[1lokesh]

Came across this article today on ndtv.com

It seems that we Indians have finally decided to take on the world of automobiles and are announcing this in really smart way ofcourse Forget the domination of German, Japanese or if you'd say american - Its an automotive start-up from India Mean Metal Motors

Yes, you read that right, our very own supercar. If the Polish, Germans and British can make it, why not us?

Its called M-Zero







There are four teams from four different countries working towards making this dream come true.

The team in India is responsible for the engine, transmission, aerodynamics, vehicle dynamics, electronics and energy storage systems

The M-Zero will be a parallel hybrid mid-engined supercar and according to the founder and director, Sarthak Paul, they're planning on getting a 4.0-litre AMG V8 bi-turbo or the 4.8-litre NA V10 but the process for procuring any one of these engines has not yet been started but the car is being built around this plan. Well of course we want to know, what power it's going to put out and Sarthak says that the target for them is 500+bhp.



Mean Metal Motors is currently hunting for funds and they intend to raise $7 million in the first round of funding which will help them make their first prototype. The manufacturing facility, sadly, will not be in India but in any Scandinavian country and the market they're looking at is Europe.

Read full article here

[SteveSR1]

Mean Metal Motors, an Indian automotive startup is building a hybrid supercar with 750+ hp and 900 Nm of torque.




The design will be split between 4 teams in 4 countries - Portugal and Italy will be working on the body and styling. The UK team will be in charge of simulations and analysis. The Indian team will be involved with the meat of the car i.e. engine, transmission, aerodynamics, vehicle dynamics, electronics, and energy storage systems.

The proposed powertrain is either a 4.0 l AMG bi-turbo or a 4.8 NA V10 coupled with an electric motor with a power split of 500 hp from the ICE and 250 from the motor. The body will be a carbon monocoque designed in-house.



Here's where things get interesting. The team is going for some rather unique concepts that might end up being the signature feature of the car.

First up is the Crosshair - Still at the research stage, Sarthak Paul, founder and director, says that while cornering, when yaw comes into play, the crosshair will function as a vertcal stabilizer and ensure stable cornering. However, there are a lot of details to be ironed out, and a whole bunch of simulations to be run, before we see this working in real-world conditions.

The M-Zero will also see the usage of special alloys for better adaptability of shapes on the structure, which will, again, contribute in the aerodynamics department.

They will also use hydro-pneumatic struts for the suspension system and a 'Turbulizer' - which reduces aerodynamic drag. The size of the Turbulizer will be in micrometers, and can be manufactured by some surface finishing techniques.

Also on the cards is a fingerprint based keyless entry.

Here is the car from the top



And it's most unflattering angle - the side



The company is currently looking for funding and intend to raise $7 million for building the first prototype. They will be targeting the European markets and will build the car in a Scandinavian country.

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZJrkVrwrUw

Source: http://auto.ndtv.com/news/meet-the-m...upercar-750799

What are your thoughts on this? Excited? Unimpressed? Still gawking at that lovely derrière?

[lawdgawd]

They are still looking for funding, so let's say it is quite far from anything real, sadly.

Its good to know that some companies / design firms are thinking adventurously. But that is just a start.

[turbospooler]

Originally Posted by SteveSR1

I love the "crosshair" tail lights. Sadly they may not be realized as the exhaust sits bang in the center which needs relocation to follow safety regulation. Also, the shape will not be allowed as the IRVM will be rendered useless.

Otherwise, a fine attempt.

[Viju]

As an Indian automotive enthusiast, I would love to see Mean Metal Motors succeed.

But at the same time, have to say that a quick glance through their website makes one feel like it is more fantasy (in CAD) than a feasible idea as of now. When you click 'Specifications', you expect to see at least some basic technical specifications of the prototype they have in mind. Instead, you see lot of ambiguous text which does not really inspire confidence. I quote ''Aerodynamics - The M-Zero cuts through air really fast, aerodynamics being the M-Zero's biggest asset and expertise, we have come up with completely new concepts inspired from things around everyone''.

The least I would want to see in the aerodynamics section of a sports car concept is the coefficient of drag from their simulation test results. Aerodynamics being the M-Zero's biggest expertise? Ok, may be it is just the wrong choice of words and I am being too unkind. I hope this turns out to be India's Koeniggsegg in the making, but a nagging feeling inside says it won't.

Anyway, here is wishing them good luck! Excuse my cynicism, having a rainy day at work.

