Kawasaki Ninja Launch On 5th October
Bajaj India has announced the launch date for much awaited Kawasaki Ninja 250R , it is going to be launched on 5th October and deliveries will start before diwali. But it is not going to compete with R15 and Karizma ZMR because of its price which will be around 1.60 -1.90 lakhs.
Kawasaki has marketed the Ninja 250R since 1986 as an entry-level sport motorcycle intended for use on paved roads. The bike is marketed in the US as the Ninja 250R, as the ZX250 in the UK, and as the GPX250 elsewhere.
It is an entry level sports motorcycle with a fairing made further as if an actual off-road sports bike. Bajaj along with Kawasaki will be marketing it in India and is soon expected to be seen in the market in Bajaj Pro biking showrooms.
Toyota to launch Corolla Altis CNG Next Month
Toyota plans to launch the Corolla Altis CNG next month just in time for Diwali sales. After the Innova CNG, the Corolla Altis is the next Toyota vehicle to come factory fitted with a CNG kit. Currently, the only other car in the Corollas segment to have an alternate fuel option is the Chevrolet Optra CNG, since now the Cedia LPG has been discontinued.
The Corolla Altis CNG is currently undergoing final endurance testing and will most probably have a slightly modified suspension setup at the rear, since it will have to carry an additional dead weight of 70kgt (he CNG tank,) with the weight going up to a total of 80kg once the 14kg (gas capacity) tank is filled.
We are told that the Altis CNG will feature a modern Sequential Injection system, along with its own ECU, to deliver economy without sacrificing on performance and driveability. This modern Sequential Injection system allows for the CNG to be injected at a pressure of 2.0bar, as compared to the other cars that use a Venturi - mixer system that deliver a maximum pressure of only 0.8 bar.
Economy trials have proved the car to be quite efficient with figures hovering around the 20km per kg of CNG, without sacrificing power output - which is a known issue with most CNG conversions. Let's hope the Altis CNG sales give Toyota Kirloskar Motor an additional reason to light up the fireworks this Diwali.
[Via: CW]
Maruti DZire Crosses 1 Lakh Sales
Maruti Suzuki has managed to sell one lakh units of the Swift DZire within 18 months of launch. The company had launched the DZire in March 2008 in both petrol and diesel variants priced between Rs 4.49 lakh and Rs 6.70 lakh.
This follows the company's recent milestones, including achieving 80 lakh units of cumulative production for all its brands, followed by roll-out of one lakh units of its KB-series engines and launch of the 1,00,000th units of the A-Star. The company has scaled up production of DZire from 4,000 units initially to 7,000 units a month now.
[Via: motorbeam]
Tata Motors To Launch Limited Edition Indigo CS
In a bid to spice things up for the worlds cheapest sedan, Tata Motors will launch a Limited Edition variant of the of Indigo CS this festive season. The Tata Indigo CS Limited Edition will get new headlamps with blinkers, turn indicators on rear view mirrors, new wooden finish centre console, leather wrapped steering wheel, new door handle caps, sport pedals and six way power electric seats. The limited edition variant will be available in Procelain White with dark chrome coloured badges which seems quite similar to the Limited Edition Indica Vista.
[Via: motorbeam]
New Mercedes E-Class Launch On 23rd September
Mercedes unveiled the E-Class for the first time back in the 1977 (W123). Since then the E-Class got several body shapes and different engines and power. The last facelift was unveiled in 2006. Comparing to this one, the 2009 E-Class is exactly as long as the old one, but the wheelbase has been increased by 20mm.
With the New E-Class, Mercedes-Benz is presenting the pacemaker when it comes to safety, comfort and environmental compatibility in this market segment. With more than 20 new or further technical developments, this saloon further consolidates the leading position of Mercedes-Benz in the luxury class.
Mercedes-Benz has improved the already exemplary long-distance comfort of the E-Class even further in the new saloon, including intelligent body-shell technology with up to 30 percent greater rigidity, further improved seats and a newly developed suspension whose shock absorbers automatically adjust to the current driving situation.
Mercedes Benz India will launch the all new E-Class on 23rd September this year. It is expected that it will be available in same variants in which current generation E-Class is available. Prices are expected to be on higher side as compared to present variants.
Bajaj will launch two 125+cc motorcycles by fiscal end
A Bajaj official has said the company will introduce two motorcycles in India which will have engine capacities of over 125cc by the end of this fiscal. Apart from this addition, Bajaj is also looking at revamping one product in its existing portfolio.
Sources say this new motorcycle is codenamed Sprint with engine capacity of around 135cc. The report also says Bajaj will revamp the Pulsar and Discover line-up this year. I'm not sure what they would change, but the DTSi 2.0 series of engines could be installed on the bikes.
Another report in the media says Bajaj is planning new variants and models in the 100 cc category once Discover sales touch 80,000. Last month, Bajaj was able to sell 65,000 and the 80,000 mark is spitting distance away taking into account the purchasing mood of people in the festive season that has begun to gather steam.
[Source: HT]
Its Official: Harley Davidson Indian Debut On 27th August
Harley Davidson is finally coming to India in 3 days time and it's officially official! The official launch will be on the 27th of August by Matt Levatich, president and chief operating officer of the company. Mr. Levatich has also been invited as one of the speakers at the annual convention of the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers, on 28 August.
[Via: BIKE]
Rs. 8000 Crores Worth Capital Expenditure from Tata Motors
Tata Motors is ready to invest Rs. 8000 crores in next 3-4 years to polish and facelift its product portfolio. The company is taking advantage of easier availability of credit. It had earlier decided to cut down its capex plans as announced in May 2009. However, the financial situation is improving and the interest rates are expected to come to ideal levels.
The company intends to revamp its future products and launch new products like Indigo sedan, Indicruz crossover model and gen-next versions of Sumo and Safari. The new capex program will also cover the commercial vehicle division along with its passenger car division.
"At any point of time, Tata Motors works on several innovations on its product portfolio, in the light of long-term needs of its customers both on a domestic and global scale. We cannot share any specific information on our future plans," said Tata Motors spokesman. He also stated that this expenditure does not involve any investments for its international passenger car portfolio that includes Jaguar and Land Rover.
[Via: cartradeindia]
Tata Motors to launch Indica Vista Ignis
Tata Motors is all set to launch a top end variant of Indica Vista - Indica Vista Ignis, The changes in the new Indica Vista Ignis is not just cosmetic but skin deep. Yes, Indica Vista Ignis will get the advanced 1.4L SAFIRE engine. The 1.4L which already powers the Fiat Grand Punto develops 90PS of max power at 6000rpm and 115Nm of peak torque at 4500rpm.
Tata Motors will also equip the Indica Vista Ignis with lot of new features. When Tata Motors launched the Indica Vista, the company said it would soon come up with variants fitted with ABS and airbags. Trust Tata will use this opportunity to equip vista with those safety features.
[Via: Vicky]