OnCars India Buzz: 15 June 2012

- Believe it or not, but what you see above is an image of an actual giant shoe car, an electric giant shoe car to be specific. The car was created for Chinese footwear company, AoKang and is meant to accommodate two passengers and is able to achieve a top speed of 30kmph with a range of 300km. Only 40 of these giant shoe cars will be built. So, if you happen to suffer from a severe case of shoe fetish, you know what to do. 

- As you read this, Chennai-born racing sensation, Karun Chandhok is living every race driver's fantasy, as he makes a debut in the FIA World Endurance Championship at the 24 Hours of Le Mans with his team, JRM Racing. In his first-ever qualifying session at the Le Mans, Chandhok clocked a time of 3:37.008, finishing 11th fastest in the category and also the 11th fastest in the overall classification of 54 cars. With this feat, Chandhok becomes the first even Indian to drive at the Le Mans circuit. 

- A team of 60 students from the IIT Bombay racing team have unveiled the country's first electric racing car, the EVo 1 at a function held in the city. The budding team of engineers built the car with a budget of Rs 15 lakh.

- Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd has been awarded the Dun & Bradstreet - Rolta Corporate Awards 2011 for the Automobiles sector. The Indian automaker was placed at No.1 in the Automobile sector in the list of India's Top 500 Companies. Mr Pravin Shah, chief executive, Automotive Division, M&M Ltd. received the award from Sri Kapil Sibal, Honurable minister of human resource development, communications & information technology, government of India at a function held in Mumbai. 

- Mercedes Benz India is flexing muscles to set in motion what they call a 'game changer strategy' in a bid to regain the leadership position in the Indian luxury cars market by 2016, which was snatched by BMW and Audi a few years back in the country. Part of the strategy includes introducing entry-level luxury cars in the sub Rs 25 lakh segment - a segment that is growing significantly. The German automaker is aiming to launch these sub Rs 25 lakh models in the B-Class by the end of this year and in the A-Class by 2013. 

- On the other hand, Audi commented that the company is confident of dethroning rival BMW from the number one position in luxury cars segment in India by 2014, a year ahead of its original target. Earlier, Audi India head, Michael Perschke had vowed to get the Four Rings brand to the number one position by 2015. Looks like, the war between the top three German automakers is about to get even more hotter in the coming months.

- General Motors reportedly, is planning to launch a Chevrolet-badged compact seven-seater MPV, the 2013 Chevrolet Spin that will be built in Indonesia in order to rival against its local competitors, Toyota Avanza and the Nissan Grand Livina. Though the details are limited about the Spin MPV, reports suggests that the model could also make its way to India and to other ASEAN countries. 

- We had reported a couple of days back that a new company called National Electric Vehicle Sweden AB (NEVS) created by two firms in Hong Kong and Japan a few months ago and registered in Sweden saved the bankrupt Saab. Now, the NEVS have said that it would initially focus on the sale of electric cars in the Chinese market and will gradually move towards the mass market. The first vehicle under the plan will be based on the Saab's 9-3 car, which will be adapted to electric with advance technologies from Japan and will go on sale in early 2014. 

- In a related news, Saab and its new parent - the Chinese-Japanese investment group, NEVS - have announced that the company is looking to hire close to 200 engineers in order to achieve its target of becoming a successful electric car maker by 2014. However, the second set of rumors is what we find most interesting. Reportedly, the reborn Saab could work with Mahindra & Mahindra who once upon a time developed a petrol powered 9-3 on the next generation Phoenix platform, based on Jason Castriota's design. 

- Mitsubishi has announced that the company will launch the all-new Mitsubishi Mirage in the Malaysian market in December 2012. Earlier in March, the Mirage has entered production in Thailand and also went on sale in the Thai market. 

- Volkswagen AG has reported a 7.8 per cent growth in global sales with total sales of 763,800 units worldwide in the month of May 2012. The company has sold 708,800 units in the year-ago period. 

- The PlayStation isn't just a game console, but a way of life for many of us gaming freaks. And no one understands this better than game developers who continuously strive to bring their products closer and closer to reality. Point in case, is Sony's newest PlayStation Move Racing Wheel that has been unveiled at the E3 2012 Electronics Show. The Racing Wheel peripheral has round center section fitted with paddles for shifting and the like. It also has two grips at the sides, which can be folded out to form a handlebar for motorcycle racing games. And the 'throttle' actually twists.

- Maruti Suzuki have reported that the company have now become the third largest player in the utility car segment with strong sales of their new MVP, the Ertiga. Maruti Suzuki toppled Tata Motors to take the third sport, behind Mahindra and Toyota.