In California, it can be difficult to be a car enthusiast. You've got smog checks(A test for emissions produced by an automobile, required for vehicle registration), and CARB compliance regulations on what modifications you're allowed to execute. It can be rather demoralizing seeing what's allowed in other states, but not mine. But what if you lived in a place where you couldn't make any modifications to your car at all? Not even paint. Well, that's exactly the kind of law that passed in India 2 years ago. Can car enthusiasts enjoy cars if they can't modify them?

So before we get into India's controversial law banning car modification. Let's set the scene for the Indian automotive world. The whole car scene modification means getting those big cars and sports cars and stuff. It's been a privileged thing. So it has always been limited to people who can afford it and do it. But for a majority of people, there are financial restrictions. Car ownership in India is often a need but also bears a high charge. You need a car to get you to work and back but you are only looking to spend what is required. That sounds like a lot of places, America included but what hits the Indian market the hardest is their essential duty tax.

What is Import duty in India?

To sell a car that was not made in India, the manufacturer must pay up to a 100%  import duty. Now Import duty is a tax gathered on imports and some exports by a country's customs authorities. A good's price will usually dictate the import duty. Depending on the context, import duty may also be known as a tariff, import tax, customs duty, or import tariff.  So immediately the cost of any car not made in India doubles. Because of this, plenty of manufacturers don't even bother shipping their sports cars to India.

India never got the MR2, the S2000, the Sylvia, the Evo, the WRX, the Camaro, the Corvette, or the charger just to name a few. But despite the tax, some global market cars do make it to India. BMW M2s, Porsche's GTRs. Even the 5.0 Mustang is obtainable at a significant premium. These are called CBU cars or complete-built units.

What are CBU or Complete Built Units?

Basically, CBU cars mean the car is completely built outside of India, but there is a different kinds of vehicles. The CKD or complete knockdown unit. Apart from being an awesome name for a hardcore band, the complete knockdown unit is a car that is assembled in India. Even though the components were made elsewhere. CKDs are subject to a lower tax as low as 15%. So if manufacturers have to build an assembly plant in India they can still save money with these market-specific cars to make a CKD car. in India, there are assembly plants for cars like the Jaguar XJ, Renault fluence, and land Rover evoke.

For many automakers, the procedure of getting even one model into the Indian market as a CKD or CBU is a difficulty in itself. And with sporty cars having such consolidated margins already, it took quite a while for some of the faster cars to create in the Indian market. For example, in the 2000s India didn't get the Mitsubishi Lancer Evo but didn't get the Mitsubishi Lancer Sedia, which was a little de-tuned version of a standard Lancer. At first, these Indian market offerings were not at all amazing, but as time went on more and more fun cars started to pop up, especially in the hot hatch segment. 

The Fiat Punto Abarth is one of the hottest cars in the Indian car scene with its 2-ton paint. The scorpion cloud version of the Punto does 0 to 60 in 8.8 secs and is built in Ranjangaon in Maharashtra, India. The Volkswagen polo is another go-to hatch in India and the Skoda Octavia RS 245 is a riotous four-door that's keeping up with the golf GTI and looks awesome. Devoted sports cars, it is tough to find or expensive to import. This sounds like a super ripe atmosphere that would get people modifying their cheaper cars. So in India, there are people who are looking for a regular car to get it modified through a proper modification company. So, they get a regular car maybe say a Volkswagen Polo which is pretty popular in India because it is already handled, much better than most cars, most hatchbacks in India.

Which region of India uses which automotive / India's car Manufacturing development

In a very comparable fashion to the United States, various regions of India develop different automotive selections over the past few decades. 

• The Northern region with close access to the Himalayas got super into four-by-fours and off-roading out of necessity. Cars like the Toyota Fortuner and SUV built on the highlights podium are extremely widespread for being daily drivers with a bit of four-by-four wheeling ability. 

• In contrast to that Southern India, often has better roads. The scene curved towards tuning and street racing. Modified Honda city type 2’s, and Skoda Octavias rip around on these super smooth streets. 