[SteveSR1]

Originally Posted by turbospooler

I love the "crosshair" tail lights. Sadly they may not be realized as the exhaust sits bang in the center which needs relocation to follow safety regulation. Also, the shape will not be allowed as the IRVM will be rendered useless.

Otherwise, a fine attempt.

I don't think having the exhaust in the center is against regulations. The Paganis and the McLarens all have center exhausts, and the IRVM is useless in pretty much all mid-engined cars. A rear camera would be a far better option.

@Viju - I get the cynicism. The entire team seems pretty young and the whole thing seems grounded in ambition rather than experience. But i'm curious to see how far they get with the project. I do hope they consider changing their name though. Mean Metal motors gives off a Hot Wheels-ish vibe to me.

[1lokesh]

What fascinates me is that this company is founded by 3 students who have just graduated.
What fascinates me is the larger goal they have "We want to be the Volkswagen of India,"
And what fascinates me more is that they have graduated from plans of making a "go-kart" to a supercar!

They will learn and overcome, even though the hard way, about being more specific when it comes to being under lens from the critique as and when they move along their path towards their goal. Its been less than a year that these kids have floated an enterprise of their own and the least of the achievement is that they have grabbed headlines - from say main line media like NDTV and ET.

On another note, I remember meeting this bunch of kids (not these from Mean Metal Motors) from a university called Lovely Professional University in Jalandhar, Punjab during an official visit to the varsity.
Now this university is not one of the finest in India but these guys (still studying engineering) made their own racing car, in house, indigenously!!! Feather in their cap is that this team was shortlisted for a show in USA to showcase this. Only 3 universities in India could manage this. All these guys were looking for was a meager sum of INR 1 Million and yours truly failed miserably, despite best of intentions and attempts, to get that from my brand/company for this cause. I still regret!

Here is the picture of all those whom I met at LPU with their pride. Look at their faces gleaming with their achievement (kindly excuse for the picture quality, it was taken on a BlackBerry in dark)


So who says only IITs & RECs make the best of the engineers. Talent needs a catalyst, some support and a lot of confidence.

My best wishes to the dudes at Mean Metal Motors. Make us proud

[turbospooler]

Originally Posted by SteveSR1

I don't think having the exhaust in the center is against regulations. The Paganis and the McLarens all have center exhausts, and the IRVM is useless in pretty much all mid-engined cars. A rear camera would be a far better option.

Check the height at which the exhaust is located. This is my concern. Agreed Paganis or McLarens feature the same but the location is not safe.
Also, even I thought about the camera. Maybe it can work out.

[D33-PAC]

It's a joke. How can kids who never drove a McLaren F1 think about building a real "driver's car" . Have they even driven any real drivers cars ? Have they driven any supercars to know what is required for a supercar label ?

Nobody will want to buy it in the first place because of the made in India tag. When people spend 70 lakhs or whatever their stated price is, they want snob value and brand recognition . Which is why people go for a Range Rover when they can have 4 or 5 Tata Safaris.

What kind of chassis are they thinking about ? Anything besides carbon fiber monocoque in 2015 would be mid-evil . I don't believe they can build a carbon fiber chassis given their resources.

And mean metal motors ? Is this a joke ? Who the heck names a supercar company Mean Metal Motors ? As someone said it sounds like the name of a company that produces small toy cars.

The crosshair on the back is ridiculous, it wouldn't pass in the first place with the regulatory authorities of many countries.


I'm not bashing them for the sake of doing so - on the other hand, if Vijay Mallya came out with a plan claiming he wanted to build supercars , I'd find that very believable and possible.

Talk is cheap, I'm not believing a thing from these kids until they build at least a decent prototype that passes all gov. mandated crash & safety tests.

All they have so far is a bunch of kids who played too many racing games on the Xbox and iPad and had the ability to organize a team and get a consultant to do some design work.

One more reason it'll never get off the ground is because every investor with investment capacity will know he'll never get a decent return on his capital.

This is the brutal truth, I'm sorry. They have a fundamental egg and chicken question. They can't do anything significant without significant funds, and the people who have significant investment capacity are sharks who are just as brutally honest as me and cynical. They'll be thinking the same. In fact they might be worse than me in critiquing.

And assuming they even have the unicorn event case of getting funded, then they have to be commercially successful - that is, a profit making entity to survive. So can they build this with a profit ? In all likelihood, this was doomed since the beginning.

[srishiva]

I would say 'go for it'. They will learn something valuable even if they cant do it.

Its not proper to say they dont anything without knowing anything about them. They have been getting support from different quarters already and hopefully they succeed.

