Looks like the BMW G 310 R will see an early launch in India as the super bike has been spotted testing for the first time on the roads in south India.
The super bike seen on the Indian roads, wearing a blue shade and minimal camouflage, is identical to the one showcased at the 2016 Auto Expo in February this year, when BMW Motorrad officially announced its Indian entry. 
Having made its global debut late last year, the G 310 R is one of the most awaited motorcycles in the quarter-litre segment and will be the first product to come from the much talked about TVS-BMW alliance. BMW G 310 R has been built by the BMW group in collaboration with TVS as they partnered on sub 500 cc engines.
The street-fighter has been built with the engineering and R&D teams of the German auto giant, whereas the Indian manufacturer will be producing the bike and exporting it globally from its Hosur based facility. 
The BMW G 310 R has a 313 cc single cylinder liquid cooled engine with an output of 34 hp ...

BMW G 310 R spotted testing on Indian roads

BS-Motoring

It’s back to the drawing board for several automobile manufacturers. A few years ago customers were actively buying diesel vehicles taking into account the subsidy on diesel, so manufacturers concentrated on this segment. 
However, with both petrol and diesel now being sold at market rates and increasing curbs on diesel due to green concerns, the demand is returning to petrol.
This has propelled automakers back to the drawing board and they are re-adjusting their plans –this time to bring out more petrol cars and utility vehicles from their production lines.
Petrol-run variants accounted for 56% of India's passenger vehicle sales in the fiscal year ended March 31. The share of petrol-run models was 42% of total passenger vehicle sales three years earlier. In March, their share jumped to 59%, industry data showed.
Analysts and industry executives said the shift towards petrol that started with the lifting of the diesel subsidy accelerated in recent months, with the Supreme Court in ...

Automakers switching gear to petrol engines

After the BR-V, Honda Cars India is likely to launch the Accord Hybrid in the country during the festive season. The Accord Hybrid, which was showcased at the 2016 Delhi Auto Expo, will be the ninth generation model of the saloon.
The new Honda Accord model looks quite identical to its pre-facelift version with features such as larger chrome grille, revised bumper and new LED detailing on the headlamp enclosure. Other elements are chrome highlights on bumper and boot lid, sportier rear bumper and integrated spoiler.
Powering the Honda Accord hybrid will be a 2.0-litre, i-VTEC petrol mill with an electric motor. The electric motor features an on-board lithium-ion battery. While the petrol mill alone produces 141bhp, the combined power of petrol + electric motor is 196bhp and over 300Nm of peak torque. This engine will come mated to an electronic CVT gearbox.
Similar to the discontinued model, the new Honda Accord will continue to come as a completely built-up unit (CBU) in India. Upon .

Honda likely to launch the 2016 Accord Hybrid in India soon 

Mahindra & Mahindra is all set to launch a more powerful version of its TUV300 sub-four-metre SUV.
The TUV300 is currently available with Mahindra’s mHawk80 1.5-litre, three-cylinder diesel engine that makes 85hp and 230Nm of torque. The more powerful version of the SUV will feature the mHawk100 version of the same engine – the one that does duty on the recently launched NuvoSport.  Power and torque numbers are expected to rise to about 102hp and 240Nm respectively.
Similar to the current model, the more powerful version will continue to be offered with two transmission options - a 5-speed manual and a 5-speed AMT (Automated Manual Transmission).
You can expect the more powerful TUV300 to be priced higher than the mHawk80 version, which will continue to be on sale. However, the higher prices will further reduce the gap between the TUV300 and NuvoSport. Having two similar-sized SUVs in the same price bracket could prove to be a problem for Mahindra.
With the newer engine, the ...

Mahindra TUV300 to get a more powerful engine

Tata Motors saw year-on-year sales growth of 9.9% for total commercial and passenger vehicles sales (including exports) in April 2016 at 39,763 vehicles, over 36,190 vehicles sold in April 2015. 
The company’s domestic sales of Tata commercial and passenger vehicles for April added up to 35,978 units, a growth of 11%. 
The company sold 11,161 units of passenger vehicles in Apr8il, a 7.9 per cent growth. Passenger car sales (9,451 units) grew by 5.9 per cent and utility vehicle sales (1,389 units) by 7.7 per cent. 
Tata Motors is India’s largest automobile company with consolidated revenues of Rs 2.62 trillion (USD 42.04 billion) in 2014-15. Through subsidiaries and associate companies, it has operations in the UK, South Korea, Thailand, South Africa and Indonesia. 
Among them is Jaguar Land Rover, comprising two iconic British brands. It also has an industrial joint venture with Fiat in India. With over 9 million Tata vehicles plying in India, it is the country’s market leader in ...

