Honda CBF Stunner Gets Leovince SBK exhaust system
Much relief to the riders of motorbikes, the Honda CBF Stunner will be herein after fitted with Leovince SBK exhaust system. The bike, as of now, is deprived of its Shine -drive despite the sharp cowl and less tuned engine. The arrival of this exhaust is a breathing break for the riders of this Stunner. Leovince, from UK, offers this exhaust system for this Stunner, and it provides 10% torque increase,10% power increase, Weight saving, 'Superb' sound. The imminent increase in the power output is 10.8 - 11.7 bhp@ 3500 rpm and 5200 rpm, a gain of torque upto 40%.
The cost of the kit is Rs. 27,212 and it is the ideal choice for international racers using Honda bikes - Stiggy-Honda, Wilson-Craig-Honda, Hannspree-Althea-Honda, Red Viper. Compared to these tuned bikes the performance in Stunner will be worthy for the money spent. The Leovince is in the news also for its newly crafted top-range 'SBK Factory'silencer -in a oval shape with flat top and bottom sections, lightweight brushed alloy, a short 420mm body and 60mm tailpipe- the link to the engine with AISI 304 stainless pipework with racing type header fittings, a genuine carbon fibre support strap, 3D-style mounted kit - all these talk volumes of the efficiency of Leovince.
[Via: Vicky]
Toyota To Display New Models At China Auto Show
Toyota Corp is planning to showcase nearly 45 concept and production models at the upcoming Guangzhou Motor Show in China. There has been a tremendous increase in the demand of SUVs in the country, especially mid-sized models. The Lexus GX mid-size SUV has been on sale since 2003 but Toyota will use China's 2009 Guangzhou Auto Show for the world debut of its latest and advanced model of Lexus GX model.
Toyota is also planning to sell its latest updated Prius model in China from early 2010. This model will also be showcased at the China show. Toyota is targeting sales of 3,000 new Prius cars a year in the country. Toyota's other models that will be displayed at the show are Camry Hybrid and its executive car Crown that goes on sale in the country from next month.
There will be various concept models like FT-EV city model, urban plug in model Hi-CT, and FT-HS hybrid sports model. Toyota will be aiming at zero emission and fuel efficient cars that will highlight "the diversification of the energy sources".
[Via: Cartradeindia]
Maruti Grand Vitara to be Assembled in India
Maruti Grand Vitara has continuously witnessed falling sales in past few months. Maruti intends to arrest the falling sales figures of its SUV model by bringing its advanced version to India. It currently imports the SUV from its Japanese production facility as a completely built unit which makes the model quite expensive. Now the company is contemplating its options to assemble the model in India itself to offer more features at extremely competitive prices.
"The company is seriously considering bringing in an advanced version of Vitara into India, mainly to arrest the falling sales of the SUV," a source said. Maruti is in talks with auto component manufacturers to supply the parts for the model. An advanced version of the model will be introduced in 2010 and Maruti will decide upon its assembling plans for Grand Vitara after assessing the sales figures of the new model. Grand Vitara is currently available at Rs. 16.67 - Rs 17.97 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi) and comes with 2.4L petrol engine with both manual and automatic transmission.
[Via: cartradeindia]
Yamaha ventures into Pakistan
Yamaha Motor President, Takashi Kajikawa made the announcement that the company will be setting up a motorcycle manufacturing facility in Pakistan, to be located at the National Industrial Park in Bin Qasim, near Karachi.
The plant is expected to be up and running by mid-2011. The company plans to assemble at least 22,000 units at its new plant by 2012, following which it will start using locally sourced components to start manufacturing bikes in that country. Mr Kajikawa has also stated that the company intends to make Pakistan a base for exports to neighboring Asian and African countries in the coming future. Come 2017, Yamaha will also start production of motorcycle engines in the country.
In India too, Yamaha is growing by leaps and bounds at an unprecedented rate. The company posted staggering growth of 160 percent in sales in September 2009 as compared to the last year. It sold 26394 units in September 2009 as against 10142 units in the same month last year with the newly launched Fazer contributing a significant part of it.
