India is a major market to eastern auto majors and these companies come up with products specially made for the country. The companies understand the needs and taste of Indian customer in a better way which has led to success of brands like Suzuki, Honda, Hyundai and Toyota in our country. But when it comes to competing each other, these brands have never stood back in doing everything to make their cars more reachable compared to others. When Hyundai went back to its stable to prepare a micro car that could beat the reign of Alto in India, they would have had few things in mind like fuel efficiency, style and comfort. The South Korean auto major was successful in coming up with a car which blends all these factors proportionately to become Hyundai Eon.
The car has everything to turn back and gaze at. For a micro car, Eon is dressed so well that the owner would never feel that he owns a budget car. Starting from the dynamic headlamp unit which extends back till the end of hood, to the flowing character lines over side body, Hyundai Eon has come out with an outfit which could be called revolutionary in micro car segment. The A line slopes back towards the rear with a spoiler mounted on the roof. The tail lamp resembles crescent moon and this along with U shaped trunk lid looks unique when car is looked at from rear.
The car does not disappoint the consumer in its interior. The cabin is as beautiful as the exterior of the car. The dashboard is given high priority and is beautified with instruments fitting neatly in place. The seats have optimum cushioning level and the cabin is good enough for four average sized people to be seated. Nothing much is provided when it comes to safety of the passengers, apart from airbags available only in high end models. The audio system has two speakers which can be increased to four by choice of customer. The black and beige colour combination in the interior gives classy sense and goes well along with equipment and instruments.
Hyundai had to work really hard to bring an engine that could challenge the popular Alto. The three cylinder petrol engine with a power capacity of 56 bhp which comes out at 5500 rpm was built with fuel efficiency of 18 km/lit to 20 km/lit. The engine uses a balance to reduce vibration level produced from the unit. The top speed of Hyundai Eon comes up to 140 km/hr but there is lack of stability at such speeds. Hyundai Eon also gets well tuned suspension system which isolates the cabin from small irregularities on road. The car feels smooth in mid rpm scale and steering wheel feels lighter and a person can easily push the car around in city traffic.
With introduction of Hyundai Eon, the company has set bench mark for style and comfort for upcoming cars in the micro car segment. The presence of such cars in India has charged up competition in the base segment of car market.
One of the finest makers of commercial vehicles in India, Force Motors has its origins dating back to 1950s. The story of this Indian based automobile maker comprises of many collaborations which led to technological exchange with some premium firms from across the world that have enriched Force Motors India. The company which started as a commercial vehicle manufacturer during 1950s has pioneered in the segment and has also jumped towards passenger vehicle segment since 2011. It started off as a small firm under the administration of a visionary named N.K. Firodia who was the founder of this company. The company today has over 8000 employees and is currently led by Prasan Firodia, the grandson of N.K.Firodia, who is currently the Managing Director of Force Motors India.
Force Motors started off business in 1958 when a plant was opened in Goregaon, Mumbai to manufacture Hanseat. This was a three wheeled car which had gained popularity in European countries. Force Motors brought this product to India through collaborations with Vidal and Sohn Tempo Werke, a German automobile company. The business was named as Firodia Tempo Ltd during those times. This collaboration further led to introduction of Tempo and Matador in India which was very popular between 1960s and 1980s. All vehicles manufactured by the company were sold with the badge name Tempo during this period.
The partnership had many phases because Vidal and Sohn Tempo Werke saw different parent companies as owners during 1950s and 1970s. In 1971, this Indian business came in contact with Daimler Benz AG when Tempo was taken over by the auto major. The firm was able to extend its roots deeper into automobile crafting when it gained license from its partner Daimler Benz AG to manufacture diesel engines in 1982. These are four cylinder inline engines which were used in vehicles manufactured by the company. The manufacturing of these engines not only led to technological strengthening of Force motors (then Bajaj Tempo) but also opened doors for new opportunities with partnership firm. The company currently assembles diesel engines for Mercedes Benz vehicles which are manufactured in India. This partnership also brought in revolutionary designs like Traveler and Trax to India. The Traveler which is a people carrier was designed based on T1 models of Mercedes Benz.
Force Motors broke out of the shell of producing utility and commercial vehicle when it manufactured vehicles which were used in agriculture. The company joined hands with Robert Bosch for the design of hydraulic parts of their tractor. As a result Balwan came out to market in 1997.
During the early 90s, the company also focused on manufacturing small three wheeled commercial vehicles which were in demand, as a result of economic development in the country. The company found a major breakthrough in this segment in 1999 when it built the Tempo Excel which was a four wheeled, small commercial vehicle. It had higher stability and better ergonomics compared to its three wheeled seniors.
Force Motors (then Bajaj Tempo) came into partnership with MAN AG, a German automotive business, in 2003. The German company is a pioneer in manufacturing of HCV and buses. It held 50% of the shares in Bajaj Tempo. The company was renamed as Force Motors in 2005 and with the help of its new partner MAN AG, Force Motors started off a manufacturing plant at Pithampur Maharashtra which was dedicated to producing HCV.
Force Motors currently is the fully owned subsidiary of MAN SE and is focusing towards passenger vehicle segment which is an area with high potential in India, today. It launched its first SUV Force One in 2011.
Force Motors is having a good journey till date and has grown with the support of some major brands from abroad. The company has leaped forward by learning, adopting and developing new techniques in the field of manufacturing. It has upgraded itself from time to time to cater to needs of the market and today it stands as a pioneer in commercial vehicles segment. Force Motors has all the potential to see quick growth in passenger vehicle segment as well.
As of writing this, I'm taking one of the now seemingly rare moments to myself torelax and partake in my beloved pastime of talking about climbing. Another lengthy post with lots of pictures. enjoy!
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This seasonseemed as though it would never end; the 50 degree days just kept on coming. Only three weeks ago, Rebecca and I even got into the alpine crags above Torrey Valley. We managed to spend one full day there, where we mostly explored the Lake Louise Trail. The lake itself offers few bouldering opportunities, mainly boasting slabby walls. The bulk of the boulders are found about a mile before the lake, and are generally quite good. I only put up one problem- Resin Hit (V4). It moves left on nice crimps to a big move, then V0 to the top. I finished it as a drop off for now, since the 20-22' height is a bit intimidating with 2 pads, 1 spotter, and a big ol'pine tree right in the way of the landing. Maybe next time. I also got Rebecca to make her two first FA's: a nice little V0 just down the wall from Res Hit and a cool V2ish thing at another crag. I cleaned and felt out two other projects, but they're currently well out of my abilities- one I'm not even sure is possible!
Beautiful Wind River Gneiss
Lake Louise
Res Hittin'
One of Rebecca's problems
Really cool project- V9-V11 range
Go-Go Gadget Shoulders! Horrible slopers
I also found a really sweet ram's skull. So worth the extra 20lbs.
On the way down, I scoped out a talus field Davin had mentioned to me the day before. We probably should have spent the day there, because it's really quite excellent. About the same quality as the stuff up in bomber basin with half the hike!
We got snowed out the next day, so we headed to Wyoming's #1 shitty weather day crag- Sinks!
Soul Finger (5.11a)
Two weeks later, I find myself bouldering in a t-shirt at Bennett Peak with the usual crew of Davin and Bryan, with the addition of local climber Caleb this time.
It was December first and I was prepared for the worst, but it sure was perfect. With a bit of PTSD from the last time I made the freezing river crossing, I brought along a pair of rubber waders which proved to be one of my better decisions. Davin swears that the mind-altering pain of crossing barefoot adds to the quality of the Bennett Peak experience, but maybe I'm just a bit more of a hedonist than that...
Only the second time I'd been to the riverside crag, I gained a new appreciation for it. The rock is super good, and the boulders are VERY concentrated. They're also pretty interesting as far as granite and gneiss boulders go, with lots of hueco and sandstone-like features.
Like most of my other trips this season, I put up one problem and cleaned a project. Anteaters (V3) traverses right up slick ledges to a nice sloped jug with mellow topout. The pretty face looks slick, but actually has excellent texture. The project is further right on the same boulder, with what I think will be a single move of V7 or V8off of a great incut to a not so great crimp.
The Anteaters boulder, which actually has 5-6 problems
On the opposite side of the boulder, Bryan cleaned and sent a really cool prow problem, which I think goes around V4. You could probably add a + for anyone in my height range; What was a big throw for Davin and Bryan was a full on superhero dyno for me.
Up above, Davin cleaned and sent Swamp Donkey (V6), a bizarre and slightly awkward climb on cool features. I nabbed the second ascent aftersome work, and I can say I honestly really liked it. It boasts some really thrutchy moves on awesome slimpers, moving up to a pinch that's probably one of the coolest granite features I've ever grabbed.
Bryan on Swamp Donkey
Shortly after, Caleb sent several really nice moderate V0-V2s nearby and Bryan cleaned off another project from a year or so ago. Davin sent it first and Bryan quickly followed. Time Will Tell (V6) takes an obvious line of quality crimps to a big honkin' dyno.
Time Will Tell
After the classic tour of PA crusher Tim Rose's(super impressive) problems in the area, we hit the Saratoga hot springs to find peace, relaxation, and maybe some swamp donkeys.Blissfully unaware that the next weekend would finally usher in the sudden and shocking chill of winter, we enjoyed conversation with the pleasant locals and the calm, clear night.
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And now, I sit here in my apartment procrastinating my studies. Its 10 degrees outside.
I've got a plane ticket to Puerto Rico for Sunday and I'll be there for about a month. I did my research and found a few local climbers who are stoked to show me around; the island is practically made of limestone! I'm excited to explore what the area has to offer, and with lots of development going on now, there's no better time to visit.
