[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Usually for media events, there would be some entertainment on stage post the evening product presentation.

Volkswagen Taigun event had a live performance from the band - "When Chai Met Toast". Volkswagen has shared a sneak peak -

https://youtu.be/cl2sSkGVnyE

[GTO]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

Volkswagen Taigun event had a live performance from the band

I LOVE live music, wish more manufacturers did this at press drives .

VW has taste. See the cookies that were waiting for me in my room:




And outside, they had the logo projected on the palace hotel:

[GTO]

Originally Posted by GTO

Mercedes-Benz? A neatly organised booklet of Form 19s, with carbon paper & a duplicate copy. Unbelievable. Love the attention-to-detail

Remember how I posted about the attention-to-detail by Benz in the earlier post (link)? Well, now it is Audi that impresses. I got the Q5 Facelift with four Form-19s, all pre-filled with my name as well as the dates . Respect. I love this kind of meticulousness:

[pqr]

Image source : Autocar YouTube channel

I was going through all the branded content and special features done by the Autocar YouTube channel (disabled comments section). I started studying the pattern, timing, and product performance.

• Kia Seltos: Lagging behind panoramic sunroof equipped Hyundai Creta, despite having a similar offering.
• Maruti Ciaz: Now ranking at #3, behind Honda City and Hyundai Verna, does need an extra boost as generation change is overdue.
• Renault Kiger: Despite being quite new in the market, it is lagging behind its non-identical twin Nissan Magnite (65,000 bookings in 11 months).
• Tata Altorz Petrol Turbo: Tata doesn't share the breakup of the petrol engine variant so nothing can be concluded. But does that mean Tata is struggling with the sales of the turbo petrol engine as diesel is priced in close vicinity?
• Skoda Kushaq: Struggling with breakdowns, so came up with 'peace of mind' video!
• Honda Amaze facelift: Is Honda a sceptic?
• Hyundai Verna: Despite facelift in 2020 and a whole platter of drivetrain offerings, it has to stand behind Honda City.
• Mahindra Bolero Neo: Rebranded TUV 300 need a whole lot of traction.
• Hyundai Aura: Always selling with discounts, need we say anymore?
• Honda City: Not quite sure about the intention.
• Hyundai Creta: Surprised about its timing. As it came just before the launch of Skoda Kushaq! Now, as Kushaq struggles, Hyundai must be relieved for its crown jewel. Until, adverse GNACP rating comes out?
• Volvo S60: Non-German and non-British brand is not on the shopping list of many potential luxury car buyers except the purist.

Conclusion : Autocar branded content is an apt barometer to understand how sceptic Automakers are about their own products current and future expected performance.

[Aditya]

Remember how we have spoken about MG Motors always finding ways to stay in the news? This is a press release we recently received

Owner of Mercedes E-Class luxury car exchanges to take delivery of new MG Gloster

New Delhi; 8th December, 2021: There is growing preference among owners of luxury marques like Mercedes, Volvo, Range Rover, etc., shifting to MG's segment defining India's first Internet connected premium SUVs - Hector & Hector Plus, MG ZS EV (country's first connected electric-vehicle SUV) followed by MG Gloster (India's segment-first Level-1 Autonomous car).

Madhuri Rajan Bhende from Pune, a proud customer of MG Gloster Diesel 2.0 Twin Turbo 4x4 6 seater 8 AT Sharp BSVI today, earlier owned a Mercedes E Class, E250CDI. Rajan opted to buy MG Gloster in exchange for the Mercedes they owned.

The key aspects -

· Why is Gloster among prefered luxury SUVs? Gloster brings to India, the country's first Autonomous (Level 1) Premium SUV.

· Loaded with Features that surpass some of the German and American luxury cars

· Segment first, i-SMART 2.0 comes with over 70 connected car features & infotainment system, etc.

Other examples of such customers include, one who replaced his Jaguar and opted for MG Gloster top trim - Savvy, in exchange for the luxury SUV he owned. Exhibiting trust in the MG brand, a customer who had bought Hector Plus Diesel in Oct ’20; has now upgraded to Gloster 6 Savvy top trim. The transaction got him a resale Value for his Hector Plus of 93.7% for the car after 6 months. He exchanged his Hector Plus at a staggering Rs. 17 lakhs. Brand 'MG' has quickly caught the fancy of customers, including those who have owned a luxury brand car.

