Renault Working On A Sub-Compact SUV to Position Below Duster?

Renault, the French automaker, is working on a mini SUV which, if comes to India, will be positioned below the Duster. The company has in fact started testing the vehicle outside India and might unveil it sometime next year. A French Magazine, Auto Plus, too has claimed that Renault is working on a sub-Duster SUV for the Indian
market that will be launched at quite an affordable price.
The company might also launch the product in Europe and position it below the Captur.
Talking about the looks, it will share its design cues with other Renault crossovers like Sandero Stepway (also sold under Dacia badge) and Captur. The front fascia will take its inspiration from the Sandero Stepway, but it will have the facelifted Duster inspired grille. The rear profile, on the other hand, looks similar to that of the Captur.
Now about the engines, Renault India has an option to utilise the similar powertrains - 1.2-litre petrol and 1.5-litre K9K diesel, that are found in the Pulse in similar state of tunes. Though the company might also consider detuning the 1.5-litre engine to avail the excise duty benefit given to the sub-4 metre cars with a diesel engine below or equal to 1300cc capacity.
In the next 2 years, Renault is also contemplating an entry-level hatchback and an MPV for the Indian market.

'India has Less Than 1% Info on Black Money, Lots More I Can Offer':Whistle-blower to ND

Paris: He is the whistle-blower who, six years ago, leaked a list of thousands of secret accounts at HSBC Geneva. On that list were over 600 Indian names. Speaking exclusively to NDTV in France where he currently lives, Herve Falciani, a former HSBC employee, said, "India has less than 1 per cent of the information from the original data. I am helping other countries and I am keen to help India."

In 2011, France shared the list of Indians who allegedly hold bank accounts at HSBC with the government. That is "just the tip of the iceberg", Mr Falciani told NDTV.

He said India was given only 2 MB of the 200 GB of data. "If India asks tomorrow we will send a proposal tomorrow," he added. 

Mr Falciani was a systems engineer at the Geneva-based private banking unit of HSBC. The bank would find later that he had carried out one of the biggest security breaches in Swiss banking history, obtaining details of some 127,000 accounts worth 180 billion euros.

He shared the data, which was a jumble of encrypted information, with France in 2008 and helped prepared the "HSBC list."

The 42-year-old was first on the run, then imprisoned, but is now helping investigators from several countries trying to fight large scale tax evasion, money laundering and corruption. Among these countries are US, France, Spain and Belgium.

The whistleblower, who works with a team of lawyers and experts, told NDTV that there is "1000 times more information" available for investigators and there are a lot of business procedures to be unveiled to them. "It's just up to (the Indian administration). They can contact us," he said.

This week, Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a strong pitch at the G20 summit in Brisbane for "close coordination" among nations and transparency in efforts to retrieve black money.

Experts say the proof in the HSBC data leaked by Mr Falciani is damning but Switzerland has always said their laws don't acknowledge leaked data that is considered "stolen".

Kim Kardashian Isn't Coming to India After all. Sorry, Bigg Boss

Kim Kardashian shot to fame with TV series Keeping Up with the Kardashians.

American reality TV star Kim Kardashian was all set to make an appearance on Bigg Boss 8 to promote her new fragrance Fleur Fatale

American reality TV star Kim Kardashian's India trip of has been reportedly cancelled over visa issues.

"Unfortunately, Kim will not be able to enter the country due to some visa issue," said a source.

However, the exact reason behind cancellation has not been disclosed. "The reason is not clear but all we know is that there was some visa issue which she could not fulfill and the trip has been cancelled," the source added.

The 34-year-old star,
who shot to fame with TV series Keeping Up with the Kardashians, was supposed to come to the country to promote her new fragrance Fleur Fatale. The reality TV star is on a world tour for its promotional activities.

Kim had a packed schedule for her India trip, which included making an appearance in Salman Khan-hosted reality show Bigg Boss 8. But that's gone down the drain with the cancelled trip.

Why Angelina Jolie Cried at the Premiere of Unbroken

Angelina Jolie at the world premiere of Unbroken.

Angelina could not hold back her tears when host Emma Freedman read her a quote Louis Zamperini said about her

Actress Angelina Jolie was reduced to tears during the world premiere of her new movie Unbroken.

At the red carpet, when host Emma Freedman read her a quote Louis Zamperini said about her, Angelina, 39, who was accompanied by her husband Brad Pitt, could not hold back her tears, reported Ace Showbiz. (Also Read: Angelina and Brad Make First Appearance as Mr and Mrs Pitt)

Louis had met Angelina before he passed away in July.


"Angelina became a great part of my life," he was quoted as saying. "She knows what she wants, and she knows what she's doing, and I trust her one hundred per cent. I have all the confidence in the world that Unbroken will be a great film."

Unbroken tells the story of Olympian and war hero who along with two other crewmen, survived in a raft for 47 days after a near-fatal plane crash in WWII-only to be caught by the Japanese Navy and sent to a prisoner-of-war camp.

The movie was shot in Sydney and other locations around Australia last year.