Tata Motors reports 9.9% sales growth in April 2016 

Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India Pvt Ltd (HMSI) launched its 2016 Dio in Matt Axis Grey colour with a premium 3D emblem at a price of Rs.48,264 (ex-showroom Delhi) on Tuesday.
“In line with our strategy to delight our customers by refreshing our product portfolio regularly, the new Dio is Honda’s sixth new model of 2016,” said Yadvinder Singh Guleria, senior vice-president, sales and marketing, HMSI. “The new Matt Axis grey colour with value addition of the premium 3D emblem without any additional cost makes it a compelling proposition to own one.” 
The Dio, which was first launched in 2002 and is the company’s top export model, is powered by a 110 cc engine producing 8 bhp at 7000 rpm and a maximum torque of 8.77 Nm at 5500 rpm. It reaches 0 to 60kmph in 10.8 seconds and has a top speed of 83kmph.  
The model, which is also available in Jazzy Blue Metallic, Candy Palm Green, Sports Red and Black, is exported to neighbouring countries in South Asia and to Latin America. 
HMSI saw ...

Honda launches 2016 model of Dio

The latest import and export data details reveal that Kawasaki India has imported a single unit of the BJ250, also called Estrella for research and analysis purposes.If Kawasaki India goes ahead to launch the Estrella in India, the 250cc motorcycle will be pitched against Royal Enfield's bestseller, the Classic 350.  However, there has been no official confirmation from the Japanese motorcycle manufacturer about any possible launch of the Kawasaki Estrella in India. 
The retro styled quarter-litre cruiser is powered by a 249cc single-cylinder air-cooled fuel-injected engine that develops 17bhp at 7,500rpm and 18Nm of torque at 5,000rpm mated to five-speed transmission. 
The Kawasaki Estrella makes for a visually enticing motorcycle and comes with several striking bits including a neatly contoured fuel tank, elongated single seat, retro styled mudguards and spoke wheels.  
The bike also gets some beautiful bits including the chrome finish on the round headlight, indicators and round ...

Kawasaki Estrella Cruiser imported for R&D, likely to rival Royal Enfield  

April proved to be a good month for auto majors in the country with Maruti, Hyundai Motors, Mahindra and Mahindra and Renault all clocking strong sales.  
Industry analysts state that passenger vehicle volumes have risen 11% from a year earlier to about 2,47,000 units in the past month, aided by new launches in the utility vehicle segment.  
At Maruti, sales grew more than 16% to 1,17,045 units in April in the domestic market, helped by demand for premium hatchback Baleno and compact sport-utility vehicle Vitara Brezza.  
Maruti's sales increased across segments, except for the small-car category — Alto and WagonR — where volumes fell nearly 10%. But in the utility vehicle segment, sales rose nearly fourfold, driven by the Vitara Brezza.  
"We are happy to begin this fiscal (year) on a positive note," said RS Kalsi, executive director for sales and marketing at Maruti Suzuki. He said the company, the market leader, is making efforts to improve availability of the Baleno and Brezza ...

April turns out to be a good month for auto majors 

With hundreds of taxi drivers blocking NH8 highway and the ring road to protest against the action taken by agencies to implement the Supreme Court order banning diesel taxis in the capital, the central government has decided to request the court to reconsider the ban.   
Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari said the ban has created an unprecedented situation of thousands of taxis getting off road and people facing severe hardships. The minister said he had received reports of massive traffic jams and thousands of people not being able to go to work.
The decision was taken at an inter-ministerial meeting, attended by Gadkari, Heavy Industries Minister Anant Geete and Environment and Forest Minister Prakash Javadekar. 
The Supreme Court on Saturday refused to extend the April 30 deadline fixed for conversion of diesel cabs into less-polluting CNG mode for plying on city roads, sending off-road thousands of diesel taxis, including those run by aggregators like Ola and Uber. 
According to ...

Government to urge SC to revoke ban on diesel taxis in Delhi

India’s largest car maker Maruti Suzuki Ltd is looking at exploring other potential international markets.
The car maker, which aims to sell 2 million cars in India by 2020 (it sold 1.43 million units in 2015-16), has also created a new management level as it seeks to build management and leadership bandwidth for the future. 
With real value for money cars and best after sales and service network, Maruti Suzuki is the most preferred automobile brands in the country. Banking on this experience, the company is currently exploring the possibility of setting up a manufacturing unit in Africa. 
The car maker, which exported nearly 1.25 lakh vehicles in the previous fiscal, sold 12,000 units in Africa. With the demand picking up for Maruti's vehicles outside India, it is a great opportunity for the company to invest in manufacturing plants abroad, mostly in the developing countries of Africa where most car buyers run on a tight budget.   
Apart from setting up manufacturing facilities ...