• Then in major metropolia like Mumbai and Delhi where most of India's rich people live, you have the supercar scene and plenty of people with cash to spend on importing a car. Porsche, Ferrari, and Mercedes can be seen cruising around. 

But not just what we in the US think of us Supercars. Importing a car in any country is a lengthy and expensive process. And that's no different in India but apart from the high cost associated with it, import laws are actually pretty chill compared to the US.

In America, we have a 25-year import rule that States, that no vehicle from outside the US domestic market can be imported until the car is 25 years old. This has put a ticking clock on many beloved JDM in Europe cars. But surprisingly India doesn't have such a rule. As long as the vehicle meets emission standards and is right-hand drive, nothing else stops you from importing R34s, Holdens, and JZ X100s. Mostly there are not many importers in India. In India, there is a traditional way of getting vehicles. Wherein you have the manufacturer set up in the shop here you can contact them and they'll facilitate the whole thing. But don't go thinking that India is full of rare imports.

Indian car manufactures

Car nerds are still a very small portion of the 1.3 billion people that live and work in India. We who love cars aren't the majority of consumers in any market. Thus, the most popular cars in India are local offerings. The Indian branch of the Suzuki motor company is Maruti Suzuki. And by 1996, they had a 60% share of the Indian car market. Today cars like the Maruti Swift, Maruti Alto, and Maruti Baleno are the top-selling cars in India. And India's manufacturing is not just an echo chamber of India-only cars. 

In 2008, Indian manufacturer Tata Motors bought Jaguar and land Rover from Ford. And by 2011 India had become the sixth-largest car manufacturer in the world. India's high import duties and large market meant it made sense to build up manufacturing in India. And once a manufacturing plant is established it can be used. Today India makes over $1 billion in revenue from US domestic market in parts and vehicles. Ford's Eco sport is a crossover made in India design based on what the Indian market dictated and is now being sold here in the US. The auto industry in India has been developing more powerfully and stronger. While most performance cars are still expensive. Economy boxes with go-cart handling and four-by-fours with some off-road chops are manageable to find. And if you want a cool car but can't buy one, you can make it yourself.

Road safety and the protection of the environment Law

In January 2019, the Supreme court of India enacted a law ruling that any modification that takes a car out of OEM spec aka stock is regarded as illegal. So not just modifying engine swaps and turbos even wider tires, coil-overs, and plastic dip are banned. A police car can stop you from anything. Even if it's a race trip that you have on your bonnet. It's not permitted because of modifications of any sort, basic customization, or anything it is not allowed.

The Supreme court decided that this law was made in the name of "Road Safety and the Protection of the Environment". With more people buying cars every year in India, Mods could have a huge effect on your quality of life. Suppose 500 million people installed straight exhaust in their motorcars. This no-mods law is pretty harsh on paper, and the actual penalty is enough to get your car's registration taken away. But every major hub of car culture has had an epoch of outrunning the law. 

Car culture has never been slowed by laws. And while not favoring any rule-breaking, it's safe to say that the Indian car scene will succeed even with this delinquency. The more we learn about the automotive world oceans away, the more we get to appreciate how much cars give us so much curiosity. 

Mustang has always had great influence, across the world so as in India. So mustang has been that one car that everybody desires to drive and own. Driving a mustang in a city like Mumbai would get the most amount of attraction or eyeballs than any vehicle has ever received that sort of appreciation or that sort of love. We oftentimes all get snagged up in our own little bubbles of the car rules. So it is okay to reach out and get to chat with people who love the same things we do. 

 The company we know today as Audi could have been named DKW or auto union if not for a decision made by parent company Volkswagen in the 1960s the brand's story begins with automotive pioneer and racing driver August Horsch who formed his first company in 1901 to build passenger cars his name means hark or listen in English, but Horsch was a man of vision as a businessman however horse was kicked out of his own company by the board of management and he went on to establish another firm in his hometown of Zwickau. Horsch established his new company “Audi” which means the Latin form of his name.

