While Mahindra’s range of scooters which are mainly from San Yang Motors of Taiwan {(Flyte and Rodeo) and Duro (with the San Yang 125cc engine in Kinetic Nova body) }, are doing reasonably well in the market, its own indigenous motorcycle offering the Stallio has bombed in the market. A few issues with the gearbox were cited as reason and Mahindra withdrew the product promptly to fix the glitches and relaunch the product. It is now being said that Mahindra has ironed out the problems with the Stallio and is likely to relaunch the motorcycle in the very near future. Mahindra is also said to be working feverishly on the Mojo a 300cc motorcycle that has to take the battle to the Honda CBR 250R and the Kawasaki Ninja 250R.
Yearly Archives: 2011
Volkswagen has been extremely bullish about the Indian market. Its confidence must have received a huge boost when the Vento managed to displace the Honda City as the king of that particular segment after the City had held that position for more than a decade. Volkswagen is going to replace the present model of the Jetta with the new model which dons the new face of Volkswagen. There are a couple of pictures on Team-Bhp.com of the new Volkswagen with red number plates indicating that these are test mules. And if the testing is on the launch cannot be too far away.
Picture courtesy: team-bhp.com, indianautosblog.com
Mahindra have confirmed in the past that they will be introducing the KorandoC and the Rexton from the Ssangyong stable of SUVs, after they acquired the Korean car maker. Some have been saying that the launch of the SUVs could be this year itself and that the two models mentioned above will be badged Mahindra. The vehicles have been testing around Mumbai and Pune for sometime now and this time Indian Autos Blog.com has taken pictures of the KorandoC testing.
Picture courtesy:indianautosblog.com
The Nano’s baptism by fire continues. A spate of fires last year dented the image of the Nano so much that the number of Nanos sold dwindled to just about 500 units in November of 2010. Some serious marketing effort on the part of Tata saw the numbers rise again and peaked in April, 2011 with over 10,000 Nanos sold. The general slowdown in the car market in May affected the Nano as well and the numbers came down to over 6,000. But it was still the highest selling Tata car for that month. Now comes the news that a Nano went up in flames in Vadodara this time. Tata had completed its investigation of the Nano and ruled out any design or engineering flaws as being the cause of the earlier fires. The blame was laid on unauthorised fittings and in one case on a piece of paper left behind during the assembly process by mistake as the causes for the fires. The new incident will yet again mean that Tata will not only have to do something about the Nano but also start building customer confidence all over again.
Many would be forgiven for not putting their smart money on Simoncelli as he’d recently been engulfed by a tide of criticisms, and was naturally expected to bog down. Also, everybody knows Simoncelli’s popularity in Spain is at its lowest ebb but he instantly put aside all the criticisms and concentrated on the task at hand. He also seemed to have been unperturbed by the alleged death threats and the collective Spanish expletives, as he was successful in his attempt to dislodge Stoner from pole during qualifying. Probably, that, along with warm up session, was the last instance Simoncelli could have really cherished this weekend as the raceday never really went to plan.
Pedrosa and Edwards, a little hot under the collar(bone), were forced to miss the race owing to post surgery recuperation petering the grid size down to a measly fifteen. The absence of Pedrosa also meant Lorenzo was burdened with the sole responsibility of evicting Stoner from taking win as he was the one whom Spanish crowd found worth pinning their hopes on.
Stoner’s timesheet leading performance right from FP1 tilted the scales to his favour until Simoncelli pulled a lap out of nowhere to take pole in QP. Qualifying was not a clear indicator of Stoner’s pace as he was deceptively strong on hard tyres. At one point, despite losing control and wobbling on few occasions, his cumulative sector times were still under the ones posted by the rest, something that was overshadowed by faster lap times by Simoncelli on soft rubber.