Toyota's Fuel Cell Sedan - Mirai - to be Launched in Japan Next Month

Toyota Motor Corporation will launch its all-new Mirai hydrogen fuel cell vehicle (FCV) in Japan on December 15. The vehicle, with a MSRP of 7,236,000 yen (Rs. 3,830,573) will be sold through Toyota and Toyopet dealers. The sedan uses hydrogen to generate electricity, and, in the company's own words, 'achieves superior environmental performance with the convenience and driving pleasure expected of any car'.
Check:Toyota Mirai Photo Gallery
The Mirai uses the Toyota Fuel Cell System (TFCS), which not only features fuel cell and hybrid technology, but also includes the company's new proprietary FC Stack and high-pressure hydrogen tanks. Toyota claims TFCS is more energy efficient than internal combustion engines and emits no CO2 or substances of concern (SOCs) when driven. The sedan is said to offer a generous cruising range and a quick hydrogen refuelling time of about three minutes.
This Toyota baby also promises superior handling stability achieved by a low center of gravity along with powerful acceleration, thanks to the electric motor. It also gets an exclusive telematics service for a safe, secure and comfortable ride. Interestingly, the Toyota Mirai can also be used as a high-capacity external power supply system during power outages, disasters and other emergencies.


Here's a brief summary about what the Toyota Mirai is all about:
Exteriors:The front face design emphasizes the left and right grilles that draw in air for the oxygen supply and for FC system cooling, while the side profile evokes the flowing shape of a droplet of water to express the vehicle's characteristic of drawing in air and emitting water. The rear features a trapezoidal shape extending from the license plate garnish to the bottom of the bumper corners and out toward the wheels.
The sedan sports 17-inch aluminum wheels and is offered in 6 colours.
Interiors:The FCV's cabin gets soft padding on door trims and other interior surfaces, and a high-luminance silver finish throughout. The front seats provide superior body fit and hold through an integrated cover/seat foaming production process and also get an Eight-way adjustable power function. The center meter cluster includes a multi-information display with a 4.2-inch high-definition TFT liquid crystal display.
Features like steering wheel heater and seat heaters, fully automatic left and right independent temperature control air conditioning with eco mode switches, and 'Nanoe' air purification technology are standard provisions.
Dimensions:
a. Length: 4,890mm
b. Width: 1,815mm
c. Height: 1,535mm
d. Wheel-base: 2,780mm
e. Minimum Ground Clearance: 130mm
f. Kerb Weight: 1,850 Kg
Specifications:
a. Power (FC Stack): 153bhp
b. Power (Motor): 152bhp
c. Torque: 335Nm

A Race Car Powered By Laser Technology

We've been hearing a lot about laser technology off late, especially from the camps of German carmakers like BMW and Audi. However, we hear that GM has now come up with a car that uses a laser propulsion system and mind you, it isn't any ordinary car.
Chevrolet unveiled the Chaparral 2X Vision Gran Turismo concept at the LA Auto Show and is designed primarily to pay tribute to the 'innovative race cars' that Chevrolet and Chaparral Racing developed more than 45 years ago.
The Chaparral 2X has a composite chassis and an extremely aerodynamic body that requires the driver to lay face down with their arms and legs splayed toward the wheels. Power is provided by a laser-based propulsion system that draws inspiration from advanced work targeted at space travel and future aircraft design.

The mid-mounted laser propulsion system pulses of light that focus in a shroud creating shock waves that generate the thrust which according to the people at Chevrolet is massive. The laser is powered by lithium-ion batteries and an air-powered generator which help the car to produce 900bhp. All that power helps the Chaparral 2X to accelerate from 0-100Km/h in 2 seconds before hitting a top speed of 386Km/h.
GM's Executive Director of advanced design, Clay Dean said, "This concept is an audacious and ambitious vision - and one that demonstrates to a new audience how Chevy's engineering and design teams challenge norms and explore the technologies of tomorrow."

Buy BMW 1 Series for Just Rs. 555 Per Day

Launched in September 2013, the BMW 1 Series has been unable to generate the kind of volume its maker hoped for. So in an attempt to better its sales, BMW Financial Services has announced a lucrative offer under which one can buy the 1 Series for just Rs. 555 per day. The scheme, however, is available only for a limited period.
Under this EMI scheme, a buyer will have to pay a down payment of Rs. 8 lakh - 10 lakh for BMW's cheapest offering in the Indian market. As part the 7 years' EMI scheme, the buyer will be asked to pay Rs. 555/day for
11 months and Rs. 1.5 lakh every 12th month.
Available in three diesel and one petrol variant, the aforementioned scheme is applicable on all the variants of the model. The petrol model houses a 1.6-litre, 4-cylinder engine that is good for 136bhp and 220Nm. The diesel model, on the other hand, gets a 2.0-litre mill that is capable of churning out a maximum power output of 143bhp and 320Nm of peak torque.
All four variants of the 1 Series are priced between Rs. 22.6 lakh - Rs. 32.5 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi).