Hello hello

For all the hype generated around the ‘babes’ at the auto expo, the girls that I saw [apart from the Fiat Linea woman and the Yamaha chic!] are either a tad too young looking or a tad too sad looking.

I couldn’t help feeling like a paedophile, especially in the Hyundai stall. I feel auto manufacturers should take their girls a bit more seriously and not put up depressing looking Barbie dolls.

 

 

But it’s quite funny how photo journalists take pictures of these models. One particularly brisk photo-journalist directed his own two minute photo-shoot with each model and car. I watched as he quickly set up his tri-pod and yelled to the model, ‘aye, look haire pleeze.’ Then after getting no response, he yelled again, ‘aye, look haire I said!’ and the poor girl stared into his lens like a deer caught in headlights. He then proceeded with his demands, ‘smile – turn – smile more – turn – come this way – stop – smile – turn – go back – thank you.’ And on to the next car he hopped.

 

Sorry for my ranting, but something ought to be said about these things. I’m sure Autocar or Car or Top Gear aren’t going to make any mention about the girls. They would have been busy checking out the interiors of the new Santa Fe, politely asking the girls to push off. Well, these auto hacks sure have a lot of comparisons and test drives to do this year. There are a few comparisons that I’m hoping take place as soon as… now!

I’m waiting for a Sumo Grande – Scorpio comparo!

I’m keeping my hopes up until then!

I feel it’s a bit pointless to keep posting on the cars that I’ve seen at the expo since everyone knows by now about every car from other sources online.

There’s not much else I can add, except the fact that the Honda stall was great and the new Accord is certainly very charming. The Hyundai concepts [sans the girls] were awesome. My favourite stall would have been Mitsubishi – for the EVO and Fiat and TATA for the 500 and the Nano.

Interestingly, my nephew is doing his economics project on ‘Does India need a one-lakh car’ and this is what he came up with:

 

 

If the Nano is successful it would mean more Nano’s on the street and would be direct competition with bikes, affecting the two-wheeler industry thus causing a reduction in two-wheeler prices and hence more bikes on the street as well. This also translates into a higher fuel import bill [70% of our fuel needs are met through imports] and as oil prices are steadily increasing worldwide, it translates into higher fuel bills. Then he went on some tangent about government revenues and expenditures, which was pertinent but boring, but basically he was saying that income taxes can’t be raised as that would create a large hue and cry. So basically instead of making Nano’s, India must focus on drastically improving public transport. Car or bike is not an adequate choice. Car, bike or public transport is the best choice – fuel efficient and environmentally safer.

To my nephew, fuel bills are a major concern. If the government doesn’t subsidise our rising fuel bills, the greater fuel costs will lead to inflation as well.