Vishalaa - a rural restaurant in Ahmedabad

These photographs were taken by me at a restaurant called "Vishalaa" in Ahmedabad. The place serves authentic Gujarati cuisine and maintains a rustic ambience which tries to embody the spirit of the hinterlands in Gujarat. The moment you enter, you are served with fruit juice (and a person scratching his nether region, in my case) and then you are led towards the musuem which basically houses kitchenware, some of which are even a thousand years old. The other attractions are a puppet show, folk singers, etc. Food is served in sheds which are dinning areas covered with tin roof and bare on the sides. Seating is on the ground (carpets) and flat logs serve as tables.

The food is delicious, though I do not remember the names of the items, except the dhoklas and theplas. Around four different varieties of "rotis" are served and as many different "sabjis". Food is strictly vegetarian and it is served in a continuous manner till the time you literally raise your hand signalling that you can stuff yourself no longer. "Paan" is served after you are done with your desserts.

Vishalaa is a nice place to experience authentic Gujarati fare and an overall nice experience. Be sure to take a local Gujarati along though, so that you know what you are eating.

A word of caution though, the restrooms are extremely dirty!

All set for dinner

Picture perfect!

Nut crackers!!!!

Pots

....more pots

.... still more pots

When you gotta scratch, you gotta scratch! "Purush"

Yamaha Motor India wakes up!

Yamaha Motor India suddenly wakes up and decides that it will change its product strategy and launch bigger and more powerful bikes in India and be truer to it DNA worldwide - performance, innovation and design. The RX 100 and 135 were the only motorcycles that Yamaha could really sell in India. The RD 350, though the best selling Yamaha model globally, was introduced prematurely in the Indian market and has become a cult bike. For a decade and a half Yamaha seems to be in a deep slumber when it comes to the Indian market. The Crux, YBX, Frazer, Gladiator, were all a sham in the name of innovation and design. I mean, the people who designed these two-wheelers HAD to be aesthetically challenged. No wonder the drop in sales. Neither did a 1300 cc 'busa zipping John could push sales for a frankestenian Gladiator.

Now, Yamaha has launched the 1000 cc YZF-R1 (priced at around INR 100,000), 1670cc MT01 and the Gladiator Type SS and RS (repackaged Gladiator with a couple of extra horses-still very ugly). The bike to look out for is the 150 cc air-cooled FZ, which is scheduled to be launched during Diwali this year. The FZ to be launched in India is a replica toy of the actual FZ1, a 1000 cc monster. But still I give the thumbs-up to Yamaha Motor India for being the pioneer in scaling down a superbike to meet Indian cunsumer needs. I always wondered why can't these motorcycle OEMs never introduce a 150-250 cc scaled down version of their superbikes in India, keeping the design aspect same. Finally, somebody heard me.

When Yamaha Motor India, CEO and MD Mr. Mabuchi took a walk of Bajaj Motors' Pune plant, the intent and the new resolve of Yamaha was evident. That was almost a year back and now Yamaha Motor India has revealed it new strategy to gain market share. The product portfolio of Yamaha by end of this year would cater to all the three motorcycle segments in India - entry, executive and premium segments. I would definitely keep a look-out for Yamaha in the coming years and we could very well see a change in dynamics in the Indian motorcycle market.

Squaw

Have been planning on a nice topic for a while, but have not quite got the time yet. Till then I thought of writing about something personal and lighter (the blue cabbage part of the blog :) ).

I take the opportunity to introduce the lady in my life - Squaw (Indian for a woman).

She is a Standard 350 Bullet. Year of manufacture is 1980 (December).

I have not done any modifications... The original 'Bullet' look has been preserved. I do not want her to be a wanna-be Harley Davidson Softtail or a mutated BSA Goldstar.

I have changed the saddle. This makes Squaw look low-slung and more elegant. I have added custom rear-view mirrors and retro tail-lamps/front number-plate. She has a 'monkey' shade on her headlamp (makes her look sleeker).

I had to do another 'modification' because it was necessary. I changed her old front suspension to the newer telescopic shockers with hydraulic damping.

As for the rest of Squaw, she is one of the old and authentic 'pieces'. She has standard 3.25 X 194/6 PR tyres and 6V electricals, does not have indicators and lets out a feeble (read soothing) beam on the highway.

I had to rebore the engine once and change the toothed-gear wheels. Its ignition key is still on the battery box and the headlamp switch near the speedo.

Ford Fusion. Why Did It Fail In India?

I know it is quite late for an autopsy now. But on my way to work today I spotted a silver Fusion+ and I just felt like writing.

It has no curves, looks like a box and doesn't score on the aesthetic fore, either; but somehow I find the simplicity quite unique and utilitarian. I think the biggest design USP of the Fusion is its crossover look. It is a B-segment hatchback, but the front grille and the gradient of the hatch makes it look like a smaller version of a crossover. Also, a look at the beefy bumpers, curved wheel arches, block headlamps leave you feeling that this beast can, and needs to, go offroad. Moreover, with the amount of headroom and ground clearance, it is way ahead of contemporary hatchbacks in India. And with front MacPherson suspension and 15 inch wheels, you need not let out a silent curse everythime you encounter those out-of-proportion speed brakers in Indian cities.

