Aftermarket modifications are currently the rage. Bikes, such as the Bajaj Pulsar, Royal Enfield Classic and Apache among others, are hot favorite choices for modders. Also, the modifications are not limited to powertrain tweaks or small cosmetic changes; rather they have been extended to each and every aspect of a bike. Here is one such mod on a Honda Activa.

The video shows an uber cool speedometer being fitted in a Honda Activa. The guy, who seems to be a mechanic, has explained how to fit a zany-looking speedometer in your Honda Activa. Its a Do-It-Yourself (DIY) style video and the guy has done quite a good job at explaining things.

The speedometer that he is using is a digital aftermarket unit. It is a pretty stylish round-dial styled speedometer. Though quite small in size, it displays all the important information regarding the Activa. We see that it displays speed, distance, odometer and rev counter functions along with fuel gauge readings. The speedometer has a cool blue backlight, which looks really good.

An aftermarket custom case is also used to fit the speedometer. Such cases can be procured easily from the market at economical prices. With some holes punched in and the outer side blacked out, the case is ready to rock. The speedo is then attached to it and then the guy explains the wiring systems. Proper attachment and calibration is absolutely necessary in order for the speedo unit to work. It is recommended to understand the wiring properly so as to avoid later complications. If you aren’t too confident, just take it to a good mechanic and get it done.

The mechanic in the video also fits backlighting in the case along with turn indicators. It looks especially good at night with all the lights turned on. A small problem with the rev counter calibration can be seen, but nothing that can’t be resolved. Other modifications include some design changes, such as blacked-out indicators and BMW M theme styles stripes.

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Royal Enfield is a brand that resonates in the minds of Indian motorcycle riders looking to upgrade to a ‘big bike’. Its line-up of retro-themed bikes are available at affordable rates, which is an unbeatable combination for the Indian buyer. Thanks to this and a strong brand recall, Royal Enfield has a stranglehold over the 250 cc to 500 cc motorcycle segments despite various attempts by other manufacturers to dethrone it. However, this hasn’t dissuaded bikemakers from trying to come up with new bikes to take on RE bikes. Let’s take a look at 11 new challengers to Enfield’s retro line-up, which will be launched soon in India, in the near future.

Hero XPulse

The Xpulse 200 is the world’s largest 2 wheeler manufacturer Hero Motorcorp’s take on a much more affordable alternative to the Himalayan from Royal Enfield.

The XPulse 200 was first showcased at the Auto Expo 2018, and is powered by a 200-cc single-cylinder engine producing 20 bhp and 18 Nm of torque. While it may not be as powerful as the Himalayan, the Hero adventure motorcycle is a lot lighter at 140 KGs.

With prices expected to start at around Rs. 1 lakh, the Xpulse 200 could prove to be a big headache for Royal Enfield when it arrives in India before the end of the current fiscal year.

Bajaj Avenger 400

Bajaj is planning to take its Avenger line-up of cruiser motorcycles to a whole new segment to compete with the Bullet and Thunderbird motorcycles from Royal Enfield. The bike for this will be the Avenger 400, which will see Bajaj slot in Dominar’s 373-cc into the newest Avenger’s frame. The Avenger 400 is expected to be the most expensive cruiser from Bajaj when it hits Indian streets. However, we expect Bajaj to price the Avenger 400 aggressively to help it take the fight to the Enfield 350-cc and 500c-c bikes.

Bajaj Dominar Adventurer

Bajaj launched the Dominar 400 in December 2016 as a direct rival to Royal Enfield’s line-up of cruisers. Bajaj has used the Dominar 400, billed as a sports cruiser, to take multiple potshots at Royal Enfield vehicles in its ad campaigns. However, the ad campaign hasn’t really resulted in doing much to steer people away from the Enfields.

In May 2018, Bajaj registered the Adventurer name hinting at the arrival of an adventure tourer version of the Dominar 400, which is expected to use most of the same running gear as the cruiser. The Bajaj Dominar Adventurer will take on the Royal Enfield Himalayan when it arrives on Indian roads.

