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Hitting the road in style

If automobiles are your thing, Auto Show 2006 is the place where you could drive a great bargain, writes Anasuya Menon

PHOTOS: M. PERIASAMY

POWER-PACKED The Nissan X-Trail.

If you are one of those kinds who love to splurge on automobiles, the Auto Show that opened in the city today is the place to be. It will most likely overwhelm you with its flamboyance, especially after you have walked into its large stalls from the sweltering summer sun.

Nevertheless, for the auto freaks of Coimbatore, the show, organised by the Coimbatore City Round Table 31, offers some of the best bargains in automobiles, fancy accessories and automobile security systems.

In the endless metallic sea of colours, it is not difficult to spot the most expensive automobile in the show.

No prizes for guessing. The Nissan X-Trail, imported from Japan, walks away with the title.

Available in both the `fully loaded' and the `basic' versions, the car offers some of the best facilities possible inside a car such as electrically operated front seats and a six CD changer.

The works

A music controller on the steering and an electric sun-roof in addition to a front seat heater and a centre console box are not too much to ask for if you are planning to settle for a fully loaded version of X.Trail. However, the basic version is also available with lesser facilities.

The car costs nearly Rs. 28 lakh. `Burning red,' `silver metallic' and black are some of the colours it comes in.

Targeted at the business and corporate class, the show is an ideal opportunity to showcase the car in Coimbatore, which has formidable strength in terms of a business clientele, says Tommy Abraham, Executive Manager of Nissan, Chennai.

Two-wheelers.

This is for those who nurture dreams of riding into the sunset on their roadsters.

The TVS group has come out with their latest brand, Apache, which promises a power-packed ride and a surging adrenalin level. The 150 CC bike is aimed at the younger college-going crowd and comes in a variety of shades such as blue, red, silver and black. It also boasts an IE exhaust that assures the rider more mileage (55 to 60 km per litre) and power. "Power and mileage do not usually go together. But, with the IE exhaust, this is possible," says S. Ramkumar, Territory Manager of the TVS Group.

The model has been priced at Rs. 57,498 and is available in all TVS showrooms.

Launched in Coimbatore on April 28, the Honda Shine is another smart two-wheeler model that the organisers hope will pull crowds to the show.

Likeable for its unpretentiousness, the 125 CC bike has good `pulling power' and is promoted as a family's ideal choice of a two-wheeler. It has been priced at Rs. 46,785.

And it isn't just the machines that are basking in all the attention.

Manufacturers of accessories too have showcased some of their best products suitable for both a high-end customer and a middle-class customer alike. The manual roof is one such accessory that would look elegant on a Maruti 800 as it would on a BMW. Nebasto, a German Company that manufactures these manual roofs, also offers attractive discounts that go up to Rs. 11,000 for the high-end model. The basic model of the roof costs Rs. 9,500 and the discount varies according to the model. Customised to keep away UV-rays and heat from the car, it also permits hot-air ventilation and prevents dust and hot air from entering the car. The entire roof of the car can be replaced with a manual roof of this kind, says the dealer.

What's a car without music? The latest in the car entertainment scene is a stereo head unit by Xenos Technologies, which has MP3 players with provision of a USB slot that could be connected to an i-Pod and pen-drive.

The advantage of the system is that you needn't carry cases of CDs along with you while on a drive. The memory card capacity varies from 34 KB to 1GB.

Along with the funky speakers and leather upholstery are also dashboard stickers available in various fancy colours. Usually done only on four wheeler dashboards, these stickers are now custom-made for two-wheelers too.

While the swanky cars may give an impression that the show is meant only for the high-end customers, there are humbler cars that anyone can afford. With 78 companies participating, the event is an attempt to bring the manufacturers, dealers, financial companies and accessory manufacturers under one roof, says S. K. Anand, representing Coimbatore City Round Table 31.

The show, organised as a fund-raiser for the service activities of the Coimbatore City Round Table 31, will be on at the Codissia Trade Fair complex till May 1.

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