Audi was founded in 1909 in Zwickau Germany by august Horch with the purpose of industrial production of luxury cars. His aim was from the start the international market and he achieved this relatively fast. The company slogan is “Progress through technology” it is a top producer well known in the whole world with impressive annual figures and cars. The first Audi was built by hand and very few were sold, Horsch stayed with low volume low-profit production long after Audi's rivals had adopted henry ford's mass production technique within a few years howdy's cars had grown in size and engine displacement. Today the company is almost completely owned by the Volkswagen group.

How did Audi get its logo?

The logo which proudly represents the prestigious company was created in a relatively tribal way. August Horch simply found inspiration in soap dishes which at the time had a distinct design made out of four class lines thus the distinctive aspect of german cars and logos was born. Audi respects tradition and has not implemented any modern models or lines, unlike other companies. This logo brings together the union of four different companies which created Audi in 1932, the Horsch, the Audi companies decided to establish the auto union with two other german companies DKW and the wanderer, thus every company will specialize in a specific aspect both hork and Audi will produce luxury cars, wanderer will produce standard cars and DKW will produce small cars and motorcycles.

Audi took the slogan progress through technology very seriously by being the first car manufacturer to ever start a real impact test. The first one took place in 1938 it is important to understand the historical context all these impact tests were done by people it was a time when both the safety of the driver and the pedestrian were not entirely prioritized Audi deserves considerable praise for their safety efforts because their results were implemented by other companies too and they have summarized the safety efficiency that we are kept by and that we enjoy today. It is no surprise that Audi is one of the safest automobiles in the globe obtaining 5 stars reviews for many of their latest models safety also in terms of technology it is the first time when the name cuatro appears precisely in 1980 and was registered by Audi and used to name permanent all-wheel drive technology or system via a central differential on its models. In 1997 Audi was the first European car manufacturer to release a hybrid car in the market it was the a4 Avant.

Audi R8

Audi R8 is undoubtedly an example of high performance perhaps the finest car of the company the 2003 concept has an evaluated value of over 5 million dollars after no more than 3 years in 2006 inspired by the previous concept Audi released the R8 with only the soundest employees of the company had the opportunity and responsibility to operate on this expensive and accurate project for the building of the car more than 5000 parts and more than 70 hours are mandated.

Audi R8 carries a heavy price tag. The cost of the base model starts at approximately $1,43,000 for coupe models and $1,55,000 for convertible models, while the R8 V10 Performance costs about $197,000 for coupe models and $209,000 for convertible models. The Audi r8 v10 price in India is approximately Rs.2.72Cr.

History of Audi and its car racing 

Audi holds second place among car manufacturers at 24 hours le mans Porsche is the first with 18 victories closely followed by Audi with 13. Audi was the first car to have succeeded in the competition with a diesel engine in 2006 and after this accomplishment, Audi defeated the challenger for the first time with a hybrid car in 2012. Audi resumes innovative standing as the first car manufacturer to have ever built cars with a steering wheel on the left side, it happened for the first time in 1921 with a type k model this was legislated 16 years before Germany officially. It was the most evolved car in terms of engineering but it also created a challenging situation because the left-wheel drivers were made to drive on the left side of the road by the time driving was switched to the right side of the road to produce car accidents and to reduce the traffic Audi clever in new concepts the newest cars released on the market have shown impressive aspect for the headlights and tail lights trying to combine visibility importance with the most groundbreaking design in creativity and innovation.

Audi the Swarm lighting concept

Among these, there is the car concept Audi swarm which materialized this concept with the new design of the model and interactive led lights to bring us closer to the future car. It is something truly remarkable that stands out from the crowd how Audi invents itself and always brings new projects Audi implements upgrades and new ideas through crowdfunding intern tasks it turns out to be a very productive and ingenious idea. Audi curve fund brings together creative employees from a wide range of fields within internal investors so that the unit formed can execute bold ideas. This visionary working method is used to stimulate the initiative of our employees while boosting the team spirit within the company said the officials.

