It has emerged that since the launch of the new Swift by Maruti twenty days ago, bookings have swelled up to 90,000 and dealers have apparently stopped taking bookings in view of the ongoing strike at Manesar. There are also reports that Maruti is moving the production of the Swift to Gurgaon to clear the jam being created by the strike at Manesar.
Yearly Archives: 2011
Indian Autos Blog.com is carrying pictures of the Nissan NV200 MPV which is supposed to be manufactured by Nissan at their Oragadam plant in Tamil Nadu. The car spotted has no camouflage and is carrying red number plates indicating that it is a test vehicle.
Pictures Courtesy: Indianautosblog.com
More spy pictures have surfaced on the internet of the Tata Safari Merlin. This time Carwale.com is hosting them.
Picture Courtesy: Carwale.com and Autobild India
As per reports emanating in various newspapers, Fiat and Tata will gradually part ways in selling their cars in the future. Right now showroom space is shared by both and allegations about neglecting Fiat cars and focussing on Tata cars has come out into the open after Fiat Car sales have been dismal. This has been acknowledged by both Tata and Fiat and it seems that Fiat will start setting up its own dealers from next year and gradually build its strength. This of course does not throw any light on what will be the fate of FIAL, which is Fiat India Automobiles Limited a 50:50 joint venture between Fiat and Tata at Ranjangaon in Maharashtra which manufactures engines and transmissions apart from Fiat cars.
A few months ago the sales of the Honda City were bettered by the Volkswagen Vento and the auto press made a huge noise about how Honda was being beaten due to a lack of a diesel engine option. It was also the time when some pictures of a facelift were doing the rounds on the internet. At that Honda denied that it was planning any facelift. Last month the City garnered whopping volumes after its price was slashed. But Honda is apparently introducing a facelift (not the one previously shown on the internet). The changes are subtle and feature a new front bumper, restyled tail lights and chrome edges on the front grille. Autocar India also says that the interiors too will be spruced up but there are no pictures of the interiors available.
Pictures Courtesy: AutocarIndia.com
New Delhi, 6th September, 2011: Cementing its foothold in the premium segment, India Yamaha Motor today launched the YZF-R15 version 2.0 – a 150cc liquid-cooled 4-stroke fuel injected bike. The YZF-R15 version 2.0 is a new model that has been developed under the concept of a “Graded Up R15.” While maintaining the proven ease of handling of the existing R15, the R15 version 2.0 boasts of spruced up looks and better performance in circuit riding. The design elements are borrowed from the supersport model YZF-R1 that is adapted from YZR-M1 MotoGP race machine. The new bike is priced at Rs. 1,07,000 (Ex-showroom, Delhi) and will be available in Racing Blue, Midnight Black & Sunset Red colors.
The R15 version 2.0 has undergone changes as compared to the present YZF-R15 in the specs of the Engine Control unit (ECU), drivetrain unit, a long aluminum swing arm, wider front and rear tires (radial tire for the rear), split seat, LED taillights and new-design middle cowl & tail cowl.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Hiroyuki Suzuki, CEO & Managing Director, India Yamaha Motor, said, “Having witnessed the tremendous fan following received by the existing YZF-R15, we are very excited about the launch of the YZF-R15 version 2.0 which promises to deliver greater performance and enhanced features. Seeing the trend, the market for premium bikes in India offers immense scope as this segment consists of people who are looking for performance characteristics.”
“The YZF-R15 version 2.0 is an upgraded version of our flagship bike YZF-R15 and is designed keeping in mind the comfort as well as the thrill of a sports ride. The YZF-R15 has been continuously gaining ranks in the hotly contested premium segment since its launch 3 years ago and we are sure to repeat the same feat for the new version too. With the festive season round the corner, we expect the new model to be an instant hit amongst biking enthusiasts”, he added.
Based on the “Graded Up R15” concept, the development focused on the two main areas of body styling and sporty performance, and an array of optimum features were adopted throughout the machine to make sure that customers enjoy the thrill of a refined and impressive body styling in the supersport image with the newly designed middle cowl, tail cowl, split seat, LED taillights, new exhaust pipe & silencer specs. The newly designed middle cowl features improved aerodynamic performance at higher speeds – the aerodynamic resistance value is 4% better than that of the existing YZF-R15.
