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      Smart ForFour Electric Car Spotted In Bangalore – Near Mercedes Showroom

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      Smart ForFour Electric Car Spotted In Bangalore
      While the Smart ForFour will thrive in a congested city environment, it is too expensive for India

      Smart, a popular European city car brand which was born out of a partnership between famed Swiss watch maker Swatch and Mercedes-Benz, has no official presence in India. The Smart ForTwo and ForFour micro-hatchbacks feel at home in congested urban environment with narrow seats and hard-to-find parking spots. These cars will excel in cities like Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore and so on, but they are deemed too expensive for our market.
      Smart ForFour in Bangalore
      A Smart ForFour with private registration plates has been recently spotted in Bangalore, by automotive enthusiast Paulson. The car was spotted near a Mercedes Benz showroom. A little bit of digging showed that the five-door micro-crossover-esque hatchback is registered to Daimler India Commercial Vehicles (DICV). It has been registered in 2018 but interestingly there are no documented spotting prior to this instance.
      Perhaps the vehicle spent most of its time indoors as a part of an internal project. After all, Mercedes-Benz Research and Development India (MBRDI) is based in Bangalore and plays a significant role in the automaker’s global R&D network.
      It is also possible that, as the registration details suggest, one of DICV’s top expat officials wished to use the Smart ForFour as their official company car instead of a swanky Mercedes in a bid to beat the infamous Bangalore traffic.
      Smart ForFour Electric Car in Bangalore
      So, the ForFour could be a private import as a company car. The proper registration suggests that the vehicle is not here for testing purposes and hence we don’t expect Smart to make its Indian foray anytime soon.
      Smart ForFour at a glance
      Introduced in 2014, the current generation of Smart ForFour shares its platform with the Renault Twingo small car. The entry-level model is powered by a 1.0-liter three-cylinder naturally aspirated petrol engine which puts outs a modest 70 hp while higher variants get a 0.9-liter turbocharged three-pot petrol unit which is good for 90 hp. There is also a EQ ForFour, a pure electric variant which has 82 hp on tap.

      In terms of equipment, the Europe-spec Smart ForFour features a touchscreen infotainment system, multiple airbags, ABS, ESP, alloy wheels, dual-tone exterior color theme and so on. The ForFour is a zippy and nimble urban runabout.
      India’s Smart ForFour equivalents
      The Smart ForFour is for the European market what the Maruti Ignis is for India. The SUV-ish hatchback a.k.a. micro-crossover is an emerging concept in our market with three new models in the pipeline namely the Tata HBX, Citroen CC21 and Hyundai AX1 (all are codenames). More

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      in Electric Cars

      Mercedes EQC 4×4 Squared Concept – Electric SUV For Off Roading

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      Mercedes Benz EQC 4×4 Squared is a more rugged utilitarian version of the standard EQC 400 Electric

      Future mobility is gonna take shape with the development of electric vehicles (EVs). It is being developed keeping sustainability, lower emission levels, convenience and affordability in mind. Strictly catering to these needs might not veer purists towards this direction.
      Automotive enthusiasts always want to have a bit of fun with their vehicles which don’t necessarily comply with electric cars on offer. While most of the modern electric cars have power on both axles thanks to a dual-motor setup, they can’t be termed as off-roaders.
      Keeping the interests of off-roading enthusiasts in mind, Mercedes Benz has developed a concept that might lay the foundation stone to future off-roading machines based on an electric powertrain. The German automaker has developed a concept based on the recently launched electric SUV- ECQ 400 which is meant to explore the unexplored terrains.

      Differences between EQC 400 and EQC 4×4² Squared
      The ECQ 4×4² Squared rides on higher grounds with better approach and departure angles. It is the third member of Mercedes’ 4×4² family. It still runs on the battery setup provided in the standard EQC. An 80-kilowatt-hour battery powers dual asynchronous electric motors, one on each axle, to generate a combined output of 402 bhp and 760 Nm of torque.
      To make it look like a proper off-roader, Mercedes has added a roof rack, fender flares, and a tow hitch. At 293mm of ground clearance, it stands way higher than the standard EQC 400 which stands at just 140mm. It gets 20-inch alloys wheels which are wrapped with 285/50 section of tyres. The revised approach, departure and break-over angles also come in handy at 31.8 degree, 33 degree and 24.2 degree respectively. Its water wading capacity stands at 400mm which quite considering it is carrying a battery pack.

