Partha Sen Chowdhury, head of sales and marketing, LML has said to BSM that the company is going to launch the 110cc Freedom motorcycle, the two stroke scooter LML NV and an all new four stroke gearless scooter to be called ‘Star Automatic’. “We are also planning to come up with 125cc and 150cc motorbikes, apart from the 125cc Unisex scooters and 150cc and above lifestyle scooters” he added.

LML Ltd., has already registered with the Board for Industrial and Financial Reconstruction (BIFR) as a sick industrial company. A revival scheme though is in the works and the company plans to leverage its brand exposure in markets like Delhi and Punjab. The LML Freedom and Star Automatic will be available in 70 outlets in Delhi and Punjab by mid-May. LML also plans to expand to markets in n Gujarat and Maharashtra, where these products will be launched in three months.

The company hopes to sell around 50-60 units per dealer. Considering the expected 70 outlets in Delhi and Punjab and 12 in Gujarat and around 20-25 in Maharashtra, Business Standard estimates that would mean close to 77,000 units, which far exceeds LML’s exports of 40,000 units last year.

LML also points out that the company has managed to sell decent numbers even in Piaggio’s home turf.

Source Business Standard

In an interview to CNBC-TV18, Rajiv Bajaj has said that the company has a slew of launches in the pipeline. Two Pulsars are lined up for launch this year. “We have several launches lined up for this year. There are at least two new Pulsars- one that will be smaller than the Pulsar 200cc and another that will be much bigger. This is going to help us defend our leadership in this space and that is very important for us.” said Rajiv Bajaj.

He has also dismissed the recently announced TVS-BMW partnership by pointing out that it is really hard for a ‘new entrant’ to make an impact. He quoted the examples of the Brio and Etios who haven’t made a dent in Maruti Suzuki’s share brought in by its army of small cars.

The decade long dominance of the Bajaj Pulsar is something that is going to be hard to topple, but considering the announcement of the new Pulsars is hot on the heels of the TVS-BMW announcement, we think Bajaj is shoring up its defenses.

Source: MoneyControl

The reports have been conflicting as to what exactly is the purpose of the Aventador in the fleet. While some say the Aventador will be only for ‘aesthetic’ purposes and be dispalyed at prominent tourist locations, some say the Dubai Police intends to use it to patrol their highways. In Dubai, most of the fines are for speeding over 130 mph.

Image Source: TIME, Autoblog

The new Santa Fe has been spotted testing in Trichy by MotorVikatan reader Abilash. Unveiled at the 2012 New York International Auto Show, the new Santa Fe embodies an evolution of Hyundai’s ‘Fluidic Sculpture’ design – ‘Storm Edge’ which embodies strong and dynamic images created by nature during the formation of a storm.

The 194 bhp 2.2L diesel engine with 422Nm torque will continue to power this generation of the Santa Fe. Transmission options include both automatic and the six speed manual, while both FWD and AWD configurations will be available. Expect a host of features to come loaded on the new Santa Fe.

Source MotorVikatan on Facebook

After almost losing its Guinness World Record for the fastest production car Bugatti made sure they set another within a week’s time. Bugatti Grand Sport Vitesse now the fastest convertible now holds the record for the World’s fastest open-top production car.

Chinese racing driver Anthony Liu set the record with a top speed of 408.84 km/h (254.04 mph) at Volkswagen’s Ehra-Lessien proving grounds. According to Liu, “This was a very exciting moment. In our training sessions we exceeded 400 km/h (248 mph) but the fact that I could surpass this unbelievable speed once again and even higher has made me very proud. The car is even at such high speeds incredibly comfortable and stable. With an open top, you can really experience the sound of the engine and yet even at higher speeds I did not get compromised by the wind at all.”

To celebrate the record, Bugatti will make 8 units of the special edition Grand Sport Vitesse World Record Car Edition to be launched at the Shanghai Motor Show.

ET has a report on the Mahindra hatchback that has been spotted testing in and around Chennai last month. The hatchback is to be called the ‘Vibe’ and will be based on the Verito platform.

The hatchback will continue to be powered by the 1.5 L diesel and be lesser than 4m in length to avail the excise duty benefits. The report also claims that the diesel hatchback will be priced at Rs. 6 Lakhs and go head on head with the i20 and the Swift.

We aren’t sure if Mahindra would deviate from the tradition of naming their cars with an ‘O’ at the end, and we doubt if the hatch would actually be called the Vibe.

Images Courtesy of Overdrive

This is as much free stuff you are going to get. Automotive sales are at an all time low that manufacturers are doing everything except giving away their cars for free.

The offer covers the ex showroom price of the Rapid in your city and is valid only for the duration between 8th April and 18th April. It was only recently that Skoda introduced its Rapid EMI Holiday scheme which enabled the customer to pay the down payment now and start paying EMIs a year later. The Rapid EMI holiday scheme has been extended through to the end of the month of April.

Speaking about the offers, Mr. Kamal Basu, Marketing Head, ŠKODA Auto India, said that, “Continuing with our strategy of keeping consumer interests at the forefront, we have introduced innovative and exciting schemes in the recent past. Our latest offer on ŠKODA Rapid covers 100% of the ex-showroom loan amount which in itself is significant and makes the buying experience easy and convenient. We are also extending the Rapid EMI Holiday offer for an additional month owing to the great response from the customers.

The scheme has been introduced in the Indian market by ŠKODA Finance, a brand of Volkswagen Finance Private Limited.

Is this offer tempting enough to rush to your nearest Skoda dealer?

MV Augusta recently equipped the Brutale range with ABS. The F4 is the next motorcycle from the MV Augusta stable to be equipped with anti-lock braking system. While the Brutale range was equipped with the Bosch 9MP unit, the MV Augusta F4 is equipped with the 9MPlus control unit which has an additional party trick called RLM. This system prevents rear wheel lift under braking.

While we are as yet unsure how the system accomplishes this, the motorcycle maker says the Bosch unit uses ‘appropriate countermeasures’ to stop the rear wheel from losing traction, which would of course, keep the wheels on the ground and prevent lift. This of course cannot stop the weight transfer which in this universe at least, has to occur every time you brake.