KTM 390 Adventure

Austrian motorcycle manufacturer KTM, which is partially owned by Bajaj, is set to unleash its own adventure tourer rival for the Himalayan in India. The KTM 390 Adventure is currently undergoing testing and could arrive sometime next year in India.

The KTM 390 Adventure will get longer travel suspension, a totally different design compared to the 390 Duke along with a few extras in terms of kit and spoke-wheel tyres. However, the 373.2-cc engine is a carryover from the Duke and produces 43 bhp and 37 Nm of torque. Expect prices to be at a premium compared to the Himalayan.

Husqvarna Vitpilen

Swedish motorcycle marque Husqvarna will arrive in India next year. The first of the two bikes from the KTM-owned bike maker is the Vitpilen (white arrow) 401.

The Vitpilen 401 features cafe racer styling cues and borrows all of its running gear from the 390 Duke. With its quirky design and riding gear from the 390 Duke, the Vitpilen could give RE a run for its money.

Husqvarna Svartpilen

If the Husqvarna Vitpilen is a small cafe racer, then the Svartpilen (dark arrow) is the scrambler version of the same bike. The Svartpilen, like the Vitpilen, is based on KTM’s Duke 390 and makes use of the manic 43-bhp engine and other running gear from the Austrian naked bike.

Jawa 350 OHC

Mahindra owns the rights to the Jawa motorcycle range and its first offering in India will be the 350 OHC. The retro-themed Jawa will arrive in 2019 and will butt heads with the Classic 350 from RE. The Jawa 350 sold abroad uses the engine from Chinese brand Shineray. However, Mahindra is expected to use one of its own engines for this Bullet-baiting Jawa.

Benelli Imperiale 400

Chinese-owned Italian bikemaker Benelli will launch its rival to the Bullet line-up in the form of the Imperiale 400, in 2019. The Imperiale 400 was first unveiled at EICMA 2017. The Imperiale is powered by a 373-cc, air-cooled, fuel-injected engine that produces 20 bhp @ 5,500rpm and 28 Nm of torque @ 3,500rpm. The engine is mated to a 5-speed gearbox. Expect prices to be competitive as Benelli looks to localise production after another restart in India.

Benelli Leoncino 

Benelli is expected to launch the Leoncino scrambler in India next year in both on-road and off-road guises. The Leoncino was first showcased at EICMA 2017. The scrambler bike draws power from a parallel-twin 500-cc engine producing 47 bhp and 45 Nm of torque.

Benelli is also bringing the smaller Leoncino 250 to India as well. The Leoncino uses a liquid-cooled single-cylinder 249-cc engine producing 25 bhp and 21.2 Nm of torque.

Benelli TRK 502 and 250

Benelli will also bring its TRK 502 and 250 adventure bikes to India. The TRK 502 uses the same engine found on the larger Leoncino with 47 bhp and 45 Nm of torque on offer. The TRK 250 will use the same engine as the Leoncino 250. While the TRK 502 will be offered in two different variants, the 250 will only be offered in one guise.

UM Motorcycles Scrambler

UM Motorcycles will also launch a new Scrambler motorcycle for its line-up in India. The Scrambler uses the same 280-cc engine found on the Renegade cruiser, but differentiates itself from the cruisers with its styling. UM is also expected to bring a cafe racer version to India.

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Maruti launched the first major facelift of the Ciaz earlier this week, and we drove the car extensively around the picturesque locations of Karnataka to bring you our verdict on this Honda City and Hyundai Verna rival. With prices (ex-showroom) ranging from Rs. 8.19 lakh for the petrol line-up and Rs. 9.19 lakh for the diesel range, should you be taking a note of this new Nexa offering? Hit the play button right now!

The new Ciaz is more than just a facelift and this begins from the exterior changes itself. Up front, the car wears a sleeker, more premium look and this is due to the new grille, tweaked lamps and introduced LED set-up of the lights, DRLs and fog lamps. We Indians love a dash of chrome and this is found in abundance here as well. Bumpers at both the ends are new and so is the chrome package for the fog lamp housing. The same gets replicated at the rear as well.

