motornews

GaadiWaadi - The Bajaj Platina is one of the most common sights on Indian roads and is currently the best-selling two-wheeler for the automaker in India The Platina is one of the most affordable motorcycles in Bajaj Auto’s portfolio, and the bike is also one of the most popular vehicles that the company makes. Bajaj Auto managed to sell 82,559 units of the Platina in the country in September 2021, which has resulted in YoY growth in sales of 49 per cent. In the same month last year, Bajaj Auto had shipped 55,496 units of the said motorcycle in the country. Could the ever-rising fuel prices be a reason for the workhorse motorcycle’s increasing popularity in the country? Certainly. The Bajaj Platina’s 100 cc engine offers superior mileage over its rivals. The Bajaj Platina comes with a 4-stroke DTS-i engine that puts out 7.9 PS of maximum power at 7,500 rpm and 8.3 Nm of maximum torque at 5,500 rpm. The engine comes mated to a 4-speed transmission. The bike has been built on a tubu...

GaadiWaadi - The Royal Enfield Classic 350 is currently priced from Rs 1.84 lakh (ex-showroom New Delhi), and rivals the Jawa Forty Two, Benelli Imperiale 400 and even Honda H’ness CB 350 The Classic 350 has been the heart and soul of Royal Enfield in the Indian market for as long as we remember. The Chennai-based two-wheeler manufacturer also recently introduced a new-gen version of the motorcycle in a bid to further expand its dominance in the segment that it has been leading for years now. However, it looks like the new-gen version couldn’t do much to improve the motorcycle’s sales. Instead, the Royal Enfield Classic 350’s sales fell down by 65 per cent in September 2021, as compared to the same month last year. The manufacturer shipped 13,751 units of the bike last month, in contrast to the 38,827 units sold in September 2020. The launch of the more-modern Meteor 350 last year could also be attributed to the reason for the Classic 350’s depleting sales. Another reason for the ...

GaadiWaadi - The TVS iQube is currently priced at Rs 1,00,777 (on-road, New Delhi), and directly puts up against the Bajaj Chetak Electric in the market The TVS iQube was launched as the homegrown two-wheeler manufacturer’s first electric scooter in the Indian market in January 2020. While the initial launch took place in a limited number of cities, many new cities have been added since then. The TVS iQube has now started to gain some recognition in the market that is largely dominated by 110 cc petrol-powered scooters. While TVS could only sell 7 units of the iQube in the month of September 2020, the number has now gone up to 766 in the same month this year. This has resulted in the electric scooter registering a massive year-on-year growth of 10843 per cent! The TVS iQube outperformed its closest rival last month, i.e. the Bajaj Chetak Electric. TVS iQube Electric has been packed with a 4.4 kW electric motor that provides it with a claimed range of 75 km on a single full charge...

GaadiWaadi - The Yamaha Ray ZR 125 is currently priced from Rs. 73,330 and goes all the way up to Rs. 83,830 (both prices, ex-showroom New Delhi) Yamaha currently retails two scooters in the Indian market, i.e. Fascino 125 Fi and Ray ZR 125 Fi, and both scooters perform fairly well as far as sales are concerned. In the month of September 2021, the Ray ZR 125 Fi went on to become the two-wheeler manufacturer’s best-selling two-wheeler in the Indian market. While Yamaha sold 14,244 units of the Fascino 125 Fi in the country last month, the Ray ZR 125 Fi outperformed it with a total sale of 16,121 units. While the funky looking scooter did register a 17 per cent negative YoY growth in sales as compared to the 19,540 units sold in the same month last year, it still managed to outsell all other Yamaha two-wheelers by a good margin. As of now, Yamaha offers the Ray ZR 125 scooter in a range of different variants, including the standard variant, Ray ZR 125 Hybrid, Ray ZR Street Rally 12...

GaadiWaadi - Maruti Suzuki will launch CNG variants of the Swift and Dzire in the coming weeks, and Vitara Brezza and next-gen Celerio could get CNG options as well With petrol prices on a steady rise, Maruti Suzuki is focussing heavily on CNG cars for the mass market. The Indo-Japanese manufacturer had discontinued diesel engines last year, when the BS6 emission norms kicked in, and its CNG cars have seen a major jump in sales since. The company already has plenty of CNG models in its lineup, and it is planning to add a few more soon. Maruti’s sub-4-metre sedan – Dzire – is all set to gain a CNG powertrain option very soon. Test models of the Dzire CNG have been spotted undergoing road tests in India multiple times. Previously, Maruti Dzire’s CNG version was expected to launch around Diwali, but the manufacturer hasn’t made any official announcements. As per the most recent speculations, the Dzire CNG will launch in India before the end of this year. Alongside it, Maruti Swift CN...

