Dial-997-911

PITSTOP

Forty years and 15 iterations later, the Porsche 911 is still with us, its charms undiminished by age or progress. And the evolution of what many consider the ultimate supercar, has taken another leap forward "� the German firm has just launched the 997 (internal Porsche code number) series 911.

Style-wise, the most notable changes are at the front, where new oblong headlamps give the latest 911, the simple, classic beauty of its pre-996 predecessors.

Buyers will be able to choose between two flat-six engines "� a 3596cc unit which makes 325 bhp, and a 3824cc mill which produces 355 horses. With the latter, the new 911 will scorch from 0 to 100 kph in a mere 4.8 seconds and reach a top speed of 243 kph.

A conventional six-speed gearbox is standard, while a five-speed Tiptronic is on the options list. Prices have not been announced yet, but in India, Rs one crore for this car shouldn't be too far off the mark.

Log on to Logan

The all-new Dacia Logan, developed by Renault for 'developing markets,' is going to have a price-tag of just 5,000 Euros, which tranlates to about Rs 2.5 lakh. The good news is, this Dacia (the Romanian car maker was bought over by Renault in 1999) has all the makings of a potential Indian launch.

The three-box Logan can seat five comfortably, has a large boot and complies with safety and emission standards of the EU.

Initially, it will come with 1400cc and 1600cc petrol engines, and a common-rail diesel engine should be made available soon after. Renault are so confident of the Logan's capabilities that they will be selling the car with the Renault (not Dacia) badge, in various markets.

Mahindra already source engines from Renault, so it makes sense for them to take their agreement a little further and bring the Logan to India.

With a diesel engine option, Mahindra can take on their arch-rivals Tata in the domestic passenger car market. The Indigo should probably start worrying now...