Talking of which, the new Ciaz gets LED treatment for the tail lamps and these do remind us of the old BMW 5 Series. Alloy wheels on the top spec Alpha version get revised styling while the other models continue to get the regular design. The Ciaz you see here wears the Nexa Blue shade and looks nice in my opinion. In terms of dimensions, there is no change as compared to the outgoing version.

Step inside and you continue to get the same airy feel, something that goes down well with family buyers. The Ciaz is still the most spacious car in the segment and the new version gets additional kit in the form of faux wooden inserts on the fascia and the doors, cruise control and a new TFT screen in the speedometer console. This is only offered in the petrol line-up and gets new dials for the pods. Looks sporty!

The biggest change however is under the hood. The old 1.4 petrol has been replaced by the 1.5-litre K15B unit that not only offers larger displacement but churns out more power and higher torque. The icing on the cake comes in the form of better fuel economy than ever before, partially due to the Smart Hybrid tech, which is now being offered on the petrol Ciaz as well. The engine comes mated to a choice of transmission options, a 5-speed manual or a 4-speed Auto.

The engine is less powerful than the petrols offered by the Honda City and Hyundai Verna. This said, the real strength of the new motor is in the way it builds up speeds from lower engine speeds and this makes it a great city tool. In fact, in spite of the a 4-speed auto (as compared to 5 or 6 or CVT for rivals), the A/T Ciaz does not feel under-powered, nor does it run out of breath on open roads. Both the A/T and M/T do similar speeds in their top gears at 2000rpm – roughly 82 as per display.

The new K15B engine also performs well when given the stick. While it will not be able to overshadow the Honda City 1.5 petrol or the Hyundai Verna 1.6 petrol, it will keep most owners happy, more so due to its frugal nature. Being a Ciaz owner back home, I also feel that engineers have tweaked the suspension, aiding both comfort and stability at higher speeds.

While the diesel range is slightly more affordable than the outgoing models, the petrol line-up has seen a hike and this is primarily due to the Smart Hybrid addition. Even then, the Ciaz manages to play the pricing card rather well and ends up being the most affordable in the segment. And with improvements across parameters, this new Maruti seems all set to regain its crown as the best C-segment car in India.

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BMW started the ‘corporate edition’ trend in India when the German luxury car maker offered a stripped-down, cheaper version of the 3-Series 320 d sedan. Taking a leaf out of BMW’s book, Skoda has followed suit with the Superb corporate edition. Priced at Rs. 23.49 lakhs, the cut-price variant of the car is Rs. 2.1 lakhs cheaper than the entry-level Superb Style TSI variant, which sells for Rs. 25.59 lakhs, ex-showroom Delhi. Other details of the Skoda Superb corporate edition are yet to be revealed. What you can be sure of is that the car is likely to have many feature deletions considering the near 10% price drop.

Bookings for the Superb corporate edition are now open at Skoda dealerships, and deliveries of the car will start from September 2018. Like other variants of the car, the Skoda Superb will be assembled in India at the automaker’s Aurangabad factory through the completely knocked down (CKD) route. The Skoda Superb sold in India comes in five variants: Style TSI MT, Style TSI AT, L&K TSI AT, Style TDI AT and L&T TDI AT. The diesel L&T variant of the car is the range topper, and is priced at Rs. 32.99 lakhs. It’ll be interesting to see which engine Skoda will offer with the Superb. The corporate edition Superb is likely to get the 1.8 TSI-6 MT combination.

The regular variants of the car get the 1.8-litre TSI turbocharged petrol engine with 177 Bhp-320 Nm on tap. This engine gets a 6-speed manual gearbox on the base variant, and a 7-speed twin clutch automatic gearbox on two higher variants. The diesel motor on the Superb is the 2-litre TDI motor, with 174 Bhp-350 Nm. The diesel engine comes with a 6-speed twin clutch DSG automatic gearbox as standard. The Superb is knownfor the superb comfort and luxury it offers on the inside. The solidly built Skoda sedan offers German car comfort at a much cheaper price tag. The corporate edition promises to make it a lot more accessible.

