The Tata Nano - the force behind their smallest offering!

(Source: Tata Motrs)

What a journey it has been for TATA Motors. From launching its modern car offering in the form of the Tata Indica in 1998 to the recent brouhaha over its latest baby, the TATA Nano; Tata Motors have truly come a long way! From the tiny Nano to the purring cats in the house of Jaguar, few would disagree over the fact that TATA Motors can be said to have well and truly arrived onto the automotive scene. They have always made it a point to support their products with some apt advertising.Travel back to 1998 and their promises of " more car per car"  and "more smiles per hour" come to mind. Even with their latest genration Vista and the Manza, they have supported them with some pretty strong adverts.

                                                                            (YouTube)

But perhaps their strongest challenge has only just arrived. All know of the birthing pangs surrounding their smallest baby, the Nano. A darling of the critics and the automotive biggies, it has somehow failed to set the sales charts on fire. In-fact, their November sales have been their lowest ever! And the giant is showing signs of a fightback...In good 'ol TATA fashion, there have been a flurry of adverts in the past few weeks. The latest one has one slight twist... In a departure from their humorous ways, the latest Nano advert is designed to pull at the heart-strings. For all those who are still not convinced, take a look at the video above. 

The Eight Cylinder wonder of the SL-Series!

(Source: Mercedes-Benz)

Idolized by people the world over, two-seater sports-car's are practically every teenagers dream. While the makes and models would vary, most automobile centre-folds have revolved around some variant of the other of this quintessential automotive form. It was the summer of 1971, when the Mercedes-Benz 350 SL rolled out of the Mercedes-Benz gates at Stuttgart. This marked the birth of the '107 Series'. Distinguishing itself from the previous runs of the 'SL' line-up was the one thing that mattered, the Engine. Yes, my friends, this was the first one to feature an eight-cylinder power-plant under its long, slender hood.

(Source: Mercedes-Benz)

 In its eighteen years of existence from the summer of 1971 to the end of 1989, this strong, self-confident, imposing open-top vehicle had become a legend. Exuding elegance and quality, the best-in-class crash characteristics made this one of the safest two-seaters out on the open road. And the icon would have turned out rather differently if the debates of 1968 were anything to go by. So intense were the discussions that their Development Head, Hans Scherenberg had to fight tooth and nail for the SL to go topless and feature an additional removable hard-top for inclement weather.

(Source: Mercedes-Benz)

Following the clamour for the coupé, the Body Design Head, presented a rough draft of a four seater coupé. This was fastracked into production and the four-seater sports coupé debuted six months later towards the end of 1971. While the SL-107 Series led to the introduction of many pioneering safety features in this series; it was the promise of open-top motoring in the starved US market, that basically led to high sales. The SL face that dominated the front end, the headlamps all exuded a powerful aura around the model. The grooves on the tail-lamps were another important feature. Not only were they distinctive in their design, but the ribbing also kept them from soiling.

(Source: Mercedes-Benz)

Even the folding-top was designed around the twin pillars of comfort and efficiency. Disappearing and appearing in a mere 30 seconds, once folded, it neatly disappeared underneath a cover. Small details like the dirt-repelling external mirror-covers that enhanced visibility and the wind-deflecting A-pillar mouldings were just the kind of things that one would expect from Mercedes-Benz.

(Source: Mercedes-Benz)

This is why, a well kept SL-Roadster or the Coupe, turns heads every where it goes, whatever part of the world that may be!

Mercedes-Benz BIOME Concept - A Natural Synergy

                         
                          (Source: Mercedes-Benz) 

The designers at the Mercedes—Benz Advanced Design Studios, located at the coastal resort city of Carlsbad in Southern California have truly gone way beyond their brief and designed a concept that is truly symbiotic with nature. Drawing inspiration from the life-cycle and the ecosystem, their BIOME concept is organic in the truest sense of the word. 

 

(Source: Mercedes-Benz) 

Hubert Lee, Head of the Mercedes-Benz Advanced Design Studios has likened the BIOME concept as something to the leaves on a tree. He was justifiably proud when he said that the Mercedes-Benz BIOME concept was conceived as a natural technology hybrid, that forms part of the Earth's eco-system. After all, it was Mercedes-Benz that is considered to be the parent of the automobile as we know it.

   

   (Source: Mercedes-Benz) 

Through the BIOME concept, Mercedes-Benz have illustrated the vision of the perfect vehicle of the future which is created to function in perfect synergy with nature. Crafted from an ultralight material called 'BioFibre', the BIOME concept barely tickles the weighing scales (in automotive speak) at a mere 394 odd Kg. Don't be fooled by its flyweight however, as 'BioFibre' is more robust than steel. It is grown (yes, that's correct) in Mercedes-Benz's own nursery from a proprietary DNA. It functions by collecting energy from the sun and storing it in a bio-chemical bond called 'BioNectar 4534'.

                             
                         (Source: Mercedes-Benz)


It is this 'BioNectar 4534', stored in the 'BioFibre' material of the chassis, interior and wheels. Mercedes-Benz have also devised a way to use trees as solar energy trappers using natural receptors. This strengthens the bond between nature and the BIOME concept while acting as a catalyst to cover mobility energy requirements the environmentally friendly way and encouraging the conservation of natural resources.