GaadiWaadi - Check out this brilliant-looking Royal Enfield Meteor 350, which has been masterfully transformed into a brawny, butch bobber Royal Enfield first introduced the Meteor 350 in India back in November 2020. The motorcycle was launched in other international markets as well later. Just like in India, Royal Enfield bikes are quite popular in the customisation circle in many other countries as well, and even the Meteor is doing great in that area! Here, we have a custom-built bobber, based on Royal Enfield Meteor 350. The motorcycle has been built by K-Speed , a custom garage in Thailand, and it has been rechristened ‘Diablo’. At the front, we see a small aftermarket LED headlight, fork gators, and a new handlebar. The switchgear is new as well, and the front fender has been removed. For a clean look at the front, the instrument cluster has been moved to the right side of the bike, near the engine. Although it looks cool, the tripper navigation pod is quite small, and we’re...

GaadiWaadi - As per Mahindra Group’s MD and CEO Anish Shah, India is slow in terms of EV adoption, but electric mobility will be the future nonetheless Homegrown UV maker Mahindra & Mahindra is anticipating its future to be green. Anish Shah – Managing Director & CEO of Mahindra Group – stated in a recent interview with CNBC that the company expects half of its vehicles sold in the Indian market by 2030 to be electric. M&M is already working to expand its EV lineup in our country. At the moment, the electric vehicle market is at an infant stage, and it would take years for EVs to go mainstream in India. Maruti Suzuki, India’s largest carmaker, is sceptical of introducing electric cars due to high production costs, which would consequently mean high car prices. Hyundai has one premium EV in its range in our market, and it could introduce a few more soon. The South Korean car giant is also developing a low-cost EV specifically for the Indian market, which is expected to...

GaadiWaadi - In reply to Rajiv Bajaj calling electric two-wheeler startup OATS, Ather Energy released an image of Ather-branded oats for “Champions” At the launch of the Pulsar 250 twins, Rajiv Bajaj unloaded a barrage of shots at new-age EV startups in India. He stated that BET (Bajaj, Enfield, and TVS) are the champions, as proven by their track records. He referred to electric two-wheeler startups as OATS (Ola, Ather, Tork, and Smart E), and equated them to breakfast. “ There is a saying breakfast of the champions. Champions eat OATS for breakfast. OATS stands for Ola Ather, Tork and Smart E ,” were the exact words of the chairman of Bajaj Auto. Bengaluru-based Ather Energy has shot back in a hilarious way, sharing a picture of Ather-branded oats on its social media handles with the caption – OATs for champions, recommended by experts. Looking closely at the image, we can also read “ For when you need that instant pick-up” on the packet, which refers to the instant torque deli...

GaadiWaadi - 2022 Hyundai Creta is expected to be introduced in India sometime next year with similar exterior and interior updates as Indonesia The facelifted Hyundai Creta will make its world premiere at the GIIAS (Gaikindo Indonesia International Auto Show) running between November 11 and 21 and is expected to reach India sometime next year with almost identical changes. The latest generation of the midsize SUV takes design influence from the iX25 sold in China but the facelift is more in line with the fourth generation Tucson retailed in the global markets. The updated Hyundai Palisade appears to adopt a similar styling that can also be found in the Santa Cruz pickup truck as the brand looks to streamline its models in terms of design under the Sensuous Sportiness philosophy. Hyundai’s Indonesia division has been teasing the updated Creta with teaser sketches, images and videos giving us a clear hint of what to expect. The leaked image of the front end of the 2022 Hyundai Cret...

GaadiWaadi - The Hero Splendor retained its position as the highest-selling two-wheeler in the Indian market in the month of September 2021 Hero MotoCorp is undoubtedly the biggest two-wheeler manufacturer in the Indian market, as far as sales are concerned, and this has been the case for years now. In September 2021 as well, Hero retained its position as the best-selling two-wheeler maker in the country. While Hero MotoCorp now has a vast variety of products in different segments, there’s one product that stands out each month. We are talking about the Splendor motorcycle, which is the bread and butter of Hero in India. The Splendor contributed to almost half of Hero MotoCorp’s 5,05,462 units sold in the country last month. That said, the homegrown manufacturer shipped 2,46,009 units of the commuter bike in the market, making it not only the best-selling motorcycle but the best-selling two-wheeler in the entire country for the month. What’s more, the Splendor registered positive ...