GLOSTER Sharp 2.0 Twin Turbo

MG GLOSTER Sharp comes with an on-demand Intelligent Four - Wheel Drive (4WD). Its All-terrain System has 7 different modes, namely Eco, Sport, Auto, Snow, Mud, and Sand. The Premium SUV is a class that extends luxury in style. It features Dual Pane Panoramic Sunroof, Driver Seat & Outside Mirror Memory Function (2 sets), Wireless Charging, and also Driver Seat Massage & Ventilation. The Co-driver seat in Sharp also features 8 Way Power Adjustment Seat (Including 4 Lumbar Adjustment) What more can one expect? Sharp might probably be having it! For instance, there’s Blind Spot Detection and 360o Around View Camera that gives you a full-view around your gigantic SUV. It also has an Electro-mechanical Differential Lock.

The variant additionally comes with Electric Sunroof, Paddle Shifters & Steering Assist Cornering Lamps and flaunt Chrome-styled Front Guard Plate, DLO Garnish, Side Stepper Finish, and Roof Rails. The car features the Luxurious Brown Leather Interior theme with Diamond Stitch Pattern. It perfectly accompanies its Chrome-plated Interior Décor having High-Tech Honeycomb Pattern Garnishes. Its interior upholstery also has a Leather finish with a Chrome-plated Trunk Sill Trim and LED-based Interior Reading Light (for all rows) & Red Ambient Lighting.

GLOSTER has a Tyre Pressure Monitoring System, PM 2.5 filter, Fully Automatic Powered Tailgate with Hands-Free Tailgate opening with Kick Gesture, Paddle Shifters, 12-Way Power Adjustment seat (including 4 Lumbar Adjustment), and 3 Zone Auto AC. There’s a 12 Speaker system with subwoofer and amplifier in GLOSTER Sharp as well as Android Auto and Apple Carplay capability alongside the i-Smart 2.0 integration with over 70 connected car.

i-SMART 2.0

MG GLOSTER’s i-SMART 2.0 comes with over 70 connected car features for Smart, Savvy, and Sharp such as Critical Tyre Pressure Voice Alert, Shortpedia App that gives short news summaries, and Anti-Theft Immobilization via Smartphone that remotely halts the engine ignition. It also offers 3D maps by MapMyIndia which gives information around COVID testing centres as well and various other alerts like potholes and speed checks. MG customers will also enjoy the Apple Watch Connectivity and will be able to operate their Gaana app with voice control, alongside personalized welcome and greeting messages.

Gloster, country's first Autonomous (Level 1) Premium SUV is available in 4 feature-intensive variants in India, i.e. Super, Smart, Sharp and Savvy. In terms of Safety, the all-new GLOSTER comes standard with Dual Front, Side, & Full-Length Curtain Airbags along with Electronic Stability Program, Traction Control System, Roll Movement Intervention, Hill Hold Control, Hill Descent Control, and Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS), Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD), Brake Assist, and Rear Disc Brakes.

The Super trim further adds advanced capabilities to its drivers including Driver Fatigue Reminder System, Reverse Parking Camera, and Electric Parking Brake with Autohold. It also features Front Parking Sensors in addition to the Rear ones, Front and Rear Fog Lamps, and ISOFIX Child seat anchors, along with Heated Outside Mirrors and rear windshield defogger.

Standard design elements include Chrome-studded Front Grill, Exterior Chrome Door Handles, and Decorative Fendor and Mirror Garnish. All four variants also feature a Dual Barrel Twin Chrome Exhaust and Front & Rear Mud Flaps. LED Headlamps with Auto Leveling, LED Daytime Running Lights, and LED Tail lamps are a common sight in all MG GLOSTERs as well. Some of the other design highlights of the Super trim are its Diamond-cut Multispoke Alloy Wheels and Turn Indicator on ORVMs.

GLOSTER also features Intelligent Start/Stop with 8-Speed Automatic transmission as standard Electronic Gear Shift. The Premium SUV also gives you impeccable privacy with sound absorbing windscreen. All of the GLOSTER variants come with a 12.3” HD Touchscreen Infotainment System, USB, FM, and Bluetooth Music and Calling features are also available in all four variants.

[CARDEEP]

^^^ INR Nil/ Zero for MB E250CDI
I'm sure Punekars will have some tasteful words/ lingo for this exchange.

[ashis89]

On a lighter note, some of us should apply for MG used cars franchise. Would be a lucrative business to get Mercedes for free and sell them for an indecent profit.

[GTO]

Some brands really do it in style! Media events are standard-fare in terms of format etc. (refer to page 1 for details on these two-day events) and OEMs are continuously finding new ways to differentiate their events. Or stand out.

