Features: Magazine | Literary Review | Life | Metro Plus | Open Page | Education Plus | Book Review | Business | SciTech | Friday Review | Young World | Property Plus | Quest | Folio |

Cool car in hot weather

If your car is crying hot, here is a solution

Summer is here with a scorching sun over our head, and driving is no fun these days as even our cars become ovens on wheels. Perhaps it is the right time to install a sunroof atop our four-wheelers. Not just to keep the car cool but a good sunroof adds a sporty look to the machine too.

Webasto, a world player in sunroof manufacturing since 1935, can bring good news to you in this heat.

The company is modifying Indian cars with its sunroofs these days. Brand manager Tanul Bhartiya says, "Webasto sunroofs' biggest benefit is the ventilation facility. It helps in reducing heat concentration in cars especially in tropical countries like India. During summers the difference between a car's inside and outside temperature is around 20 degrees. That is, if outside it is 40 degrees, inside would be 65 degrees. Sunroof tends to achieve the equilibrium between the two temperature."

The company, he says, currently controls 56 per cent market share in the sunroof category and supplies its products as OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers) to car manufacturers like Porsche, Toyota, General Motors, Hyundai, Suzuki etc.

Webasto sunroofs range from Rs.8,000 to 1.5 lakh and takes two to six hours to install based on the roof and car make.

Bhartiya says, "The ventilation feature of our sunroof also makes it fine for smoking inside the car."

According to Webasto Motherson president Arvinder Gill, "Our sunroofs have features like auto close, anti-pinch and range sensors. About 4000 plus cars so far in India have been modified with our merchandise. There is not too much difference between the factory-fitted sunroofs and retrofit ones. The only difference is that the former is slightly better and takes lesser time in fitting. But there is no difference in the product quality."

Bhartiya says, "A Webasto sunroof will give you a complete security with its tough glass, UV protection with its Venus glass and improved air-conditioning with better air circulation within the car. It also illuminates interiors by allowing extra light."

He agrees that sunroof is basically a luxury feature but adds, since every luxury element has a trickle down effect, sunroof will also become as popular as power steering and power windows very soon."

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail