[Tushar]

"Boys don't grow up...their toys just get bigger and more expensive"

With the October heat roasting the city of Mumbai, you'd think people would only look forward to things that would cool everything down. However, with a host of fast cars, powerful engines, and new models and modifications at the 2015 Autocar Performance Show (APS), there was enough heat to give the sun an inferiority complex and draw in enthusiasts by the thousands.

Held at the MMRDA grounds in BKC, Mumbai, the event took place on Oct 29th - November 1st. With BMW and Mercedes-Benz pushing their M and AMG divisions, Maruti giving people a taste of the NEXA experience, Abarth making its Indian motor show debut and an army of superbikes gracing the tent, the show offered something for everyone.

Everything 4WD

This extreme setup was probably in place to attract visitors:


The Xenon draped in this beach patrol kit looks amazing!


Modified for aesthetics and functionality


The Bangalore based company also brought in this Mazda BT-50




A beautiful monster this!




Ready for the Australian outback


An RC car does a little terrain taming of its own


A range of off-roading accessories on sale. You can either send your SUV to the company and have them kit up your machine or order parts to fit yourself (website)

Mercedes-Benz Safe Roads

Mercedes-Benz India has been carrying out this road safety program throughout the country. Seen here is the Belt-Slide exhibit


Passengers are first buckled in and then they slide down at a speed of 11 km/h before hitting the bottom edge of the machine. The impact gives you an idea of how much force you can feel even at incredibly low speeds. A reminder for those who think seatbelts are only for the highway!


The chassis of an E-Class Cabriolet shows the importance of a strong body structure with different colours representing the type of material used. For example, purple = high strength steel, red = medium strength steel, silver = cast aluminium, blue = aluminium sheet metal. The skeleton has been designed to channel any force around the passenger cell to protect the occupants


A closer look at the passenger cell and supplementary restraint system (SRS)


These goggles show you what your vision is like when under the influence of alcohol


The motive of the goggles is to stop drunk driving. Wear them and you can't even walk on a straight line. A very good and interactive exhibit, especially for kids who will hit the roads some day


The ESF (Experimental Safety) vehicle. This is equipped with safety tech like PRE-SAFE, the braking bag, etc. Some of these technologies have already been introduced into current Mercedes products. This actual car is a one off and is valued at ~1 million Euros!


Adaptive high beams sense oncoming traffic and dim down to avoid blinding other motorists. The yellow lights are cornering lights to highlight any object that may be in the driver's blind spot


Sensors detect an impact milliseconds in advance and fill up these pipes to bloat them up like a balloon, in the event of a side impact


Dynamic airbags analyze the occupant's weight, height, seating position etc, and deploy at a variable force to minimize any damage from the airbags!


An airbag between the passengers to prevent them from hitting each other


Seatbelt airbags - to reduce the chances of seatbelt bruising in the event of an accident...and here we are, begging for dual front airbags to be offered as standard

J Group Robotics

Visitors could get 3D printed busts of themselves made at the exhibit! Depending on the specification, prices range from Rs. 1,500 - 9,500


Your body is scanned, following which, a 3D model comes up on the software. Once the design has been finalized, the printing process takes about 4 hours, so they courier the bust to you


All these items are plastic 3D printouts!


The 3D printers


Plastic strings are melted and then turned into small - medium sized items

[Tushar]

Toyota 4x4 Experience

APS regulars may be uncomfortable seeing the Fortuner 4x4 AT here instead of the Mahindra Thar


The track begins with a series of ridges


Next up is a rocky trail..


..before going up-hill..


and then straight down again


The SUV then passes through a mucky path..


..onto a one sided incline..


..into a trough..


..before culminating at the "balance beam"

[Tushar]

Supercars and Luxury Brands

Rolls-Royce

Rolls-Royce brought in their powerhouse - the Wraith!