GaadiWaadi - Audi A8 L Horch is longer than the standard version by 130 mm to offer a more spacious rear seat experience; powered by a 3.0-litre turbo V6 engine with 48V mild-hybrid tech At the 2021 Guangzhou Auto Show, Audi will host the world premiere of the A8 L Horch – a distinguished luxury sedan primarily targetting customers in the Chinese market. Before its debut, Audi has released official images and information regarding the long-wheelbase model as the Horch badge brings a sense of uniqueness and bespoke luxury. The Audi A8 L Horch comes with a number of updates over the regular A8 and it will go up against Mercedes-Maybach S-Class. It is longer than the standard A8 by 130 metres and has an overall length of 5.45 metres. The additional room liberates space for the rear occupants who like to be chauffeured around. It also gets exterior changes to differentiate from the regular A8 L. Some of the visual highlights in the Audi A8 L Horch are bespoke Horch badging, exclusive p...

GaadiWaadi - Ola Electric will commence test rides from November 10 before asking final deposit from the pre-booked customers Ola Electric has announced on its social media handles that the production of the S1 and S1 Pro has commenced at its manufacturing plant in Tamil Nadu. The test rides will also begin on November 10, 2021, and a recent video shared by Ola Electric’s Chief Executive Officer, Bhavish Aggarwal noted, “The women at our Futurefactory are ramping up production fast!” It has been said that to cater to the requirements of the customers, Ola Electric has ramped up production. The Ola S1 and S1 Pro are priced at Rs. 1 lakh and Rs. 1.30 lakh respectively (ex-showroom). Recently, Ola Electric raised $200 million at over $5 billion valuation, and the bookings are soaring in numbers despite it not having hit the public roads on sale. It is no secret that Ola Electric has played its marketing strategy quite well so far. The bookings are taken for an initial token of Rs. 49...

GaadiWaadi - The new Bharat series (BH) numberplates have been introduced for people who have transferable jobs and want to take their vehicles along with them A few months earlier, the Ministry of Road, Transport and Highways (MoRTH) had announced a new number series for vehicle registration – Bharat series or BH. The new series would help in the easy transfer of vehicles if the owner moves to a new state. The ‘BH’ series registration numbers have now been put into circulation by RTO. Rohit Sute , a resident of Chembur, Mumbai, was the first to receive a BH numberplate in Maharashtra. He is a central government employee, and his BH-registered vehicle is a Honda City. BH registration will be issued to defence personnel, government employees (central and state), PSU employees, and private sector employees with offices in multiple states/union territories. Previously, owners of a vehicle would have to re-register a vehicle if moving to a new state for more than 12 months. This can b...

Tata Motors has signed an MOU with BluSmart Mobility for expanding their all-electric fleet multi-fold across Delhi NCR, and for the same, the company has bagged a contract to supply 3,500 XPRES T EVs. This contract marks a key milestone in the electric fleet market as more customers now prefer to travel in environment-friendly vehicles. BluSmart Mobility, which offers an all-electric ride-hailing service across Delhi-NCR has been gaining mind share across consumers who value reliability and service quality. With more than 250,000 app downloads the challenger brand in mobility has completed more than 700,000 rides to date covering over 22 million clean KMs on electric vehicles and takes pride in being the platform of choice for not just the women users but also women driver-partners who are getting stress free equitable earning opportunity without any asset ownership hassles. The all-new XPRES-T electric sedan packs a high energy density battery of 21.5 kWh and 16.5 kWh with 2 range...

GaadiWaadi - The Royal Enfield Himalayan is the brand’s only adventure touring motorcycle currently on sale and comes packed with a 411 cc single-cylinder engine The Royal Enfield Himalayan is currently one of the most affordable adventure touring motorcycles in the Indian market and is truly an extremely capable motorcycle for what it’s worth. Belonging to a segment that continues to expand, Royal Enfield continues to work on keeping the Himalayan up to date in order to stay around the top of the sales charts. Earlier this year, Royal Enfield introduced a new update for the Himalayan that brought in the new Tripper navigation system to the bike’s feature list, while some visual changes were also included. The update has certainly worked in favour of the ADV motorcycle, and the sales numbers continue to grow, month in, month out. Royal Enfield managed to sell 3,633 units of the Himalayan in the Indian market in September 2021, making it the best-selling adventure touring bike in ...