Audi and Electric cars

The first electric SUV is the Audi e-throne which was presented as a concept car in 2015 but it only reached the market in 2009 due to a long process of construction and adaptation thus Audi implemented a new range of cars among the others a comes from the standard of the luxury cars q comes from SUV models and e for electric vehicles although relatively new on the market each round has made prominent figures in Germany, Norway, Netherlands, Sweden and ranking in a top of electricity SUVs in Austria. Audi has made a good profit in the international market without neglecting exports to any continent in the united states one in three coups eight cars have been sold and is growing annually the biggest sales are in Europe and in China where a new record has been set 69083 cars in 2019.

What kind of features does Audi come with?

Audi is a respectable luxury car this can be seen in the equipment with which the company sells cars the majority of modern features come only with special separate packages, for example, the equipment from Audi q7 for the new dark edition package starts from 3740 euros, s-line exterior package, Audi exclusive aluminum wheels 5 spoke design with titanium optics Audi exclusive black optical package rear tinted windows 7 plus headlights features that bring improvements in appearance and not necessarily in mechanics.

The simplest and the cheapest set of features is the advanced type starting from 500 euros which offer an Audi parking system, heated front seats, cruise control, standing headlights, headlight washer system, front center armrest, and onboard computer therefore in some cases premium package only offers prestige not necessarily comfort. Audi has over 100 years of experience time in which it has revolutionized the audio industry countless times with bold cars project and concepts because it is an indulgence and one of the most well-known cars on the globe we can only anticipate the same efficiency and exceptional product that Audi has delivered so far.

 We’ve all must have seen well-armed ragamuffins and ne'er-do-wells glorifying their various victories with some good old-fashioned upwards gunfire. After all, nobody says “I ran a 10k” or “We just overthrew the government” quite like pointing your gun to the sky and letting it near rip. But is it possible that this apparently innocent expression of gun-based joy could unsafe?

So there you are chuffed to bits at the victory of your preferred political candidate and overcome with an irrepressible urge to celebrate in the only way you know how. You grab whatever loaded firearm you have handy, rush outside, and start gleefully firing off, round after round into the air just as nature intended, when suddenly, a chilling thought falls upon you. These bullets have to come back down eventually, right? Unsurprisingly, the answer to this question is emphatic.

Where are the Factors that determine the factor of a bullet's path

When a gun is fired, several different factors determine the bullet’s path through the air on the way to its target. One of the first things to consider is ‘muzzle velocity, which is very simple, the speed at which a bullet is moving the instant it leaves the gun cask, or ‘muzzle’.This can vary considerably relying on the type of gun and round being used. The ever-popular AK-47 for instance is capable of firing bullets at around 715 meters per second, or about 2,350 feet per second, while in modern rifles, some of the speediest high-performance cartridges can achieve muzzle velocities of well over 1,200 meters per second, or about 4,000 feet per second.

Due to the effects of air resistance, bullets slow down pretty quickly after being fired and follow a route determined by various factors, including atmospheric pressure, humidity, and air temperature. However, the thing that pulls a fired bullet downwards is gravity, which assuming those other previous variables aren’t having an overwhelming effect, ensures that bullets travel back to earth in an approximately parabolic path.

Can celebratory gunfire cause injury to a person?

Now, celebratory gunfire differs substantially from regular gunfire in that it is generally not directed at people you want to shoot, but upwards and away from those you’re celebrating with,  who you don’t want to hit  (well, not usually anyway). That way, the bullets just disappear up into space, right? At least, that’s what people used to think. Early, pre-seventeenth-century studies suggested that bullets shot upwards do somehow achieve escape velocity and peace out into space. We now know that all shots shot from the surface of Earth never even leave the troposphere, the lowest layer of our planet’s atmosphere and unless you’re watching this from the  International Space Station,  the one you’re in right now.

What happens when a bullet is fired from a gun?