624 BHP of pure heritage




Bentley

A white Flying Spur in all its elegance




Easily among the cleanest rear designs


The badge is the only sign of the monster that powers this luxury barge


Porsche

Macan Turbo


Boxster GTS


911 Turbo S


Cayenne GTS


Big Boy Toys

The Aston Martin Rapide


A four door that still looks like a two door coupe, simply a work of art and designing brilliance!




BBT also had the 458 Italia on display




Perhaps we'll get to see the 488 GTB next year


Supercar Gallery



Ferrari California




Lamborghini didn't keep a showcase this year, but the Huracán made an appearance nonetheless




Porsche 911 Carrera 4S




The one to make you nostalgic - Supra with The Fast & the Furious 1 livery




From the memories of the beloved movie racer...


...to the memories of the worshiped racing legend - Senna

[Tushar]

DC Design



DC showcased the Avanti - definitely a strong crowd puller


Not a design that's universally likeable, but attention grabbing nonetheless


Definitely looks better in darker shades






Jaguar Land Rover



The all-new Discovery Sport






XJ


Range Rover Sport SVR


Volvo

V40, I'm personally a big fan of the V40 Cross Country




S60




XC90 embodying class draped in white




MINI

Usual suspects - MINI showcased the MINI 3-door and 5-door

[Tushar]

The German Big Three

Mercedes-AMG

C63 S


Droolworthy wheels!




A childhood dream machine - the G-Wagen, here in the G63 AMG "crazy colours" edition


Even in this flashy shade, the SUV maintains its no nonsense appeal




S63 AMG Coupe




BMW

M5




M4 seen here in red as opposed to the gold shade it's usually showcased in




The freshly launched X6 M




Z4




Audi

R8 V10+




The newly launched S5




RS7




TT

[Tushar]

Custom Corner

BMC Air Filter

Vento Cup at the BMC air filter exhibit




Executive Modcar Trendz



The Dark Knight's Thar!






Rear door turned into a boot




Dashboard gets a makeover too!

[Tushar]

Fiat / Abarth



The 145 BHP Abarth Punto


Limited edition Punto Sportivo




The Sportivo is based on the Active trim level of the Punto Evo diesel


Avventura powered by Abarth


Cosmetic alterations vs the Abarth Punto are a lot more subtle




Tata



Team Kajah Motorsport Bolt


Here's a

video

of the car in action




A kitted up GenX Nano


The car was decked up with accessories like a sunroof, custom wheels, decals etc. This isn't just a show car and you can accessorize your Nano in a similar fashion through your dealer






Tricked out Zest


Carbon fibre look front spoiler


IMO the Zest diesel gets the better set of wheels




Carbon fiber look kit certainly helps slim down the Zest's otherwise bulbous rear






Maruti Suzuki / NEXA

Maruti used the opportunity to promote its NEXA models


The rarer S-Cross 1.6


Definitely a good opportunity to get some pre-Diwali bookings for the Baleno




Chevrolet

Chevy showcased the Trailblazer

[Tushar]

Isuzu

The mighty MU-7


Befuddles me that an SUV this massive isn't offered with 4x4 on any variant




The D-Max made an appearance too


Private licence holders should be able to buy the D-Max in a little over a years time


Toyota

Another special edition of the slow moving Liva to get a few sales before Diwali


Etios Xclusive edition


Fortuner - on its way out, but when will the new edition reach Indian shores?


Camry hybrid


Renault

Lodgy Stepway




Duster Explore edition


New KWIDs on the block. Dealers say a booking now will get you delivery in April 2016!


