Maruti A-Star….

The A-Star from the Maruti Suzuki India Limited (MSIL) stable is touted to be the most important launch after the Alto for the company. Vikram Gour gets behind the wheel of this crazy little thing to bring you the details… The credentials are high with the A-Star. Born in India , conceptualized and designed with major inputs from Indian designers, yet built for the world, this car is destined for stardom. It’s a sea change in terms of thought, for, till now Indian customers were constantly bombarded with the tag line that a certain car model has been “Altered for Indian conditions”. The A-Star spells the end of that era, for now we have a car that is going to be solely built in India , yet sold across the globe. Not only that, Nissan is set to pick up 50,000 units and sell them under their brand name! It’s a change for the good, and even in grim times of an economic slowdown, such news is bound to get the patriotism genes kicking in, for we can feel nothing but proud about such a car. The stellar looking concept car, going by the same name was unveiled at the Auto Expo in Delhi earlier this year. Since then it has been a wait and watch game which included a preview of the global car at the Paris Motor Show in October 2008. Incidentally, for the global market this car will be known as the Alto, but in India it will go by its concept name-A-Star, which, I feel suits us just fine. So, after Paris we knew what the car looked like, and to make a long story short, the A-Star looks like a baby from head on. You just want to walk up and pinch its cheeks (if it had them). Those large headlamps and the round-ish finish to the front all make it look very cute. It’s bound to be a hit with the women for sure! The little bonnet rakes up sharply, ala MSIL Swift style, to merge with the line of the swooped back windshield. Unfortunately MSIL didn’t keep the stellar lights or the front grille from the A-Star concept car, which had a sportier overtone, but opted for a cuter ‘bug’ look. When looked at from the side, the A-Star clearly retains some design elements from the concept. The most prominent is the shape of the front and rear passenger door including the cut of the windows. The rear notch is also a prominent design carried over from the concept as the similarities are very clear in the C pillar of both cars. The rear is rather different from the concept, and in a vague way it actually manages to remind me of the present Alto. It’s more butch, and better rounded, plus it looks more solid, but the design seems to lead back to the Alto for inspiration. The interiors again have design elements taken forward from the A-star concept car, but have been toned down to suit this category as well as to make better business sense. After all, I highly doubt anyone of us expected to find that awesome ‘Start’ button located on the gearshift in the production model. (Alright, I did, and Maruti, I still beg you too do that!) The interiors are governed by a sporty theme. Single form seats, a wedge shaped dash that houses the A/C controls as well as the music player. But what takes the prize on interior design is the position and design of the tachometer. Done up in true racing style, the tacho is a separate unit all together that peeps over at the driver from the right corner of the dash. It’s retro and in your face design, which is sort of the USP that MSIL is going with anyway. Overall, the car is well proportioned and has a wide stance, that gives the car its international look and as promised by MSIL officials, this stance also offers for better drivability, but more of that later, right now we got to see what lies under the hood. A new engine for a star The A-Star ushers in a new series of engines for MSIL. Known as the KB series, this engine is a brand new petrol drinking unit that promises better performance and efficiency as it is modern and encompasses technologies of today. Till date the J series engine has proved to be extremely reliable but the time has come to move forward and further enhance the engine. The new KB 10B engine, the first of the KB series to be manufactured right now is a 998cc, 3 cylinder unit that has a high compression ratio of 10:1 and delivers 67PS @ 6200 rpm and a noteworthy torque o f 90Nm@3500 rpm. It is this engine that will power both the domestic and export versions of the A-Star hatchback. The new lightweight aluminium engine boasts of low NVH levels, enhanced fuel efficiency and linear performance throughout the powerband. Salient features of the new engine include an all plastic engine manifold, a smart distributor-less ignition system with dedicated plug top coils and advanced injectors plus an innovative rocker-less DOHC shaft. The engine has been further optimized by using light weight pistons and nutless conrods. All this has lead to the engine having a dry weight of just 47 kilograms. So, we have a new car and a new engine, but as they say, paper and tarmac speak two different languages and it’s in this translation that we get to know just what mettle a vehicle really packs. A Driver’s hatchback Firing up the 3 pot cylinder engine block, I watch the rev counter steady itself. Idle. The ‘retro’ tacho, if I may call it that, seems to be telling me that this might be a small car, but it’s sporty all right. I take the cue and head out to open roads. I shift my way into 5 th gear just as I finally hit the wide open expressway leading to Greater Noida. I gun the engine to see what everything I’ve seen and heard about this car till today has amounted to. The plastic induction on the KB series engine gives out a pronounced purr, the car moves as though there is a bigger engine under the hood, and getting up to speeds where a traffic cop would just love to ‘chalan’ you at, I found myself pleasantly taken aback by the fact that this car can move and how! The little engine does its duty well and just loves to be revved. The all new 5 speed gearbox is a tad bit notchy, but a big improvement when compared to ‘boxes’ that do duty in the Wagon R or Zen Estilo. The power assisted steering wheel provides decent feedback and even at high speeds it never felt too light or as though the driver has lost touch. MSIL has taken special care to ensure that the driver get his dues in terms of a small hatch that has genes of a sports car. The wide stance of the car also helps a great deal in keeping this little 2 box well planted to the road even at speeds above 140 km/h. It’s surprising enough as it is, but the only thing that came to my mind was the fact that the A-Star is an out and out driver’s car. It’s small, manageable, yet has that zest that if I were to reminisce would remind me of the peppiness that the older Zen had. The A-Star boasts of utilizing gas damped suspension all round, wherein the front suspension has been tweaked for enhanced handling and the rear is more in line with enhanced ride comfort. The best of both worlds is what MSIL has set out to do, and judging from the ride quality it seems that their formula worked. Of course some of the credit in terms of ride also goes to the 155/R13 tubeless tyres that comes as standard on the A-Star. Braking is provided by ventilated discs up front and drums at the rear. ABS is onboard to ensure proper braking even under difficult conditions, which also adds to the safety of this car. MSIL has fitted the A-Star with front airbags to ensure a high level of safety. Further to this, the A-Star’s body is based on the Total Effective Control Technology (TECT) concept in the form of crushable structures that absorb impact energy and then disperse the energy away from the occupants in the event of a collision. I just took MSIL’s word for this, and have no intention of actually testing this feature, but it does feel good to know that such a small car now comes with so many safety measures. The benefit truly goes to the customer. The brief drive does reveal that the A-Star can live up to its sport overtones, and though I could not get any figures in terms of fuel efficiency, I have been informed by MSIL that the figures will delight me when I do a full blown road test, but from the looks of it, and knowing MSIL’s history of providing fuel efficient small cars, I wouldn’t really argue with them too much on that front. As I head back, after my drive I cannot but help to think that the new A-Star is the new hot hatch in town. Other cars in the A2 segment have their job cut out in terms of competition, and the A-Star is sure going to rough things up a bit. A full blown road test of this new kid in town will reveal more, but from the looks of it, MSIL has a star in their A2 segment portfolio. It’s a crowded segment to be in, but the A-Star seems destined to soak in the limelight, for that is what ’stars’ do. click to enlarge Information & Picture from

Google SketchUp Pro 7

Google SketchUp Pro 7 is a suite of powerful features and applications for streamlining your professional 3D workflow. All the intuitive modeling, visualization and collaboration features of SketchUp 7, plus exporters for a long list of 2D and 3D vector file formats. Also, generate tabular reports based on the entities in your models.

SketchUp even more intuitive, added tools for power users, and made it easier to find and share models with the world.

SketchUp easier to use.

With edges that automatically break other edges where they cross, objects that are smart enough to know how they should behave when you interact with them, and drawing hints that are clearer and more consistent, Google SketchUp 7 is the most intuitive SketchUp ever.

It’s all about collaboration and sharing.

In SketchUp 7, you can search for models in the Google 3D Warehouse right from the Component browser, take credit for what you contribute, keep track of your collaborators, and generally bask in the glow of knowing you’re part of the worldwide 3D community.

There’s even more in SketchUp Pro.

LayOut is officially out of beta and ready to go. LayOut 2 is faster, more reliable and includes vector rendering, improved text handling and more. SketchUp Pro power users can also create Dynamic Components: models that animate, scale and replicate intelligently.

FEATURE’S OF SKETCHUP PRO

Edges and Faces: Thats all there is to it

Every SketchUp model is made up of just two things: edges and faces. Edges are straight lines, and faces are the 2D shapes that are created when several edges form a flat loop. For example, a rectangular face is bound by four edges that are connected together at right angles. To build models in SketchUp, you draw edges and faces using a few simple tools that you can learn in a small amount of time. It’s as simple as that.

Push/Pull: Quickly go from 2D to 3D

Extrude any flat surface into a three-dimensional form with SketchUp’s patented Push/Pull tool. Just click to start extruding, move your mouse, and click again to stop. You can Push/Pull a rectangle into a box. Or draw the outline of a staircase and Push/Pull it into 3D. Want to make a window? Push/Pull a hole through your wall. SketchUp is known for being easy to use, and Push/Pull is the reason why.

Accurate measurements: Work with precision

SketchUp is great for working fast and loose in 3D, but it’s more than just a fancy electronic pencil. Because you’re working on a computer, everything you create in SketchUp has a precise dimension. When you’re ready, you can build models that are as accurate as you need them to be. If you want, you can print scaled views of your model, and if you have SketchUp Pro, you can even export your geometry into other programs like AutoCAD and 3ds MAX.