[Via: BIKE]
Chevrolet Slashes Captiva Price
GM India has cut prices of the Chevrolet Captiva in order to make the SUV more value for money. The price reduction for the manual transmission variant of the Captiva is Rs 2.16 lakh which now costs Rs 18.37 lakh whereas the automatic variant is now cheaper by Rs 2.32 lakh taking the price to Rs 20.18 lakh (all prices ex-showroom, Mumbai). This sudden price reduction surely has something to do with a car which has changed the fortune of this segment.
[Via: motorbeam]
Three Tata Nanos Catches Fire!!
World's cheapest car, Tata Nano appears to have developed a technical snag prompting Tata Motors to launch a pre-delivery audit of the car's electrical systems and inspection of the units already sold.
Three cases of the car developing short circuit near the combination switch in the car's steering wheel have already been reported from Delhi, Ahmedabad and Lucknow. The cars have had smoke emnate from the steering wheel area even when parked with ignition off and in one case has caused the area around to melt due to heat. Following the incidents, Tata Motors has decided to do a pre-delivery audit of all the electrical circuits and has also offered to check the cars that are already with the customers.
The company isnt however calling this as a "Recall". According to a company spokesman the problems are not generic and hence there is no question of a recall but pre-emptive checks may be carried out on cars that have already been handed over to the customers. Two of the customers from Lucknow and Ahmedabad have already given their Nano for repairs to their respective dealerships which have been repaired at free of charge. The other customer from Delhi is yet to give the car for repairs and has instead lodged a complaint with the police citing manufacturing defect as the reason for the mishap.
[Via: CC]
Maruti To Launch SX4 With New 1.6 VVT Engine
Maruti Suzuki India has temporarily stopped production of the SX4 in order to change the engine, which would be Bharat IV compliant. The current Maruti SX4 doesn't comply with the new norms which go in effect from April, 2011 in 11 cities in India.
The new engine will be a 1.6 VVT powerplant producing 106bhp (9 Bhp more than current). Maruti will also give some cosmetic design upgrades to the exterior to keep things afresh.
[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]
Festival Delight “Win a Car” From Honda!
Honda is here to add to the festival delight of the customers in India. It has launched "Win a Car" contest from September 07, 2009 to attract more customers. The new contest is a part of "Great Honda Fest" where one lucky Honda customer across India will win his favorite Honda car every week. The contest will be valid for those who purchase a Honda car between 7 September and 31st October 2009.
Apart from winning one Honda car every week, customers also stand a chance to win lucky existing accessory package for Honda models like Jazz, City, Civic, Accord or CRV. "HSCI has exciting plans for this festival season. The Great Honda Fest is our first offering this festive season to celebrate and share the festivities with our customers. We are confident that the contest coupled with the new launches during this period will fuel positive growth for the company," said Mr. Jnaneswar Sen, VP Marketing & Sales, HSCI.
Honda Jazz was the last new model which was added to the Honda product portfolio in India. The model is an exclusively premium hatchack model but falls short in making high sales volume due to its hefty price tag. On the other hand, Honda City continues to be India's most popular sedan and keeps marking healthy sales figures every month.
[Via: cartradeindia]
Mercedes Benz Launches Actros 4841K
Mercedes-Benz India announced the national launch of its new, third-generation Mercedes-Benz Actros 4841K. The New Actros 4841K takes these aspects to an even higher level thus setting new standards in the heavy duty truck segment in India.
The new Mercedes-Benz Actros has both an emotive and practical design. The most eye-catching improvement in the design is the three-millimetre-thick, pressure-tight guard plate for the radiator and engine. This stainless steel component reduces damage in the region of the radiator and engine, while accentuating the powerful styling of the new mining Actros. Also, thanks to the additional protective parts, operators can avoid expensive repairs and at the same time reduce downtimes of their trucks.
Now, Actros drivers can enjoy the safety and convenience of a feature previously confined to cars: the multifunction steering wheel and the Driver Information System. All these various control and driver assist systems effectively ensure the safety of driver, vehicle and cargo during transportation. The Telligent Engine System uniquely combines economy with ecology by enabling the optimum fuel injection to make the combustion cleaner, more efficient and capable of delivering increased power.
[Via: CW]