Audi has decided to up the ante and give its rivals a kick up the backside with launch of the new Audi A6! Set to make it’s debut in early 2011, the new A6 will definitely be an extremely smoochy sedan sporting a light body, agile chassis and packed with a wide array of new assistance and multimedia systems. The A6 will be a few millimeters shorter and lower than its previous model so you can expect an overall road-hugging sporty feel. Apart from this, the optional S line exterior package gives the car an even sportier look, with more prominently featured bumpers, grills on the air intakes, and diffuser insert. Audi is launching the A6 with a choice of powerful, sophisticated, and highly efficient four- and six-cylinder powerplants: two gasoline engines and three TDI units.The most powerful gasoline engine in the A6 family is the 3.0 TFSI V6 engine that produces 300hp at 310 pound-feet of torque and covers 0 to 60 in just 5.9 seconds with a top speed of 130 mph. Besides, it’s interiors get top notch luxury treatment with wood decorative inlays in the dash, center console and door panels, power-adjustable heated leather seats and a Bose Sound System with 13 high-performance speakers placed throughout to create a dynamic stereo experience.The base price for the 3.2FSI engine is $ 45, 200*. Perhaps, this is Audi’s way of kicking the butt!
Recently, a friend of mine busted his new Ferrari California while driving on the chock-a-block bandra roads. And all he got was a broken suspension and a bruised ego! But in Zillertaller Hohenstrasse, Austria the story plays out differently! Here you can wring the throttle to the hilt without breaking a suspension or rattling your guts. The interesting bit is that you can rent luxury cars like the Ferrari California, Maserati GranCabrio, Merc SLS AMG and a variety of Porsches and drive your way through the twisty Alps. The company that offers such power-packed holidays is Elite Rent and they source out not only roads but also customised driving itineraries. In short, you get to choose your kind of car as well as the roads you wish to drive your dream car on.
This part of the stretch is about 40 km long and situated high up in the Austrian Alps in the Tyrol region. It starts at Ried im Zillertal, which is approximately around 50km east of Innsbruck. In fact, Hohenstrasse has long straight stretches coupled with some twists and turns to keep you dialing in a few steering corrections from time to time. This road is really not about cutting corners because just after a brief lull, there are other corners where you'd like to unleash some serious horsepower of the thoroughbred V8 of either the Ferrari, Maserati or Porsche. There's a particular section in Hohenstrasse which is quite similar to the road from Manali to Leh. But unlike the Manali-Leh road, most of the hairpin bends have good visibility so you know well in advance what's coming up from the other side. Frankly, this is the part where you have all the fun with late braking and hitting the gas pedal hard while exiting corners. But hey, try not aping Michael Schumacher at all times as even a Maserati or a Lamborghini can wiggle its rear owing to the Electronic Stability Program (ESP) working overtime! You might even come across the odd trucker. But barring these sporadic occurrences, you'll definitely get hell loads of adrenaline rush with icy wind blowing straight off the snow-capped peaks.
Poets, artists and single girls have a love-hate relationship with these winter months. Yes, it's that time of the year again! Winters have got the cortege of Sunday brunches, romantic operas, art shows and mid-life insecurities and all call for the best. The art scene is truly glistening almost everywhere in the world including here in New Delhi. But London caught my eye this season with its Drawing Fashion exhibits at the Design Museum London. Showcasing fashion illustrations by the likes of Coco Chanel, Alexander Mcqueen and Christian Lacroix, the collection, has turned London into fashion lover's Medina (Paris is still the Mecca!). Joelle Chariueu an illustrator himself took over 30 years to put this collection together, which has become a sort of historical testament to the beauties that walked the ramp. It is on till next year March, so do try and catch it when you are in London next time. Closer home, New Delhi, at Exhibit 320 an independent art gallery, hosted something rather contemporary and equally fun called Feminine Recitals. Six female artists through their works voice various global issues; this is feminism with a twist, where the artist is not merely concerned with the rights and wrongs of feminist ideologies, but paints a bigger picture around it. Using the stream-of-consciousness technique, the artists voice these concerns through simple acts of cooking and cutting vegetables, through the Hindu rite of ‘Kanyadan’, etc. That’s not all; The Museum of Modern Art New York is also displaying the works of five Indian artists alongside the works of Picasso, Hessee etc. Titled On Line the exhibition traces the evolution of drawing from being just lines on paper to the huge mix-media medium that it is has become today. Rajani Shettar caught my attention, in particular with her eccentric installations made from bees-wax and lights! Another Indian-born artist Alia Syed dealt with issues of identity through her documentaries – one was about a dancer called Priya. Expression of the dancers stunning moves in colour tones was simply mesmerizing. I also came across a few works by the late Pakistan-born artist Nasreen Mohamedi. Known for her minimalist abstract drawings inspired by ideas of modernity and geometry of Islamic architecture, her work spiritual. Looking forward to the ever expanding canvas of the modern artist. After engulfing time, space and motion wonder what will it take on next.
If Lady Gaga's meat stunt wasn't enough here's more for carnivores like us. And with 2 Grammies, 13 MTV Video Award Nominations 8 wins, she seems to get away with murderous fashion. Now she joins the elite club of Celine Dion, JLo, Gwen Stefani, and others by launching her fragrance with Coty Inc. Quite curious but must wait to smell it next Spring when it hits the stores. Looking back in '95, there were just 10 Asian sounding names; now there are easily more than 30 designers of Asian Origin at the NY Fashion Week. Dad would've loved this…Asian- American week of fun. Capturing the Kill-Bill armor like fantasy Vera Wang gave us some Obi belts and interesting quilted mini-vests. Great layering ideas for workwear... Halston Heritage went scarlet with its absolutely ravishing President. The NY Sex Idol Sarah Jessica Parker, laughed around in a scarlet jersey dress. The line up so far had fresh and familiar sounding names...Elie Tahari had a laid back take on the 70s Retro sporty America. Loved the use of completely different natural fabrics…Denims with Paisely print silks.The studio Front Row dazzled for Luca Luca's show, with Beth Ostrsky, Debra Cox and the other Knowles (Solange). Greek Chignon's caught my eye!…the delicate ultra feminine fine silk and hair can be excellent for a special daywear look. Its like, you can't love animals and Dennis at the same time. Known for crazy fur ideas, Dennis Brasso played interesting looks with his Venus de Milo inspiration. Couldn't stop myself from asking for more. My hot pick, would still be the next big Holiday thing definitely, the 'weave' peek-a-boo Rosa Cha Swimwear in a Good morning colour pallet. To sum up, I'd quote the daddy of Fashion himself Lagerfeld who said, "You cant look to the past." People yet again bowed down to him at the Chanel Soho re-opening party…
