News - Automotive News 2

The number of accidents involving expensive high-performance cars has increased in recent times. In Chennai, a young driver of an Audi RS5 sports car was arrested after a massive crash. The police are now investigating if the youngsters were involved in street racing.

The incident happened in Chennai. The red coloured Audi RS5 crashed into a scooter and another car. There were two youngsters inside the vehicle and the vehicle was at a very high speed when the accident happened. It went out of control and first hit a scooter and then another car.

Also read: Modified Royal Enfield Thunderbird 500 motorcycle from Eimor Customs look beautiful

Bystanders who were looking at the accident unfolding in front of their eyes rushed to help the victims. They also grabbed the two youngsters in the Audi RS5 and handed them over to the police.

The cops are currently investigating the matter. They want to find out if the youths were drunk while they are driving the high-end sports car. The police are also checking if they were involved in street racing when the accident happened. The Audi RS5 is powered by a 3.0-litre petrol engine that generates a maximum power of 445 PS and a peak torque of about 600 Nm.

While the road and highway infrastructure of India is improving, there is still a long way to go before they reach the standards of developed countries. Such high-end sportscars are extremely powerful and even with a plethora of safety features, things can go out of hand.

We have seen many accidents with such powerful cars in public places. Because of the quick acceleration, not-so-experienced drivers can lose control of the vehicle. This is why one should not try to check the full potential of these vehicles on crowded roads or any public road, especially in India.

There are many car meets and events that take place on proper tracks and one can always take their vehicle to test the capabilities. Public roads are unpredictable and any other vehicle or cattle can cause accidents.

In the past, we have seen numerous instances where high-performance cars go out of control causing a crash.

Because of such behaviour of supercar owners, the cops become extra vigilant when it comes to expensive supercars. In the past, police have stopped supercars and superbikes from entering expressways to ensure that there is no street racing.

Sports cars and high-performance cars are one of the best and most sought-after vehicles for enthusiasts. However, owners should be extra responsible while driving such powerful machines on the public roads.

Also read: BSA Motorcycles unveil Gold Star 650: Will Rival Royal Enfield 650 Twins

Earlier in March of this year, we reported that Ford is considering producing electric vehicles (EVs) in India for exports after receiving approval from the Government of India for its proposal under the Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme for the automotive sector. Although fast forward to this month reports have emerged suggesting that this might never come to fruition. According to sources, the American automotive manufacturer’s Indian management disclosed the news of the automaker pulling the plug on its plans to make EVs in India for the global markets to its employees in the Maraimalainagar plant near Chennai.

A Ford India spokesperson in response to the news confirmed and said, “After careful review, we have decided to no longer pursue EV manufacturing for exports from any Indian plants. We remain grateful to the Government for approving our proposal under the Production-Linked Incentives and being supportive while we continued our exploration.”

The spokesperson further added, “Ford India’s previously announced business restructuring continues as planned, including exploring other alternatives for our manufacturing facilities. We continue to work closely with unions and other stakeholders to deliver an equitable and balanced plan to mitigate the impacts of restructuring,”

Also read: Modified Royal Enfield Thunderbird 500 motorcycle from Eimor Customs look beautiful

Although despite the spokesperson’s comments, following the news of abandoning its EV production plans, the Ford’s Maraimalainagar plant’s fate remains undecided. The manufacturing plant near Chennai was expected to be the carmaker’s choice for the production of EVs for export as earlier rumours around the interwebs stated that the unit at Sanand, Gujarat, will be sold to Tata Motors.

Currently, the Maraimalainagar plant of Ford employees a manpower of 2,400 people and with this news breaking out, the employees are wondering if they will have their jobs once the production at the unit ceases. Reports have claimed that Ford is looking for a buyer to sell its plant near Chennai and as of now, Hyundai and Ola have emerged as the potential vendees. Additionally, the government of Tamil Nadu is also concerned and could be helping the US automaker in scouting for a buyer to help save the jobs of the people of its state.

As of now, the true reasons behind the abandonment of plans are still unknown but speculations are that it could be something related to the high input costs of production of EVs in these unprecedented times of war between Russia and Ukraine, along with lockdowns in China. Ford also seems to have taken this decision on further expansion of its EV plans in India as it could pose challenges in the long term point of view for production worldwide. Furthermore, according to sources close to the situation, the business case did not satisfy the volume projections and internal objectives for Ford, hence the plans were shelved.

So now with this final nail in the coffin, it has become clear that Ford has wrapped up its time in India and moving forward we will not be seeing the US automaker returning anytime soon to India. Ford India has joined the list of automakers like Peugeot, Daewoo, General Motors and Harley-Davidson who have exited the country.

Also read: BSA Motorcycles unveil Gold Star 650: Will Rival Royal Enfield 650 Twins