With his first career pole in top flight, Simoncelli might have joined Spies in becoming the second satellite rider to claim pole in 800cc era but the same credit cannot be bestowed upon him as the leathers are where the satellite connection begins and ends, and he’s clearly got HRC’s factory support in terms of machinery and contract but considering he’s achieved this feat in front of a hostile crowd and a preaching Race Direction, it’s worth doffing our hat for. Even though the MotoGP in its entirety booed Super Sic’s move at Le Mans, many were adamant the penalty was uncalled for. This would understandably change the norm in assessing future hard moves bringing riders more under scrutiny for on-track discipline. Which could further endanger the remaining traces of fun involved.
Superbike winner and rookie Crutchlow has rightfully gotten into the good books of his team by showcasing remarkable ability in learning new circuits consistently just like his predecessor Spies and has yet to lose out to Rossi in the one-lap format till now, something he can pride himself for.
One look at the staring grid and we could handpick the names that can be expected to put up a good show, and they did. Lorenzo had clearly played down his chances by making downbeat statements, alluding to his screaming need for more power. Stoner could not disguise his anger with second in QP, but was nonetheless confident of his race pace. Rossi was becoming quite vocal in his demands to turn around his Ducati fortunes but Ducati’s is seemingly unable to keep pace with his inputs. Simoncelli had already made his priorities clear for the weekend – finish the race, earn a podium and win precisely in that order. He could, though, take solace in achieving the first as the remaining two were shockingly out of reach given he started from P1. Even though his comments were in jocular vein, he was pretty intent on fetching the first Motogp podium. Spies was also hoping for the wheel of fortune to spin by his side as his potential had been marred by bad luck this season. He was also adamant that his performance this season is really not as bad as it’s portrayed to be. The rest of the field were in a planet of its own with the satellite Hondas and Ducatis were all set to slug it out at the back of the pack.
With light shower proving to be a wet blanket, warm-up times were all set to be a clear precursor to what could be expected from the race but luckily, skies opened up restoring the Spanish sunshine back meaning Stoner was again the hot favourite. As the red lights went off, almost all but Simoncelli held on to their positions or close to that. Simoncelli ended up where a pole-sitter would not want to be in the first turn.
Pride was at stake for Lorenzo as it was his home race and he managed to outrun Stoner into the first turn with Spies clinging on to third. Lorenzo rode as hard as he could in delaying the inevitable. But Stoner waved bye-bye to Lorenzo at the start-finish straight after which he never looked back. The domination, even though was expected, was relatively subduded since the Stoner’s gap to factory Yamahas were not to a worrying extent, but still, Honda-Stoner combo looks menacing. Dovizioso seems to have picked Rossi as his sparring partner as they’ve engaged in close duels for the last three races with
Dovizioso trouncing Rossi in each of the encounters. With almost one-third of the season bygone, Rossi has yet to cast an impression. There’s nothing wrong in expecting a podium from him now since Pedrosa was also missing from the race and his shoulder is also near hundred percent. In fact, his result could have been even worse had Simoncelli ridden like a pole-sitter. Bottomline – Ducati’s a far cry from challenging even for podiums and it might be interesting to see how Ducati starts responding to Rossi’s needs as the whole racing world knows the weightage each and every word of his technical feedback carries.
Simoncelli, as the race depicted, shone courtesy soft rubbers on Saturday and Stoner, too, remained true to his pace on hard compounds and with sixth, Simoncelli definitely was not happy as the podium he looked very capable of attaining still eludes him. Spies could have a sigh of relief as he was able to display what he’s capable of by finishing third and most importantly within five seconds of Stoner. With this result, he’s leapfrogged five riders in the championship standings to sit at seventh. Monster Yamaha rider Crutchlow has every reason to be happy as he was successful in translating a superb qualifying into a solid seventh finishing right behind pole-sitter Simoncelli. Having recorded a fantastic result, expectations only sore higher with Motogp heading to his home track in Silverstone where he romped to a double win last year on the works Yamaha in WSBK.
This race was no different for the rest of the field as the satellite Ducatis could not shake their images off as back markers. Ducati, like us, is hoping this scene would change with Rossi’s arrival, but has yet to happen. Edwards should hop on to his M1 in a week’s time at Silverstone raising the attendance to 16, but it remains to be seen if no untoward things happen to bring the number back down.