Well, Lexus flew in Aditya & Turbanator on a helicopter to Pawna / Shillim for the NX 350h drive!







What's more, for the Lexus drive, they sent a Lexus for pickup. Usually, the auto brands send you a regular Etios / Dzire / Innova. That's Aditya, me & Turbanator:


Pic courtesy Turbanator. See the attention-to-detail with the "L" on the tree:


We of course just had to have a Mod meet with Turbanator in town. So, breakfast on the terrace! Manson - Axe77 - Navin - GTO - Turbanator:


Axe77 remains the only guy in history to bring his vehicle up to the lounge. That's his foldable bicycle:

[srvm]

Originally Posted by GTO

Some brands really do it in style! Media events are standard-fare in terms of format etc. (refer to page 1 for details on these two-day events) and OEMs are continuously finding new ways to differentiate their events. Or stand out.

Well, Lexus flew in Aditya & Turbanator on a helicopter to Pawna / Shillim for the NX 350h drive!

Attachment 2284536
........

Wow. Super cool of Lexus to get them to venue by air

On a lighter note, after seeing the first photo with mod Aditya, I was half-expecting a caption saying "Notice the headroom and limited legroom in the helicopter"

[ABHI_1512]

Originally Posted by GTO

Well, Lexus flew in Aditya & Turbanator on a helicopter to Pawna / Shillim for the NX 350h drive!

Couldn’t help but notice that Aditya in the helicopter shot looks unerringly similar to the great Geet Sethi !!

[Rajjay]

Congrats TBHP. One more feather in the cap of TBHP.

[hagarthenormal]

Originally Posted by GTO

Well, Lexus flew in Aditya & Turbanator on a helicopter to Pawna / Shillim for the NX 350h drive!

Quite envious of the esteemed duo! Team-BHP is quite a public opinion force to reckon with and I guess Lexus is doing its best to stay in Team-BHP's good books.

One question: Post such events, does it get any harder to stay neutral, in the reviews? Our kind minds naturally feel like returning a favour in some way. Is the manufacturer (Lexus here) told in advance that, launch event camaraderie aside, the reviewers might mince no words when the time comes? Just curious, as we are all humans and fallible. Am not casting any aspersions on our impeccable and impartial reviewers (who sometimes can be mistaken as going out of their way to be in the bad books of the automakers !!).

[GTO]

Originally Posted by hagarthenormal

One question: Post such events, does it get any harder to stay neutral, in the reviews?

We've been to even more lavish events for reviews and to way more exotic locations. Check our official reviews out . This is just one that I shared here as it only just happened. Track record of "reliability" since our first Maruti Ritz review in 2009. Our love & respect for Team-BHP far outweighs any such experiences and hence, we insist on saying it like it is.

Also, with the utmost humility, I will say that some of us are quite successful and lead very high quality lifestyles. It isn't easy for any such experiences to sway our opinion. We've either done better stuff ourselves and / or care about our reputation more than any such events. Again, saying this with the utmost humility . Someone in the Mod Team has a family home in Pawna; if you stay there, you'll forget the Hilton Shillim.

[anbaras]

Originally Posted by GTO

We've been to even more lavish events for reviews and to way more exotic locations. Check our official reviews out . This is just one that I shared here as it just happened. Track record of "reliability" since our first Maruti Ritz review in 2009. Our love & respect for Team-BHP far outweighs any such experiences and hence, we insist on saying it like it is.

This is why the Automakers and the Public have high regards for this forum.

[Contrapunto]

Originally Posted by GTO

We've been to even more lavish events for reviews and to way more exotic locations. Check our official reviews out . This is just one that I shared here as it only just happened. Track record of "reliability" since our first Maruti Ritz review in 2009. Our love & respect for Team-BHP far outweighs any such experiences and hence, we insist on saying it like it is.

Also, with the utmost humility, I will say that some of us are quite successful and lead very high quality lifestyles. It isn't easy for any such experiences to sway our opinion. We've either done better stuff ourselves and / or care about our reputation more than any such events. Again, saying this with the utmost humility . Someone in the Mod Team has a family home in Pawna; if you stay there, you'll forget the Hilton Shillim :-).

Good of the member to ask the question candidly, and thanks to GTO for answering it head-on. The forum long-term members know the value of this community and why "we are here". But the community is adding new members every day, and its always good to take these occasions to reinforce TBHP "core values" message.