The R15 version 2.0 also sports the first aluminum swing arm in the 150cc segment in the Indian market and has a truss structure that enables greater rigidity while improving handling in the turns. The new seat design enables a better feeling of seat grip in sporty riding. Also, “low front, high tail” design enables a riding posture that is well suited to both sporty riding and everyday riding around town.
The new ECU control and drivetrain unit specs ensure that riders enjoy improved off-the-line acceleration and high speed performance. The silencer protector has also been newly designed in a way that adds cadence to overall styling. It adopts a carbon-look pattern on the surface as well as a model nameplate to add to the high-performance image and the feeling of quality. To improve the feeling of clutch operation, a more rigid clutch axle shaft than the existing type has been adopted. Furthermore, the pulley that serves as a medium between the throttle wire and throttle valve has been changed to a perfect circular type to improve the linearity of the throttle action and thereby achieve better response. The wider 130mm radial rear tire and 90 mm front tire impart reduced roll resistance, high-speed cornering stability and improved handling performance. A larger 220mm diameter rear disc brake has been adopted to achieve a better balance with the new rear tire size and ensure good braking power.
Another interesting aspect of the bike is the mud guard and sari guard attached to the swing arm which enhances the exterior design product value. The new design of 5-spoke cast wheels achieves the necessary strength balance while creating a sense of lightness at the same time.
About India Yamaha Motor Pvt. Ltd.
Yamaha made its initial foray into India in 1985. In August 2001, Yamaha India became a 100% subsidiary of Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd, Japan (YMC). In 2008, Mitsui & Co., Ltd. entered into an agreement with YMC to become a joint-investor in the motorcycle manufacturing company “India Yamaha Motor Private Limited (IYM)”.
IYM operates from its state-of-the-art manufacturing units at Surajpur in Uttar Pradesh & Faridabad in Haryana and produces motorcycles both for domestic & export markets. With a strong workforce of more than 2,000 employees, IYM is highly customer-driven and has a countrywide network of over 400 dealers. Presently, its product portfolio includes VMAX (1,679cc), MT01 (1,670cc), YZF-R1 (998cc), FZ1 (998cc), Fazer (153cc), FZ-S (153cc), FZ (153cc), SZ, SZ-X & SZ-R (153cc), YZF-R15 (150cc), SS125 (123cc), YBR 125 (123cc), YBR 110 (106cc) and Crux (106cc).
Today is the day of launch of the Version 2.0 of the immensely successful and popular Yamaha R15 whose spy pictures have been appearing on the net since the beginning of this calender year. Visually the rear of the bike is a different with a stepped up pillion seat and a fatter rear tyre. It is being assumed that the engine will also have new and uprated figures of horse power and torque. You can watch the launch live at www.yamaha-motor-india.com from 11.30 onward.
Mercedes Benz will launch the second generation of the segment defining CLS Class on the 8th of September, 2011 at Mumbai. The car powered by a V6 engine and priced at around Rs. 70 lakh will be brought into India as a CBU. This is all a part of the Mercedes Benz strategy to become the numero uno luxury car maker in India, a position that it held for a long time but has lost to BMW in the last couple of years.
Picture Courtesy: Motorbeam.com
Indian Autos Blog.com has published even more pictures of the Tata Safari Merlin test mules undergoing testing. The amount of camouflage on the vehicle is coming down, indicating that the vehicle is perhaps getting nearer to the date of launch. This round of pictures also show the front interiors of the vehicle.
Pictures Courtesy: Indianautosblog.com
The picture below is the one that appeared on the CnB show on Facebook. We had posted it earlier but here it is again.
Tata Motors is going all out to recover lost ground in the Indica and the Indigo segments. The older Indica the V2 was advertised sometime ago as the most fuel efficient car in India. Now the Indigo e CS gets the treatment which allows the diesel version of the car to dish out 25 kmpl (ARAI certified figures). The diesel engine is the CR4 which is the latest version of the Dicor or Direct Injection Common Rail. The car is also available in petrol but the fuel efficiency figure quoted is only for the diesel engined variant. The car has some cosmetic changes such as new wheel arches and a satin finish front grille.
Picture Courtesy: BS Motoring.com