YZF R15 One Make Race Championship had a thrilling start as the first round of the race concluded amidst roaring excitement at the Madras Motor Race Track, Chennai. The racing event is part of the Indian National Racing Championship 2011 being organized by Madras Motor Sports Club (MMSC) and the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (FMSCI). The First Round witnessed a great deal of enthusiasm from the contestants as both Yamaha and non-Yamaha customers participated in the race.
Bikers hit the track with renewed zeal and style
Chennai, June 6th, 2011: YZF R15 One Make Race Championship had a thrilling start as the first round of the race concluded amidst roaring excitement at the Madras Motor Race Track, Chennai. The racing event is part of the Indian National Racing Championship 2011 being organized by Madras Motor Sports Club (MMSC) and the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (FMSCI).
The First Round witnessed a great deal of enthusiasm from the contestants as both Yamaha and non-Yamaha customers participated in the race. In the Novice Category, a total of sixty riders took part out of which only seventeen could qualify to participate in the race. In Race 1, Mr. Madhan from Trichy emerged as the winner while Mr. J Allwyn Jebaz from Chennai took the second position followed by Mr. Arjun E.B from Kerela who came third. Race 2 again witnessed Mr. Madhan at first position followed by Mr. J Allwyn Jebaz at second position. Mr. Arun J Pillai from Chennai assumed third position.
The open category (expert) witnessed participation from twenty riders out of which fifteen could qualify to participate in the race. Mr. Shyam Shankar from Chennai assumed first position whereas Mr. Naveen Raj and Mr. Arun J Pillai, both from Chennai took the second and third positions respectively. Mr. Shyam Shankar and Mr. Naveen Raj repeated their feat in Race 2 while Mr. Saravanadas M from Coimbatore came third.
The contestants hit the track on Yamaha’s Super Sports YZF-R15 and experienced the breathtaking acceleration of the bikes. Loaded with true Yamaha racing DNA, YZF-R15 provided complete racing experience to the biking enthusiasts and hands on feel of its power, stability, cornering and braking. Yamaha made their experience more exciting by mounting Daytona Racing Kits in the bikes. These kits are developed using valuable experience gained from MotoGP & World Superbike racing and are designed exclusively for racing purpose in a closed circuit.
Commenting on the occasion, Mr. Jun Nakata, Director-Sales and Marketing, India Yamaha Motor said, “We are happy to see such level of participation and response from the audience. Events like these give us a very good opportunity to connect with our customers. Motor Sports has always been an integral part of Yamaha and through the R15 One Make Race, we take forward our global legacy of being a brand that is refining the motorcycling culture in India and providing Indian biking enthusiasts a platform to showcase their riding talents.”
The technology in YZF-R15 has percolated from R1 (Deltabox frame/Fuel Injection/6 speed gearbox/styling/Liquid Cooled 4V engine). Just like R1, it is light weight, has power on demand, besides having centralized mass, stopping power, aerodynamics, ergonomics and stability/rigidity, among others. It also has the controllability and maneuverability to maximize riding/cornering/braking performance.
Yamaha’s corporate culture has always given special importance to bike racing in India as a way of expressing the ‘spirit of challenge’ that it values so highly. Apart from the R15 One Make Race Championship, Yamaha also organized the Yamaha Riding Clinic earlier this year to give racing tips to biking enthusiasts. With these events, Yamaha aims to take the racing culture and spirit in India to the next level and plans to continue this championship as a valuable step for carrying forward the racing legacy in the country.
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 and 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), FZ16 (153cc), SZ, SZ-X & SZ-R (153cc), YZF-R15 (150cc), SS125 (123cc), YBR 125 (123cc), YBR 110 (106cc) and Crux (106cc).
Not the most good looking BMW, but we believe you can never get enough of the mile long bonnet, especially in the ‘compact’ segment.
