The first ever Formula1 GP in India at the Buddh(a) International Track which was scheduled for the 30th of October was supposed to move to the 4th of December to allow for the rescheduling of the Bahrain GP to the original date of the Indian GP. However due to problems of logistics the date was pushed to 11th of December and now, Ross Brawn team Principal of Mercedes GP has said that this is unacceptable as it makes the season too long. The fate of the Bahrain GP will be decided on the 3rd of June.
Yearly Archives: 2011
The year on year growth for the month of May for Suzuki Motorcycles India Pvt Ltd is by 39% but the total number of two wheelers sold by the company is about 30,000 only. This in comparison with Hero Honda that sells anywhere between 3-5 lakh vehicles per month and Bajaj that pushes more than 2 lakh units. The biggest contributor to Suzuki’s sales is the Access scooter while the sales of the Slingshot motorcycle seem to be picking up. The GS 150R though a competent machine has not been able to rake in the numbers for the company.
Volkswagen’s Polo is pulling in the numbers gradually with sales increasing every month. In May 3486 units of the Polo were sold and its larger sibling the Vento managed 2403 units. That is higher than the Honda City which sold 1828 units. Volkswagen is on a strong strategy and looks as if it could become the market leader in shorter time frame than it thought. Its sibling brand Skoda has also been doing reasonably well in the market.
Figures courtesy: Team-Bhp.com
The sales of the Tata Nano which crossed the ten thousand mark in the month of April have slowed down again in the month of May. The Nano has sold 6515 units only. However the Nano is the highest selling Tata car with the other models such as the Indica range (including the Vista) and the Indigo range (including the Manza) having been sold in the range of 5,400 range and 4,200 range. The Aria sold a dismal 37 units. Tata Motors sales have been falling and the company needs to tighten its act quickly.
Figures courtesy:Team-Bhp.com
BSMotoring.com is carrying a fairly exhaustive news about the new Pulsars that will hit the market in the coming months of this year. The report says that the design language will broadly follow the one on the Pulsar 135 LS and that engines will probably be 200cc and 160cc and will punch out power in the 15 bhp range for the smaller bike and above 21 bhp for the 200cc. However what is interesting is the claim that the engines and cycle parts will be based in KTM technology. So do we say HUNTO!!?
Indian Cars Bikes.com has carried a story that this year Force Motors has two and not one product set for a launch in the passenger vehicle category. It is now well known that Force Motors is preparing an SUV based on the Guangdong Foday Explorer III with Mercedes engines for launch anytime now. On the back of this comes the news that the company will also get into the MPV space and launch another product by the end of the year. Force Motors is setting up an new dealer base for its new range of passenger vehicles to reinforce confidence in the buying public.
Various websites are carrying pictures of the truncated Xylo which is being called mini Xylo due to the lack of a better term for now. This time around the pictures are from the said vehicle undergoing testing in Ooty. One can presume from this that Mahindra are leaving no ground unturned before the launch of the product, just as they have been doing in the case of the W201 SUV. It is good to see that the manufacturer is now doing thorough testing before launching the product in the market. Indian manufacturers are usually known for their launching the product without adequate testing and ironing out problems.
Motorcycle News is carrying a picture of a spy shot featured on the cover of Moto Sprint magazine. This is what Guy Procter has written about the new Ducati.
“The first spy shot of Ducati’s 1198-replacing new superbike confirms the firm is a lot less sentimental about traditional Ducati characteristics than many fans. The result is the most extreme V-twin ever, but with its RSV4-alike tail, Kawasaki-style side-mounted shock and Buell-pattern belly-mounted exhaust it’s without question less distinctively Ducati.
But the fact is the firm can’t afford to care. Ducati knows it must be associated with performance more than any particular means of achieving it, and this picture confirms their new flagship is a machine conceived almost entirely by head, not heart.
Gone is the steel trellis, underseat exhausts, vertical shock. The single-sided swingarm and desmodromic L-twin architecture (still 90 degrees but canted a few degrees back) are the last remaining shreds of Ducati DNA, and both of those have been pushed to their limits. Insiders have told MCN the bore/stroke is so wildly oversquare (bore is likely to be up around half a centimetre on the 1198) that the only way to keep growing power would be to add more cylinders, finally leaving the core Ducati superbike characteristic behind.
Thankfully for the firm, the test – only the second track outing for the new bike – was positive enough to confirm there will be no back-pedaling on the monocoque chassis design, which like the GP bike joins forks to engine with a rigid ‘stressed airbox’. Coupled with the advances made with Rossi’s more rider-friendly GP12 – with which it was sharing test time – the 1199’s second outing was a major relief to Ducati, whose heart has been in its mouth since it decided to listen more to its head.” Guy Procter in Motorcycle News.com dated Ist of June, 2011. Please head for MCN for the picture of the bike.
Indian Autos Blog is reporting that the Tata Nano will be assembled in Mozambique in Africa and preparations are afoot towards that end. Tata Motors is in consultations and negotiations with the Government of Mozambique and testing of the vehicle may start to evaluate how it will cope with the harsh terrain conditions of Africa.
Team Bhp has hosted pictures of a spanking new Maruti featuring three rows of seats and no camouflage. The rear end of the car clearly has the Maruti Suzuki moniker along with a Zdi badging indicating that the model pictured is a diesel top of the line variant. There are also pictures of the interior. Please head to either Team-Bhp or to Motoroids.com which is also carrying the said pictures.