Ford

Updated EcoSport


Figo Aspire - best looking car in the segment IMO


The all-new Figo


Volkswagen



The new Vento Highline Plus - gets changes like a black roof wrap, ORVM covers with a carbon fibre finish, black side body mouldings, scuff plates, window blinds etc


Polo Exquisite - this edition gets similar upgrades as the Vento Highline Plus


GT TSI


Hyundai

No opportunity to promote the Creta will be missed


Santa Fe


Verna 4S

[Tushar]

Superbike Brand Stalls

Indian

Dark Horse


Personal favourite - Chief Vintage


Scout


Chieftain


Triumph

Thunderbird Storm


Daytona 675R


Bonneville T100 - nothing beats the Bonneville if you want a low profile high-end bike


Street Triple


The monstrous Rocket III


Harley-Davidson

Harley misses no opportunity to push the Street 750


A few models from the Sportster, Softail and Touring families also made an appearance


DSK-Benelli

Usual suspects at the DSK-Benelli exhibit. Here's the TNT 600 GT. I was hoping to catch the Trek 1130 Amazonas


TNT 899


TNT 600 i


TNT R


TNT 300


DSK-Hyosung

GT 250R


ST7


Aquila Pro


Aquila 250


BMW Motorrad

One of the best adventure tourers on offer today - the R 1200 GS




A rare sight indeed - the R 1200 RS




Another rare sight - the K 1300 S

[Tushar]

Superbike Frenzy & The Crowd Pullers

From the Suzuki Hayabusa at the BMC air filter stall i.e. the first Dhoom bike


To the latest machine used in the franchise - the K 1300 R


BMW S 1000 RR


Honda CBR 1000RR Fireblade


Ducati Monster


Yamaha VMAX. With a performance exhaust, this demon can be loud enough to shatter glass


Harley-Davidson Night-Rod


Fatboy decked up for touring


Can we ever get enough of the 'Busa?


Suzuki GSX-S1000F


Good old R1. Wish I could listen to that Akra pipe


Moto Guzzi California


Goldwing twins


Drag spec 'Busa


Triumph Tiger XRx


Honda VT1300 CX "Fury"


The Honda CBR 650F


India Bike Week

Shrijit Patil's Thunderbird 500 that placed 2nd in the Royal Enfield class at the Raid De Himalaya


Ego Custom Wheel's modified STD 350 with the Harley-Davidson Fatboy look


Mean Green Custom's modified Duke 200. This bike (named "The Alchemist") competed at the bike build-off @ IBW this year

[Tushar]

Main Market Motorcycles

Bajaj



The recently launched Pulsar RS 200 "Demon Black" edition




All-new Avenger Street 220


Avenger Cruise 220


Avenger Street 150




Yamaha

Yamaha's latest entry level sports bike - the R3




R15s


FZ-S V2.0


Looking Vespa in the eye - the Fascino

[Tushar]

Gadgets & Toys

GoPro

GoPro had their regular range of cameras


Navnit Group

A Bayliner boat




Polaris quad-bike


Bicycles

Trek






Merida




Hobby Central India

Hoverwheels - an interesting device that's gaining a lot of popularity the world over


The roller works using an accelerometer. You move by pitching your ankles


Definitely tricky to balance yourself at first. Prices range from Rs. 30,000-35,000. Lot cheaper than a Segway

[GTO]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Indian Car Scene. Thanks for sharing!

[S2!!!]

Great report Tushar. I visited the event but never noticed more than half the cars / bikes at the event as I had my autocross lap to worry about . Thanks for taking the effort in compiling such a detailed report.

This time surprisingly, there are several usual participants which are missing, like those for high end sound systems, Mahindra, Super Car Club, Poonawala collection etc. Even that Batmobile isn't here nor is that crazy race-bred Nano by J.A.Customs or the K.J. Somaiya's engineering racing team. Any fun competition that you participated in? One of my friend suggested that there was some tyre changing competition on a race car. Any info on that?

[amansanc]

That was fast! Were you working 24x7 on the report once the event was over?

For me, this year's show was pretty boring. Most of the premium cars were caged up and one could just look at them from a distance. While some of them were allowing us to enter to click pics, others were acting pricey. And to top it all off, during the media hours on the first day, things were still being set up. Unacceptable.

You missed adding a picture of the best stall at the show