces that help the sub dive or rise up. They work in tandem with similar ones on the tail. And the glass panels you see ahead of the conning tower aren’t windows but navigation lights.

The rounded nose of the submarine is also where the cylindrical sonar array, side firing sonar and the six torpedo tubes sit. Not only can the tubes fire massive wire-guided torpedoes, but two of the tubes can also be used to fire the SM-39 Exocet anti-shipping missile. The Exocet missile can take out a target that is several kilometres away.

Below deck

As fascinating as the Kalvari class is on the outside, the insides of the boat are even more of an eye-opener. Produced right here in Mumbai by the Mazagon Dockyard, to a design penned by the French Naval Group (formerly DCNS), Indian Kalvari class boats, however, differ significantly from French-produced Scorpène.

 

Our tour of the insides starts with a climb down into the submarine. As on all submarines, space is tight, and living quarters, even for the captain, are small. Still, these boats have showers and other luxuries not present on earlier Russian subs.

Just as we did topside, let’s start from the rear, where a prop-shaft sends power to the propeller or screw. The power going out to the back is converted from the battery’s DC to AC. To do this, more than 15 individual inverters are used, and these sit in a room just behind the propeller shaft. As we walk towards the centre of the submarine, we pass the huge and silent running electric motor – which is almost as large as the hull of the sub and measures between eight and ten feet in diameter. Up next, something very familiar, massive diesel engines, or, as they are called on this boat, diesel generators. And then we peer into the large battery pack, one of two on the boat.

Kalvari-class making a good rate of knots on the surface.

Then we enter the control room where there are rows of screens on each side and a large screen-based tactical table. Here, the captain gets a clear and live visual representation of the current scenario via feeds from cameras, sonars, radars and sensors; all fused into one. Right alongside is a choice of periscopes, and the captain has easy access to all of them.

One of the biggest challenges a sub faces underwater is navigation. Visibility even during the day is near zero, the submarine for the most part is blind as a bat, and then, once it drops below the surface, it is only electronics, sonar and satellites that can help. But can you imagine what it must have been like in the old days, being blindfolded and told to navigate in the inky depths with only a chart and a stopwatch in your hand? Yes, you have sonar, but once you put out a ‘ping’, everyone knows where you are, and then it’s game over. So subs generally use only passive sonar, where they just listen for sounds.

Both missiles and torpedoes can be fired from tubes.

The other major challenge is buoyancy. To enable it to drive, the submarine has ballast tanks and trim tanks that are filled with water or air. When the submarine has to dive, the tanks are filled with water. To come up, compressed air is pumped back in.

Best of both worlds

The Kalvari class submarines are a much-needed shot in the arm for the Indian Navy. Technologically advanced, bristling with sensors and noise reduction tech and armed to the teeth, India’s new family of submarines also make the best use of both diesel and electric systems.

Submarines are made in Mazagon Dock, Mumbai.

This is something the Porsche e-hybrid does as well. While plug-in hybrids aren’t very popular yet, due in part to the additional costs associated with running two full systems, they could be where we are headed, once costs come down.

Plug-in hybrid drive has some unique driver modes.

Cars are, however, still likely to lag behind subs technologically. Kalvari class submarines will soon be upgraded to use a fuel cell system. This will help give them greater endurance underwater. Designed, engineered and tested in India by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), the fuel cell or AIP (Air Independent Propulsion) systems could give the Kalvari class submarines a crucial edge. How soon will cars catch up and start using fuel cell tech? That’s anybody’s guess.

A submarine is all about three important things: silence, stealth and surprise.

*specs and data taken from multiple sources

Copyright (c) Autocar India. All rights reserved.

Mahindra recently teased the Thar EV concept, which will see a global debut on August 15 in South Africa. Officially known as the Thar.e, the design is a radical departure from the evolved CJ-like look of the current Thar. This is significant for two reasons – the fresh design allows Mahindra to future-proof the Thar brand and keep it current; and what’s equally important is that Mahindra will now be able to export its offroader to the other parts of the world, without legislators in certain markets squinting their eyes and seeing something else.

Mahindra Thar.e concept: the new look, clean-cut elements

Though teaser images of the new Thar.e reveal only bits of the car, look close and you can see a lot more. Initially, your attention is drawn to the square headlight at the upper right of the frame. To its left, the low-angle shot reveals a rectangular black grille with the words ‘THAR.e’ emblazoned across; note that the letters for THAR are now in a new ‘modern’ font. And what you can also see clearly, protruding out lower down, is part of a black bumper. Not sure how pedestrian safety has been taken care of.

Once you see the headlight, grille and bumper as a single unit, it is not difficult to imagine what the face of the new Thar.e looks like. Whereas the current Thar still has an upright grille and fenders that pop out, the Thar.e is a clean break, with nothing apparently carried over. What also makes it stand out is that the skinning is clean and the surface is made up of ‘flat’ panels’ with neatly defined edges – the fresh but friendly look not too dissimilar to that seen on the Honda E. But where the Honda has a rounded form, the Thar.e has flat sections.

Mahindra Thar.e concept: fresh details

The Thar.e is also full of interesting details. The square and sectioned LED headlight has been provided with some visual depth, the chamfered section between the bonnet and fender (top right) adds some muscle, and then the Thar.e even has some sort of hook or towing eye in red. One thing’s for sure, Mahindra designers must be complimented for arriving at the hard-to-attain simplicity the design exudes. The design even manages to offer some rugged appeal, despite clearly conveying a high-tech impression.

There’s still a lot to see on the Thar.e – such as whether the wheel arches will be squared or rounded – and while we still haven’t seen stuff like proportions and volumes, the first clean sheet design under ex-Tata Motors’ designer Pratap Bose’s watch seems to be off to a great start. The best bit, Mahindra will have the freedom to sell it wherever it likes. Can’t wait to see the whole Thar.e concept on Independence Day.

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More Mahindra SUVs to get ADAS

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