I would have instead liked if they had gone for a alternative powertrain car rather than a super car or even a electric motorbike.

[D33-PAC]

Originally Posted by srishiva

Its not proper to say they dont anything without knowing anything about them.

Might as well tell companies during the interview or hiring process you don't need to see my resume, I'm smart and competent - so pick me .

Dilip Chabria built a somewhat solid sports car in his sixties given a somewhat modest factory with tools.

Now we're supposed to believe these 20 somethings will top him right out of college ( I think they're still in college ).


In all likelihood, this just another Aakash tablet.

[mayankk]

From ET, 2014:

The company, which is being incubated in the Manipal Innovation Center, is in talks with UK's motorsport engine and electronics provider Cosworth for a technology investment. The venture also received a technology investment through Portuguese automotive designer and entrepreneur Pedro Almeida of D'Almeida Automotives, a car design company.

"For Mean Metal Motors we laid out a strategy that will enable us to raise funds for each stage of development," said Almeida, who is now the chief designer and mentor of Mean Metal Motors. "The*risk*of building an automotive company from scratch is huge. We take calculated risks by dividing the whole process in different stages." The startup is in touch with IIT Kharagpur's entrepreneurship cell for the super car project. But getting financial support is not easy. Investors are apprehensive about potential losses as there are no immediate tangible results.

But mentorship and technological support from India's Formula One trainer Akbar Ebrahim, racing academies and the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India has given this startup the confidence to take this bold step. "We want to be the Volkswagen of India," said Paul, who, along with other two, are looking to host a karting championship next February in Bangalore.

[srishiva]

Originally Posted by D33-PAC

Might as well tell companies during the interview or hiring process you don't need to see my resume, I'm smart and competent - so pick me .

Dilip Chabria built a somewhat solid sports car in his sixties given a somewhat modest factory with tools.

Now we're supposed to believe these 20 somethings will top him right out of college ( I think they're still in college ).


In all likelihood, this just another Aakash tablet.

Well, you are the one who has chosen not to interview them We need to see what they build and then judge.

[shyn]

Looks like they really are serious about making it. I don't know what they were smoking when they came up with the idea, but I need that stuff too! xp
Though I think they, and even DC, should have made something more affordable and approachable, for the Indian market. Something like a GT86. But that would have been done if they really wanted to help our market. They just seem to be after glory and bragging rights.
Excerpts from worldcarfans(http://www.worldcarfans.com/11511021...first-supercar)
Indian company Mean Metal Motors has released preliminary details about its first model, the M-Zero.

Set to become India's first supercar, the vehicle will have an aerodynamic body made of light and cheap material, called "carbo-flax". It will feature a fingerprint-recognition system to start the engine and activate different driving profiles.

The car will come with a mid-engine architecture that ensures it has "innate stability, leading to high levels of performance and handling".

Power will be provided by a hybrid system that consists of a 4.0-liter V8 twin-turbo petrol unit with more than 500 PS (368 kW) and 700 Nm (517 lb-ft) of torque, supported by a small electric motor with a cooling liquid lithium-ion battery pack adding 250 PS (184 kW) and torque of 270 Nm (200 lb-ft).

The total combined output numbers have not been revealed yet, but the company is promising the vehicle will be able to accelerate from a standstill to 100 km/h (0-62 mph) in less than three seconds, while top speed will reach 320 km/h (199 km/h).

Founded by 21-year-old entrepreneur Sarthak Paul, MME is planning to reveal the first prototype of the M-Zero next year during the 2016 Paris Motor Show. When it goes on sale several years later, it will wear a hefty price tag of somewhere between 125,000 USD and 150,000 USD without taxes.

Found this in the comments section of the article. It is called the Spada Codatronca TS and features a similar cross-hair design rear.

[rsidd]

Originally Posted by shyn

Though I think they, and even DC, should have made something more affordable and approachable, for the Indian market. Something like a GT86. But that would have been done if they really wanted to help our market. They just seem to be after glory and bragging rights.

Such cars, whether GT86 or Lamborghini or Bugatti (or even Abarth!), are about glory and bragging rights. Nobody needs them. Nobody thinks they need them. Nobody buys them because they think they need them. And society certainly doesn't need them. The only way such a car would "help our market" would be if, like Tesla Motors products, it was a test-bed for next-gen technology that would trickle down to regular cars.

Now, if a few people have the money to blow on such cars, I'm all for Mean Metal Motors making the market as small and exclusive as possible!