TVS APACHE RTR 300 aka AKULA 310 spied testing

TVS APACHE RTR 300 CAUGHT TESTING

The production version of the TVS Akula 310 gets spotted testing on public roads for the first time. The prototype, which is fully camouflaged, was spotted by a DriveSpark reader on the Bangalore Hosur road, and bears a temporary Karnataka registration. TVS has already confirmed that the Akula will enter production, but not before 2017.

TVS is calling this fully faired bike a ‘Track Munching Predator’. The Akula 310 will share its powertrain with the BMW G310R that has been spied testing on Indian roads in recent times. Propelling this beast will be a 313cc, single cylinder, liquid-cooled engine that will be mated to a six-speed transmission. The engine fitted in the G310R produces a maximum power output of 34 bhp with a peak torque of 28 Nm. The engine used in the Akula 310 will be retuned for a slight bump in performance.

 The concept showcased at the 2016 Auto Expo was seen with a carbon fibre body. However, in order to bring down the production and final cost, the company will not be using carbon fibre in the entire body. The company can still use the element in some of the body parts and panels to give a premium and sporty appeal. 

 With the Akula entering road test phase, it seems that TVS plans to launch the Akula first in India, rather than the BMW G310R. Once launched, Akula 300 will lock horns with upcoming Bajaj Pulsar CS400, which is due for launch next month.

BAJAJ PULSAR CS 400 Coming Soon

BAJAJ PULSAR CS 400 TO LAUNCH IN AUGUST

The much awaited waited BAJAJ PULSAR CS 400 will be finally launched in August this year. As per latest reports. the new was confirmed by Bajaj Auto, CEO, Rajiv Bajaj at the company's Annual General Meeting and falls in line with the company's earlier announcement of introducing the performance motorcycle in the third quarter of the calendar.

Bajaj Pulsar CS 400 Concept as shown in Autoexpo 2014 with  Upside down Fork

Ever since it made an appearance at the 2014 Auto Expo, the Pulsar CS 400 has been sending pulses of the average Indian motorcycle enthusiast racing. The CS, which stands for Cruiser Sport will be a mellowed down avatar of the performance oriented KTM Duke 390. Upon launch, the Pulsar CS400 is expected to be priced between INR 1.6-2.0 lakhs (ex-showroom), making it the most expensive Bajaj till date.

Bajaj Pulsar CS400 shares its underpinnings with the KTM Duke 390, will be a modified version of its 373.2 cc liquid-cooled single-cylinder engine.

The engine will be mated to a 6-speed transmission. The concept version’s upside-down forks have been replaced by conventional telescopic forks, while at the rear, there will be a monoshock suspension. Single front and rear disc brakes with dual-channel ABS will provide the stopping power.

Spy pics of CS 400 -PC - AutocarIndia

Right from the concept, the styling on the Bajaj Pulsar CS400 was one of the talking points of the model and a lot of the same has been retained on the production spec version as well. The Ducati Diavel inspired design looks rather good with the LED tail light, single seat, bulbous fuel tank and compact headlight cluster with LED DRLs. The CS400 will also get a side mounted exhaust, unlike the Duke 390's underbelly unit while an all-digital instrument console will showcase the vital information complemented by a LCD display unit on the fuel tank.

Yamaha sets up second R&D centre in Chennai, India

YAMAHA INAUGURATES SECOND R&D CENTRE IN INDIA

Yamaha Motor Research & Development India Pvt. Ltd (YMRI) on Today announced that it has established its second research and development (R&D) centre in India to ensure “optimum utilization of resources” and to focus on the “enhancement of the capability and the capacity”

“The objective of the new centre is to develop models for India and eventually, the global market. The Chennai centre shall be the second main pillar for YMRI. By collaboration with the current development power in Surajpur centre, we aim to strengthen more of the cost reduction and attractive product development in the Chennai centre. The key role of this India Integrated Development Center is to develop optimized specifications for the Indian market,” said Yasuo Ishihara, managing director, YMRI

The new centre located in the premises of India Yamaha Motor Ltd’s (IYM) facility in Kanchipuram district, near Chennai, has been set up at an investment of Rs.66 crore and is part of the Rs.1,500 crore investment that Yamaha has already committed to ‘Make in India’ by 2018.

“The two wheeler market reached 16 million units in 2015 and is expected to continue to grow at a decent pace going forward, led by scooter segment. Yamaha has seen rapid growth in sales numbers with 2016 first-half sales growth at 45% over last year,” the company said in a statement.

During June 2016, out of 14,68,035 two wheeler sold in the country, Yamaha accounted for 67,204 units thus registering growth of 30.67 percent. The company witnessed growth of 42.44 percent in domestic sales during first quarter of current fiscal year, and sold 193,894 units, according to data released by Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM).

Mercedes-Benz AMG SLC 43 launched in India at 77.5 Lakh

Mercedes-Benz launches AMG SLC 43 in India; prices start at Rs 77.5 lakh

Mercedes-Benz India has launched the new Mercedes-AMG SLC 43 in India at Rs 77.50 lakh (ex-Delhi). The new sportscar features a 3.0-litre bi-turbo V6, that develops 367PS between 5,500rpm and 6,000rpm and 520Nm from 2,000rpm to 4,200rpm. The engine is mated to a 9-speed automatic gearbox. Not only is the engine lighter than the unit it replaces, it's 20 % more fuel-efficient too. The turbo unit has been optimised to offer response even in lower engine revs and negate turbo-lag. The SLC 43AMG can launch from a standstill to 100 km/h in just 4.7 seconds.

The SLC 43 AMG is presently the only convertible in the country to offer a nine-speed automatic transmission or the 9G-TRONIC as Mercedes calls it. The unit offers the driver a choice between five driving modes, which alter the shifting speed of the unit. Apart from offering quick shifts, the unit also helps improve fuel-efficiency.

The SLC 43 AMG, with its new engine and features has allowed Mercedes-Benz to price it at quite a significantly lower price point than the SLK 55 AMG (Rs 1.25 crore ex-Delhi). That’s what Merecedes-Benz achieved with the GLE 45 AMG Coupe too. At Rs 86 lakh (ex-Mumbai) it massively undercuts the outgoing ML 63 AMG (Rs 1.5 crore) and the BMW X6 (Rs 1.15 crore).

Maruti Suzuki to launch Super Carry this year

Maruti Suzuki Super Carry to be Launched in India this year

Maruti Suzuki, India's largest car maker is all set to foray into light commercial vehicle market of the country. The car maker manufactures Super Carry LCV in India and currently exports to South Africa and Tanzania. Emerging reports say the launch of the Super Carry in India will not take long.

The Suzuki Super Carry has a load hauling capacity of 750 kgs and comes in compact dimensions, measuring 3.8 meters in length and 1.5 meters in width along with a turning radius of 4.3 meters. The cargo area is 2.18 meters long and 1.4 meters wide.  The ground clearance on offer is of 175mm.

Maruti Suzuki has already dispatched the first lot of nearly 100 Super Carry to South Africa and Tanzania. Besides African markets, the company also plans to export the Super Carry to the SAARC countries. The export-spec Super Carry is powered by the G12B four-cylinder petrol engine that develops 72bhp at 6,000rpm and 101Nm of torque at 3,000rpm, mated to five-speed manual transmission.

The LCV segment has also started seeing growth in the last few segments. The forecast for above normal monsoon is further expected to improve demand for LCVs in rural markets as well. In the first quarter of FY 16-17 that ended June 2016, the segment grew by 12 percent.