Saturday 15 February 2014

Suzuki’s offering in the liter-class, the V-Strom 1000 ABS, was launched for Rs 14.95 lakh

Suzuki V-Strom 1000 ABS headlamp from Auto Expo 2014

maruti suzuki celerio

It is a strange thing this, Maruti-Suzuki the most grounded of Indian car makers flying high – in spirit – with its wild naming spree of its most recent new car models.  Take its Sting Ray moniker, this was way too extreme especially for its blunt nosed styling approach to the Wagon R when all along the very mention of that evocative name makes one consider the decidedly 1960s muscular chic exemplified by the Chevrolet Corvette, especially the twin window fastback versions. 
Given this context then the all new addition to Maruti-Suzuki’s large small car portfolio is certainly not a fruity take or a salacious edible on a lunch or dinner spread but actually a model name that comes to India from the firm’s global portfolio, one that has done duty in Japan but rather more prominently in south east Asian markets. The all-new Celerio is actually a move by the market leader to do the impossible using its vast product bin and utilizing vital bits and pieces to come up with a car that is incrementally in tune with the times and the competition. Oh and by the way lets get the name out of the way – celestial river is what Celerio means literally in the Latin or Greek but the moot point is whether this car has the wherewithal to do the business and ramp up the passion for more punters to upgrade within the Maruti-Suzuki portfolio while also sucking in many others from the competition.
The Celerio is a large hatchback deemed to operate in the space where normally the Ritz operates at the top end and the Wagon R at the other extreme. What this clearly illustrates is that it is an even narrower band that has now been further thin-sliced by its maker to make room to push in yet another small car offering. Fathom this and you begin to understand why this carpet-bombing approach at the base of the huge 2.0 million plus car Indian market has paid rich dividends for its maker. Also precisely the reason why others haven’t got to grips with confronting it with the challenge needed, either individually or collectively!

Friday 14 February 2014

The Compressor Clutch Relay

The clutch in a compressor uses far more current than can be accommodated through the on-dash A/C switch. It is for that reason, as noted above, that a relay is used. When power from the driver’s control reaches the compressor clutch relay, it actuates the relay’s internal switch. A much greater current then is delivered to the compressor clutch, the clutch engages the rotation of the belt with the compressor, and the compressor starts to function.

Compressor Clutch

Because the fan belt intended to rotate the compressor is permanently attached to the crank, either directly or indirectly, it is always spinning when the engine is running. The A/C compressor does not need to work constantly; it is only needed when the air conditioning is switched on. For this reason, a device is needed that engages the compressor to the rotation of the belt when required and disengages the compressor from the rotation of the belt when not required. This is the function of the clutch, which is an electromagnetic device permanently attached to the fan belt. When it is not energized, the clutch is not in contact with the drive of the compressor, so it spins without spinning the compressor. When energized, the clutch moves toward the compressor until it contacts the drive, and the drive thus begins to rotate. When power is disconnected from the clutch, it retracts away from the A/C compressor, which ceases to rotate.