Autocar Performance Show 2014 report

Visiting the Autocar Performance Show has almost become a ritual for petrolheads in Mumbai, and for good reason. It brings some of the hottest cars and motorcycles under one roof for four days. What makes it even better is that the display is not only limited to production vehicles, but also extended to custom-built, and highly customised cars and motorcycles. This year, the show was held over December 11-14, at its usual venue – the MMRDA Grounds, Bandra Kurla Complex in Mumbai. This year’s show too, had some of the most enthralling cars on display. A super luxurious white Rolls-Royce Ghost adorned stage right with a super sporty Lamborghini Huracan on the left as soon as you stepped into the venue. Ferraris, Bentleys, Minis, BMWs, and even a 230bhp Super Nano added to the list. To add to that, a long list of high performance and luxury motorcycles were also on display. Triumph, BMW, KTM, Harley-Davidson and even the soon-to-be in India Benelli, were the manufacturers who showcased their motorcycles.

Apart from the cars and motorcycles, there were accessories manufacturers who had their extensive spread too. Car care products, automated motorcycle washing station manufacturers and outdoor adventure accessories were on display. Outside the exhibition halls, Mahindra & Mahindra had set up their off-roading course where you could get a taste of tackling mud, slush and obstacles in their off-road ready vehicles. Maruti Suzuki, on the other hand, had set up an Autocross track where you could take your own cars and drive around on the dirt track.

Here is the list of manufacturers with their models on display:

Cars:

Maruti Suzuki – Maruti showcased three of their latest launches at the show – the facelifted Swift, Honda City rivaling Ciaz, and the new Alto K10. Maruti has had a great track record with the Alto and the Swift, and the Ciaz has been doing fairly well too.

Mahindra & Mahindra – The Indian SUV manufacturer showed off the new Scorpio, the XUV500 and the Ssangyong Rexton. The three cars were parked on a floor, with a backdrop created to suit the focus of the SUVs. Mahindra had also set up a Purple Club lounge behind the stall, which only members had access.

Tata Motors – Tata Motors showcased a heavily customised Safari Storme. The car was wrapped in yellow and black vinyl, fitted with 17-inch wheels and off-road tyres. Foglights were mounted on the roof and the front bumpers, and a faux pas turbocharger intake was fitted on the bonnet. The company has made the kit available at their dealerships.

Nissan – Nissan and their brand Datsun shared a stage, where they showcased the Datsun Go+ and the rest of the Nissan lineup.

Hyundai – The Genesis, Hyundai's top-end sedan was showcased in India for the first time at APS, to gauge the reaction of the crowd. The Genesis is a 5-series rivaling car, which is sold in the international markets as the brand’s luxury flagship.

Ford – Ford showcased the Fiesta and the EcoSport. However, these were not standard production cars. They had been altered in very minute ways, with changes which were not apparent to the untrained eye. These changes were made keeping the elderly or disabled, and pregnant women in mind. Changes such as larger door aperture, higher seats and a finer tuned steering wheel have been added to improve accessibility.

Fiat – The highlight of the Fiat stall, and of the show itself, was the Abarth 595 Competizione, which was showcased for the first time in India. The hot hatchback has been set up to rival the new Minis.

Mini – Mini has brought the iconic hot hatchback back in India – larger, and now with a diesel engine. Mini cars are known for their agility and impressive performance (that hasn’t changed with its new diesel guise), however, practicality has been improved with a new five-door version now on offer. Both the cars were on display at the Mini stall.

Mercedes-Benz – Mercedes had on display a pair of AMG models. The CLA 45 AMG and the SLK 55 AMG did well to hold the attention of bystanders.

BMW – The facelifted X3 and the new X5 were gracing the BMW stands, alongside the 6-series Gran Coupe. But the showstopper of the Bimmers was the recently launched M4 Coupe.

Jaguar Land Rover – Tata-owned JLR brought three models to APS 2014. The flagship XJ sedan shared its floor space with the F-Type convertible and the Range Rover Sport.

Bentley – Bentley brought in only two cars, but that didn’t mean they commanded any less attention from the thronging crowd. The Flying Spur and the Continental GT were their resplendent self on the Bentley stand.

Audi – The German brand showcased the R8 Spyder, A4 Sport and the Q3. The R8 had a lot of admirers who wanted to get behind the wheel to get a feel of the car.

Lamborghini – The Huracan was launched earlier this year, and was the only one from the manufacturer’s stable parked at its stall. However, that didn't mean any less eyeballs for Lamborghini. The Huracan had all eyes focused on it.  

Rolls-Royce – A statement of sheer luxury, the Ghost was parked at the RR stall. Although, just a lone display at the stall, it looked graceful, and wowed the crowds as soon as they entered the exhibition hall.

JA Motor Sport – A blue Nano found its way among the supercars and sports car on display. What gave it space here was that it was no normal Nano. JA Motorsport had given it an aerodynamic body kit and MRF Z.LO slick tyres. Things got more interesting when one looked inside there were Ricardo race seats, a racing steering wheel, a massive JA tuned high revving 1.3-litre four-cylinder engine producing 230bhp and more. A bolt-on roll cage on the inside and five-point seat belts took care of safety. With all these changes, the Super Nano was capable of hitting over 200kph.

Motorcycles:

Mahindra Two Wheelers – Mahindra Two Wheelers had two special motorcycles on display – their jcMoto and Mahindra Centuro Scrambler. Both motorcycles are based on the Mahindra Centuro, and use the same MCi5 that the Centuro uses. The company hasn’t said if or when the bikes would make it to production stage.

Benelli –This was the first time that Benelli's entire lineup was up on display in India. The TNT 899 was a hot favorite, with its futurist design; everyone wanted to get their hands on it.

KTM – The Austrian manufacturer had a stall opposite Benelli. And although curious onlookers had their attention locked by the new Benellis, it didn't weigh down on the popularity of the motorcycles in orange, black and white. The recently launched RC 200 and RC 390 were on display, besides the two Dukes.

Triumph – Triumph has always been a hot favorite with the motorcycle community. This was quite evident with a huge crowd gathering around the stall. The bikes that drew the biggest crowd were the Daytona 675, Street and Speed Triples.

Harley-Davidson – The Milwaukee-based manufacturer just launched three motorcycles here a while back. All three, and the range of motorcycles already on offer were showcased at their stall at the show. It was quite amusing to watch people enter the exhibition hall and make a beeline for the stall.

BMW – Although BMW Motorrad had an unobtrusive stall, with only three bikes on display, they commanded high attention. Motorcycles like the S1000RR are known for an impressive level of technology on the bikes, and even more impressive performance.