Follow Me: Create complex extrusions and lathed forms

You use SketchUp’s innovative, do-everything Follow Me tool to create 3D forms by extruding 2D surfaces along predetermined paths. Model a bent pipe by extruding a circle along an L-shaped line. Create a bottle by drawing half of its outline, then using Follow Me to sweep it around a circle. You can even use Follow Me to round off (fillet) edges on things like handrails, furniture and electronic gadgets.

Paint Bucket: Apply colors and textures

You can use SketchUp’s Paint Bucket tool to paint your model with materials like colors and textures.

Groups and Components: Build smarter models

By “sticking together” parts of the geometry in your model to make Groups, you can create sub-objects that are easier to move, copy and hide. Components are a lot like Groups, but with a handy twist: copies of Components are related together, so changes you make to one are automatically reflected in all the others. Windows, doors, trees, chairs and millions of other things benefit from this behavior.

Shadows: Perform shade studies and add realism

SketchUp’s powerful, real-time Shadow Engine lets you perform accurate shade studies on your models.

Sections: See inside your models

You can use SketchUp’s interactive Sections feature to temporarily cut away parts of your design, enabling you to look inside. You can use Sections to create orthographic views (like floorplans), to export geometry to CAD programs using SketchUp Pro, or just to get a better view of your model while you’re working on it. Section Planes can be moved, rotated and even animated using SketchUp’s Scenes feature.

Scenes: Save views and create animations

We created Scenes to enable you to easily save precise views of your model so you can come back to them later. Need to create an animation? Just create a few Scenes and click a button.

Look Around and Walk: Explore your creations firsthand

SketchUp lets you get inside your model with a set of simple navigation tools designed to give you a first-person view. Click with Position Camera to “be standing” anywhere in your model. Use Look Around to turn your virtual head. Finally, switch to Walk to explore your creation on foot; you can even climb and descend stairs and ramps, just like you’re playing a video game.

Dimensions and Labels: Add information to your designs

You can use the super-intuitive Dimension and Label tools to add dimensions, annotations and other glorious detail to your work.

The Instructor: Catch on quickly

SketchUp’s Instructor dialog box, which you can choose to activate at any time, provides context-sensitive help.

Layers and the Outliner: Stay organized

When you’re building a big, complicated model, things can get messy very quickly. SketchUp provides two useful ways to keep your geometry manageable:

Google Earth: See your models in context

SketchUp and Google Earth are part of the same product family, meaning you can exchange information between them easily. Need a building site for your project? Import a scaled aerial photograph, including topography, directly from Google Earth to SketchUp by clicking one button. Want to see your SketchUp model in context in Google Earth? Click another button, and you can. Anyone can use SketchUp to build models which can be seen by anyone in Google Earth.

Sandbox tools: Work on terrain

SketchUp’s Sandbox tools let you create, optimize and alter 3D terrain. You can generate a smooth landscape from a set of imported contour lines, add berms and valleys for runoff, and create a building pad and driveway.

3D Warehouse: Find models of almost anything you need

The Google 3D Warehouse is a huge, online repository of 3D models which you can search through when you need something. Why build something when you can download it for free?

Import DXF, DWG and 3DS: Get a headstart on your modeling

You can import DXF, DWG and 3DS files directly into your SketchUp models, which makes it very easy to start with drawings and even other 3D models. Have a floorplan of the space you need to model? Import it in, and start building right on top of it.

Import images: Paint walls with photos

With SketchUp, you can import image files like JPGs, TIFFs, PNGs and PDFs. You can use them by themselves (kind of like posters), but you can also stick them to surfaces to create photo-realistic models of buildings, package designs, and more.

Export TIFF, JPEG and PNG

SketchUp lets you export raster images up to 10,000 pixels square, so generating an image which you can send in an email, publish in a document, or project on a wall is as easy as choosing a few options and clicking Export.

PRO Export DXF and DWG: 2D line drawings and 3D models

Google SketchUp Pro allows you to export DXFs and DWGs, giving you an easy way to move plans, sections, elevations or even your whole model into your favorite CAD program. Exported geometry remains at 1:1 scale, and layers are preserved.

PRO Export PDF and EPS: 2D vector images

With the Pro version of Google SketchUp, you can export views of your models in PDF and EPS format, allowing you to continue to work on them in vector editing programs like Illustrator and Freehand. For 2D images that need to be resolution-independent, nothing beats exporting to these formats.

PRO Export 3DS, OBJ, XSI, FBX, VRML and DAE

If you’re using Google SketchUp Pro, you can export your models to a number of useful 3D formats. Pros use a number of different tools, and these exporters allow SketchUp to join most professional workflows by offering interoperability with just about every popular 3D modeling application in existence.

Toyota – Corolla Altis

:::The all new Corolla Altis::::