      Improved off-road capabilities
      These improved numbers are thanks to the revised suspension setup. Instead of conventional suspension units, the EQC 4×4² Squared utilises a set of portal axles that allows the wheels to sit at a height much lower than the centre of axle owing to portal gears. The consequence of this that the wheel track is increased significantly therefore the need for makeshift wheel arch flares.
      This offset lends the vehicle way more ground clearance thus improving its off-road capability. Similar suspension setup is also seen in the G-Wagon, which is arguably one of the best off-roading machines currently around the globe. A new off-road mode has also been added which has been borrowed from GLC. While taking off on loose grounds, this off-road mode enables an improved torque curve with the help of targeted brake interventions.

      Future Electric Off-Road Vehicles
      Prior to the EQC 4×4² Squared, Mercedes had two products in this range- G500 4×4 Squared and a Squared version of the Mercedes E-Class All Terrain station wagon. The former even went into limited production. The German marque hasn’t yet confirmed whether this concept will enter into production or not. If not, then it could very well pave the path for the upcoming electric G-Wagon- the new generation G-Class 4×4 Squared which will be based on V-8-powered G550. More

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      Mercedes EQC Electric SUV India Launch Price Rs 99.3 Lakh

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      Mercedes-Benz India had showcased the all-electric EQC luxury SUV at Auto Expo 2020

      The Indian automotive industry is actively focusing on all-electric and electrified forms of powertrains across a wide price segment. In the ‘relatively’ affordable category, our market has only three desirable choices: Tata Nexon EV, MG ZS EV and Hyundai Kona. Mahindra Electric is almost ready with the eXUV300 (a direct rival to the Tata Nexon EV).
      On the higher end of the spectrum, luxury car manufacturers are also analysing the feasibility of their successful global EVs in India. Porsche India recently confirmed the launch of the performance-focused Taycan four-door coupe.
      Now, Mercedes-Benz India has launched the new EQC all-electric compact luxury crossover SUV at a starting price of Rs 99.3 lakhs, ex-sh. This is an introductory price, and is only valid for the first 50 buyers.
      The German automaker had showcased the same at Auto Expo 2020, held in early February. The first 50 buyers of the Mercedes EQC will also get the wall charger as well as installation free of cost.

      Introduced to the world at 2018 Paris Motor Show as the production version of Mercedes-Benz’s 2016 Generation EQ concept, the all-new EQC (internal codename: N293) is based on the current-gen GLC. It is one of 10 new ‘three-pointed star EVs’ coming to reality by 2022.
      The new Mercedes-Benz EQC has no direct rivals in India but in foreign markets, it faces strong competition from the Audi e-tron, Jaguar I-PACE and Tesla Model X. Indian EV enthusiasts have been eagerly waiting for Tesla’s arrival for quite a few years.
      Powertrain and specs
      Available only in EQC400 4MATIC (AWD) avatar, the 2020MY Mercedes-Benz EQC400 is powered by dual asynchronous electric motors (one on each axle) collectively rated at 300kW or 402bhp. Peak torque stands at 760Nm. The EV is able to do a 0-100km/h acceleration sprint in 5.1 seconds. However, top speed is limited to just 180km/h — considerably lower than most cars coming at half its price point.
      The 80kWh battery pack promises a range of 354km on a full charge as per the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Interestingly, WLTP (World harmonized Light-duty vehicles Test Procedure) rates it as 417km. Using a DC fast-charger, the electric SUV can attain 80 per cent charge from nearly empty in about 40 minutes.
      On the inside, the Mercedes-Benz EQC400 is as rich as other modern-day ICE products in the portfolio. For starters, the list includes a pair of 10.25-inch screens loaded with the latest MBUX infotainment suite. Drivers can also adjust the amount of brake re-gen via dedicated paddles behind the steering wheel. More

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      in Electric Cars

      Mercedes EQC Electric Spied in Pune – India launch by April

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      Mercedes-Benz India has already shared its plans to launch the all-new EQC 400 electric SUV in the country in April 2020. Coming under the German marque’s ‘EQ – Electric Intelligence’ line of electric vehicles, the Mercedes-Benz EQC was also present at Auto Expo 2020 in the Edition 1886 avatar. The moniker was given as a […] More