Maruti Suzuki to invest in Africa, expand network

Datsun has started pre-bookings for its much-awaited 'Datsun redi-Go ' urban-cross, a unique fusion of compact crossover and hatchback, from May 1.
The Datsun redi-Go, which will be produced at the Renault-Nissan plant in Chennai, will be launched in India on June 1, 2016. 
Priced between Rs. 2.5 lakh and Rs. 3.5 lakh (ex-showroom), the variants will be announced during the launch. Customers can pre-book their Datsun redi-Go with a fully refundable down payment of Rs 5,000 at Nissan dealerships across India.
The Datsun redi-Go will be powered by an 800cc petrol motor at launch. Essentially the same engine as the Kwid, the version in the redi-Go will get a slightly different tuning. It is powered by an all-new 0.8L three-cylinder fuel efficient engine paired with a five-speed manual transmission.
The urban cross vehicle combines the style, roominess, high seating position, best-in-class ground clearance (185mm) and sheer joy of riding in a crossover blended with the zippy driving, ...

Datsun begins pre-bookings for redi-Go; launch on June 1

The Karnataka government has given its nod to TVS Motor Company's Rs. 310-crore proposal to expand its Mysuru facility. 
The State Level Single Window Clearance Committee cleared the TVS' proposal among many other projects on April 30. 
Two wheeler major TVS Motor will expand its Mysuru facility to increase its two-wheeler and three-wheeler manufacturing capacities, for product development and capacity expansion toward the BMW project.
Meanwhile, TVS Akula 310, showcased at the Auto Expo 2016, could be named TVS Apache RTR 300. TVS Motor Company will be launching the production version of the TVS Akula 310 concept bike in the country in 2017. 
Based on the BMW G310R, the bike will take on the likes of the Yamaha R3, Honda CBR250R, KTM Duke 390 and others in the league. 
Powering the motorcycle will be the same 300cc, 4-stroke, single-cylinder, water-cooled engine that also powers the BMW G 310R. This engine is capable of producing 33.5bhp of power at 9,500rpm along with a peak torque .

TVS Motors gets green signal from Karnataka government to expand its Mysuru facility

Hyundai Motor India Ltd, the country's leading car manufacturer and the largest passenger car exporter sold 42,351 units in in the domestic market in April, a growth of 9.7%.
Commenting on the April sales Rakesh Srivastava, Sr. Vice President Sales and Marketing, Hyundai Motor India Ltd. Said: "In an industry seeing challenges on Rural sales and Diesel Vehicle sales, Hyundai continued its growth momentum with volume growth of 9.7% over last year with strong performance of the three "India Car of the Year" brands Creta, Elite i20, Grand with increasing preference of customers for New Age brands supported by strong service assurance and low cost of ownership." 
Hyundai's exports, however, fell by 6.5 per cent to 12,069 units. Overall, cumulative sales in April grew by 5.7 per cent to 54,420 units.

Hyundai reports 9.7 per cent April sales growth in domestic market

With the ban on diesel-run taxis, imposed by the Supreme Court on Saturday, commuters in Delhi had a harrowing time in the national capital region on Monday, as 27,000 taxis were off the roads.
The apex court had refused to extend the April 30 deadline for diesel-run taxis in Delhi. The court took a stern view of the taxis refusing to convert diesel vehicles into CNG ones. Just about 2,000 diesel taxis had converted to the cleaner fuel by the April 30 deadline.
Of the 60,000 taxis plying on Delhi’s roads, 27,000 run on diesel engines. Many Uber and Ola cabs are also operated on diesel engines. 
While the odd-even scheme got over on Saturday, commuters in Delhi are facing enormous problems as the state government has warned the taxi-hailing apps not to impose surge pricing.
Uber had reintroduced surge pricing on Sunday, a day after the odd-even scheme got over. During the fortnight-long restriction on cars, the Delhi government had asked Uber and Ola to suspend surge pricing, and both .

Harrowing time for Delhi commuters, as SC ban on diesel taxis comes into force

Automakers wanting to sell diesel vehicles with an engine capacity of 2,000cc and above in Delhi and the National Capital Region will have to wait some more time as the Supreme Court has still not finalised the case. The temporary ban will continue for some more time.
At a special sitting on Saturday, the apex court heard the arguments lawyers representing the industry, but provided no relief. The hearing will continue on May 9. 
Abhishek Manu Singhvi, representing the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (Siam) told the court that the ban on new diesel cars would be counterproductive, as older versions of diesel cars contribute more to pollution. 
Petrol cars were also major polluters and even CNG emissions resulted in high levels of mono-nitrogen oxides, a major cause of respiratory and other diseases, he told the court. Diesel passengers vehicles accounted for just 1.5 per cent of air pollution in Delhi, and a mere 0.5 per cent of particulate matter 2.5 emissions.
Sanghvi ...