The 2012 1 Series retains the BMW kidney grille, which is tilted forwards, in a move that BMW says adds emphasis to the challenging stance of the car. Four contour lines on the bonnet form a V that points towards the grille. The typical BMW double-round headlights have accent trim across their tops. The direction indicators set into the inner light rings of the headlights and an LED accent light also has a place. In a first on BMW, the side indicator lights are integrated in the exterior mirrors.
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From the side, the proportions of the new BMW 1 Series are even more strikingly apparent. The slightly sloping roof line, sporty, angled rear windscreen and flat side windows give the car a coupé-like feel, while the Hofmeister kink – the low forward bend at the back end of the side windows – extends well into the C-pillar, making the door aperture wider and facilitating entry to and exit from the rear seats.
The design quality of the new BMW 1 Series, which is unique in the compact segment, is particularly evident in the distinctive BMW lines and dramatically curved surfaces. The characteristic BMW swage line starts at the front sidewall and rises continuously to the rear lights, its boldness giving powerful emphasis to the shoulder area, with the door openers neatly integrated into the swage line. An additional character line below the doors flows sharply upwards into the outline of the rear wheel arch. The sill line provides a similarly dynamic touch, running parallel to the road and then rising steeply at the rear wheel arch, which is nicely echoed by the outlines of the side windows. The size of the rear wheel arches draws attention to its rear-wheel-drive layout which is the reason for its excellent dynamic responses.
The wide-set wheel arches reinforce the broad, powerful impression created by the back of the new BMW 1 Series. The wide-opening, slightly concave tailgate is opened by pressing the top section of the BMW emblem that sits at its centre, and the rear lights are also set well apart, creating a strong horizontal emphasis that is heightened by their deep surrounds.
There are optional xenon headlights, and the rear lights consist of L-shaped banks of LEDs. An additional brake light is set into the roof spoiler. The outline of the rear apron echoes that of the front bumper, while the V-shaped emblem surround leads the eye towards the road surface, emphasizing the new BMW 1 Series’ stable roadholding.
For all their machismo on track and bravado in talks with the press, it is now clear the whole MotoGP paddock including Moto2 and 125cc riders is in reality a bunch of sissies. The Jorge Lorenzo-Valentino Rossi rivalry which has been much publicized has now presented itself in its true colours. Lorenzo and Rossi are friends as is Casey Stoner the small sized but big mouthed Australian. They have all fought in public in the past but now they are all united by their fear of nuclear radiation at Motegi. The FIM has decided that the Motegi race will be reinstated into the MotoGP calender but there is severe opposition from the lily livered riders who are scared of the adverse effects of radiation even though the scientific community has given a green signal and an assurance that there is no radiation that is significant. Lorenzo in fact questioned the judgement of the scientists suggesting that he knows better. Lorenzo should go back to sucking lollipops and planting Lorenzo Land flags in his backyard while Rossi should use his clowning talents to keep his Italian audiences happy. And Stoner, it is obvious that his ambition far outweighs his courage.
Ever since Renault announced the launch of a hatchback at the upcoming Auto Expo 2012 imagination among motoring journos has been running riot. Some have claimed that the new car is the Clio and others that it is the Sandero (which shares a platform with the Logan). It has now emerged that in all likelihood the car will share platforms with the Nissan Micra but will have a different skin to differentiate it from its twin. Even this is firmly in the realm of speculation and it will be a while before any clarity regarding the hatchback will emerge. But the V platform (Micra) news seems most credible and probable because that will help both Renault and Nissan keep the prices of their respective cars in the category where customers will find it easier to buy them.
The world of automotive journalism is speculating that the Honda City will undergo a facelift very soon. It is well known that the bread and butter model for Honda, the City, has started lagging in sales due to increased competition and also due to the lack of diesel engine which the competition like Fiat and Volkswagen have. Volkswagen’s Vento now outsells the City, a car that was once the bench mark in its category. Honda also botched up the Jazz with a peculiar strategy which saw the hatchback being priced very close to the City.