Moreover, with an in-line 4 cylinder, 16-valve, 1.6-liter twin-cam Duratec engine churning out 100 horses at 14.9 kgm of max torque, this car offered one of the best in-its-class engine and powertrain options. What more, there is a 1.4-liter 67 bhp Duratorq diesel engine with a maximum torque of 16 kgm @ 4000 rpm, this car was loaded, atleast by Indian standards.

Then why did this wonderful set of wheels not do well in the Indian market, the way it did in Europe? The first obvious reason is the price. At INR 604,695 or USD 13,400 (base petrol) and INR 698,193 or USD 15,500 (base diesel), the Fusion is a luxury Indian consumers would rather not 'indulge' in...yet. Did Ford not do its homework on the Indian consumer and the market dynamics? Probably, yes. For 6 lakhs, you can very well manage to get a C-segment car, an Esteem or an Ikon or an Accent, maybe. The Fusion in India HAS to be bought by an individual belonging to the middle class or the upper-middle class. This section of the market would rather have a C-segment car if they invest a year's salary or slightly more on a car. This is the criteria on which four-fifths of vehicle purchase decisions are made here.

Having said this, I would also like to point out that there is also a niche consumer base of young people with high spending capacity. These individuals are technically aware of the advantages that the Fusion has to offer like, ABS, collapsable steering column, engine immobilizer, crumple zones, etc., and would buy the Fusion for what it really has to offer. Unfortunately, they still do not drive volumes in India. But for the majority Indian consumers the Fusion's technical superiority over other cars in the same segment is beyond perception.

On the other hand there are high net worth people, or the affluent, who are aware of what the Fusion has to offer; but with the amount of money they have, they would rather buy premium brands.

Now, to the magic figure that Indian buyers swear by. Yes, mileage. The petrol engine gives around 10 kmpl (23.5 mpg) and the diesel around 17 (40 mpg) in the city. How do the other cars in the same segment fare? This should make it obvious

Hyundai Getz Prime - 13.1 kmpl (31 mpg)

Maruti Suzuki Wagon R - 14 kmpl (~33 mpg)

Maruti Suzuki Swift - ~12 kmpl (28.2 mpg)

Tata Indica Xeta - 12.6 kmpl (~30 mpg)

Fiat Palio Stile - 12.5 kmpl (29.4 mpg)

All the compared fuel efficiencies are for their respective petrol engines and the engine capacity falls between the 1.0 to 1.2 liter range. However, I am aware of the fact that this is not 'apple-to-apple' comparison because the Fusion's 1.6 liter engine is far more powerful. The fully loaded variants of the Getz Prime (Petrol) and Swift (Petrol) cost around INR 550,000 (~USD 12,000) which about 50 grands lesser than the Fusion.
The chart explains why the Ford Fusion did not fare well in the Indian market. Ford placed a product in a slot that typically belongs to the luxury/premium cars in India.

Maybe, what Ford could have done is intoduced the 1.3-liter engine Ka rather than the Fusion. The Ka is a huge hit in Europe and is priced around 45% lesser than the Fusion. It has the same power to weight ratio as the Fusion and gives a mileage of around 13.4 kmpl (31.7 mpg) in urban driving condition. The Ka would have really helped Ford help enter the small car-segment.

Indian buyers want both performance AND economy in their vehicles and the segmentation of market based on the two is not as crisp as in Europe or America.

Another interesting fact, though on the sidelines, is that with the 35 mpg (14.7 kmpl) fuel ecomomy being made mandatory in USA by 2015, the Big 3 are gradually focusing more on producing fuel economic cars. In this regard, it would help Ford (and GM and Chrysler too) a big deal if it seriously considers tweaking the 1.3-liter Duratec engine to make it more fuel efficient and, maybe, launch a Ka for India.

Another, flaw which led to the failure of the Fusion in India was wrong marketing and publicity. The Fusion was launched in India in December 2004 and it had a head-start over the Swift. I am specifying Swift because, it is comparable to the Fusion in terms of the safety features offered. What Swift did right in its awareness campaigns was to highlight its advanced safety features. It has created new awareness among consumers and competition among OEMs in India. But Ford was in a position to be the pioneer in India to drive the awareness in safety features in India, which they did not. Simply put, they should have portrayed the Fusion in its true image - a car with advanced safety features, build for performance and nimble handling.

All said and done, the Fusion is REALLY a nice and contemporary car. Its weak points being bad fuel economy and premium price. I mean, if we can accept a Korean monstrosity like a Santro (looks-wise) and an ugly car like Tata Indigo, the Fusion should have got a fairer deal.

Note: I have used images from from public domain, except the chart I created. If any copyrigt or ownership issues are violated, I would willingly put out the specific image/s