No relief for diesel carmakers, SC to continue hearing on May 9

The Central Road Research Institute (CRRI) has developed a customised driving simulator incorporating Indian road conditions in association with industrial partner Faros Simulation System, Gurgaon. 
The simulator has necessary accessories including steering, accelerator, clutch, and gear box and brakes, besides a 135 degree screen display which gives the real feel of actual road environment with realistic Indian road infrastructure. 
It has various electronic sensors and mechanical elements to interface with the simulation system and the accessories that simulate road graphic realistics along with engine noise. The simulator also generates different controlled road side obstacles or hazards as observed generally on our roads for which drivers have to sense and react while driving. 
The simulator focuses on the effective evaluation of driver, and at the same time helps to simplify the procedure for driving test. 
The simulator would be useful for the measurement of driving traits in ...

CRRI develops driving simulator for Indian road conditions

Yezdi ‘D’ 250 Classic

Jawa, Yezdi, motorbikes

Yezdi Monarch

The Yezdi Roadking

Yezdi Classic

Once a rage on Indian roads, the Yezdi motorcyle and its cult are stronger than ever

Vintage recall

Business Standard

Droom, India’s pioneering online automobile transactional marketplace, has announced the launch of its ‘Services & Repairs’ category. The move is meant to facilitate convenient, cost-effective and accessible vehicle servicing to customers seeking quick and reliable automobile repairs.  
Droom’s ‘Services & Repairs’ category will have three product types for consumers to choose from – Express Service & Maintenance, Standard Service and Extensive Service.  
While the Express Service will have features like Extensive Vehicle Inspection, Wheel Balancing, Wash & Polish, Minor Repairs and Battery Water (top-up), Standard and Extensive services include in-depth vehicle servicing that involves Consumable replacement, Engine Oil Filter replacement, Engine Oil replacement and Brake Fluid replacement. The prices range from Rs350 to Rs18,000 for different services, and come inclusive of labour charges.  
“Industry reports predict that nearly 80% people don’t get their vehicles ...

Droom launches \'Services & Repairs\' category 

British motorcycle company Triumph Motorcycles has confirmed the delivery of the first 100 units of Street Twin motorcycles to customers in India.
Priced at Rs. 6.90 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi), the motorcycle was launched at the Auto Expo 2016 in February in India. The company started booking for the Street Twin in January this year. The Street Twin, Triumph's most contemporary in the Bonneville range, is powered by an all-new 900cc engine, which can churn out 54bhp of power and 80Nm of torque at 3200rpm, paired to a six-speed gearbox.  
The motorcycle that comes with a host of rider assists such as switchable ABS, slip assist clutch, Ride-by-Wire (RbW) and traction control. The Street Twin is available in four colours - red, silver, jet black and matt black. 
Apart from the Street Twin, the entry level new generation Bonneville range consists of Bonneville T120 and Thruxton R. The company launched Bonneville T120 earlier this month priced at Rs 8.7 lakh.  
The motorcycle is powered by .

Triumph Motorcycles delivers 100 units of Street Twin in India

The National Informatics Centre (NIC) has developed an e-challan software comprising a mobile app cum web application for the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways. 
The app will provide a comprehensive enforcement solution that can be used by State Transport Enforcement Cells and also by the traffic police. This application will facilitate a convenient and efficient mechanism to challan errant drivers while providing a set of features and functionalities.  
Currently, this mobile app cum web application is under pilot implementation in two Regional Transport Offices in Uttar Pradesh and also under advanced testing in Uttarakhand and Maharashtra.  
Once implemented across the country, the system will create a unified national database of all traffic violations, with details of violators, challans, disposals, penalties, court cases, punitive actions etc.  
At present, the Transport National Register (NR) comprising 19 crore vehicle details and 9 crore driving license records is ...

NIC develops e-challan app to monitor errant drivers 

Nissan India inaugurated a new retail outlet 'Pinnacle Nissan' at Kollam in Kerala. With the new outlet, Nissan India increased its network points to 217 across 165 cities in the country.  
The company aims to nearly double its reach by March 2017 with a total presence of 300 touch points and growing its dealership network to cover 95% of the population in India. 
With over 5,500 sq. feet of showroom space, Pinnacle Nissan will showcase the complete portfolio of Nissan and Datsun cars. It has also established an eight-bay workshop, equipped for mechanical and accident repairs. 
Speaking at the inauguration of the new outlet, Jerome Saigot, vice president, Datsun India said that growing their dealership base, building strong business fundamentals and getting closer to their customers are areas of high priority as they gear up to launch the new Datsun redi-GO and enter the high volume segment in 2016.  
He added that as they expand their dealership footprint to meet rising demand in one 

Nissan opens a new retail outlet in Kerala 

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