In reality, when a bullet is fired directly upwards,  the upward force accelerating the bullet drops off entirely the moment it leaves the chamber.  At this point, the bullet is at its maximum velocity and has its maximum kinetic energy. From this point, downward forces from gravity and air resistance begin to slow the bullet's uprise. The bullet reaches its highest point when its kinetic energy has been transferred to heat and gravitational potential energy. Here Its velocity is zero. 

The only force that has now been exerted on the bullet is Gravity, which pulls back the bullet by 9.81m/s2 every second. As the bullet accelerates downward, its velocity increases; as does the air resistance, and when a bullet falls naturally it will often spin and tumble in the air, further increasing the air resistance and slowing its acceleration significantly. When gravity and air resistance balance out, the bullet will hit its terminal velocity, meaning it will no longer go any faster.

Are bullets falling at this speed still dangerous?

Well, the terminal velocity of a falling bullet will obviously alter depending on the kind of bullet, but generally speaking, yes! it does very much so. Before that let's travel back to the 1920s, the U.S. military conducted a series of tests on falling bullets and found that a 30-caliber round can reach terminal velocities of 90 meters per second or just over 200 miles per hour. According to forensic scientist Dr. B.N. Mattoo(Dir. Forensic Science Department Mumbai), a 30 caliber round can break through the skin while traveling at speeds as low as 37 meters per second, or 85  miles per hour. As you can see, falling bullets have more than enough energy to cause you harm, possibly worse. And that’s just regarding falling bullets;  In reality, people celebrating things with gunfire aren’t generally bothered about making sure that their weapon is totally vertical. 

If a gun is fired at a sufficiently shallow inclination, instead of stalling and falling the bullet will often retain its angular ballistic trajectory and will continue on its parabolic path, making it far less likely to begin tumbling in the air. As a result, such bullets will lose much less speed compared to a bullet in freefall and will be traveling much faster when they hit the ground or whatever gets in their way first. But if all that fancy maths and science talk isn’t sufficient to convince you that the threat from falling ammunition is genuine indeed, there are unfortunately numerous real-life examples of this happening. And as it happens, firing off a few rounds with the chaps is not a particularly uncommon phenomenon and is a culturally acceptable way to celebrate in several places around the world.

Some Real-Life deaths from Celebratory gunfire/ Falling bullets

In 2012, a study conducted in the United States (Violence Prevention Research Program University of California) found that a not-insignificant 4.6% of all deaths and injuries from stray bullets occur as a direct result of celebratory gunfire. The list of incidents is sadly not a short one and features examples from all over the world. In 2003, during a traditional Serbian wedding celebration, guests shot down a small plane while firing into the skies, injuring the two men onboard. In 2007, at least four people were killed and many more injured as a result of stray bullets from celebratory gunfire after the Iraqi national football team won the AFC Asian Cup that year. In 2021, militant leaders claimed to take control of part of Afghanistan.  Their resulting celebratory gunfire injured 41  people and led to the deaths of at least 17. Back in 1999, a teenager called Shannon  Smith was killed after being struck in the head by a stray bullet while outside in her backyard in Arizona. This provoked the state to enact ‘Shannon’s Law’,  which made it banned to unleash a gun into the air in Arizona's cities and towns.

Indeed, in some respects, falling bullets may even be considered more dangerous than regular gunfire. Between  1985 and 1992, a group of physicians at the Martin Luther King/Drew medical center (1985-1992) in Los Angeles studied victims of gunshot wounds,  identifying 118 who had been struck by falling bullets. Compared to those hurt in your average, boring, run-of-the-mill shootings, who died at rates of between 2 and 6 % the death rate of those unfortunate enough to be hit by fall bullets was around a third. This is because, despite moving at slower speeds, bullets falling to the ground vertically are far more likely to hit you in the top of the head compared to other less-lethal points of the body. 

As you can imagine celebratory gunfire is not particularly bizarre, and the risk that it poses is very real which is clear. So the next time your football team wins, or you’re just jazzed about it being New Year, it might be a good idea not to randomly pump the sky full of lead but instead stick to confetti cannons(Party poppers).