Via Team-BHP

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Dilip Chhabria or DC as he’s more popularly known is probably the best vehicle designer to have made it from India. Chhabria’s design house, DC Designs, is known for modifying the exteriors and interiors of cars on sale in India to give them a swanky new look. Here is a look at 10 SUVs modified by DC Design. Unlike the examples of the interiors of modified vehicles we featured earlier, DC Design may need quite a few umpires to judge the styling of these modified SUVs.

Toyota Fortuner

The SUV you see in the image above is a heavily modified previous-gen Toyota Fortuner by DC Design. With its massive gaping front grille, this redesigned Fortuner looks extremely odd. The DC-tweaked redesign is maybe a step too far in the wrong direction considering how inoffensive the previous Fortuner’s design was.

Renault Duster

The Renault Duster is one of the French carmaker’s best-selling SUVs and is a well-known sight on Indian roads. DC too took the scalpel to the front end of the Duster returning with a front design that looks modern and muscular. The sleek front grille looks brilliant and houses the slim LED headlamps. The slightly tweaked front bumper also plays host to a set of auxiliary lights and fog lamps. This is one redesign that we can totally get behind.

Mahindra XUV500

The Mahindra XUV500 is one of the better-looking SUVs in the Indian market today. DC Design’s version elevates the design of the XUV500 by a notch with a more aggressive front grille and bumper with its tall and wide air dam. The XUV500 is another tasteful SUV redesigned by DC.

Mahindra Thar

If you feel the need to pinch yourself after seeing this and reading the Mahindra Thar nametag, then do so as this is very real. Dubbed ‘The Urban Mod’, the DC tweaked Thar is almost totally unrecognisable and is not something we find ourselves drawn to. Do You?

Ford EcoSport

The launch of the pre-facelift Ford EcoSport started the whole compact SUV craze in India. DC’s redesigned EcoSport gets a sleek grille, LED headlights and a redesigned bumper. The EcoSport’s reworked bumper features a large air dam and is flanked on either side by a twin-pod lighting setup.

Maruti Gypsy

This DC-modified Gypsy was used in the hit movie Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge and is currently showcased at the Heritage Car Museum near Gurgaon. The modified Gypsy is what bought DC’s name into the limelight in India. The DC-tweaked Gypsy featured a black-interior dashboard from the Maruti 1000, which later evolved into the Esteem, sedan. The exterior design of the Gypsy also gets a few bits and bobs from the 1000 as well. This Gypsy is for many Indians a timeless classic.

image via clicktouring

Porsche Cayenne Turbo

The Porsche Cayenne is not what you would call the best-looking SUV around, and many people who know their Porsches claim it is a raised and extended 911 on stilts. However, DC’s take on the large SUV from Porsche just makes you want to turn away and look elsewhere. DC has given the Porsche a new front end with a large mesh grille, new headlights and taillamps and has removed the rear doors. This is one DC mod that we definitely do not recommend.

Maruti Vitara Brezza

The Maruti Vitara Brezza is the most popular compact SUV in India and it comes as no surprise that DC Design has gone ahead and played around with it. The Brezza tweaked by DC features new front and rear bumpers, a new grille, LED indicators and large air vents up front. The DC-modded Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza has been given a bold makeover and its aggressiveness is something we approve of.

Toyota Land Cruiser

DC design’s take on an old Toyota Land Cruiser is in a word, eccentric. With multiple plastic add-ons and inserts bolted to the body and more modern headlamps, the DC looks different from every other Land Cruiser on the planet. While we don’t know what exactly to make of it, one has to admit that it is a rather unique take on Toyota’s legendary off-roader.

Tata Sierra

The Tata Sierra was a handsome brute of an SUV with its boxy three-door design. Unfortunately, DC’s styling scalpel went to work on the SUV’s boxy and butch design, resulting in the front end looking decidedly odd. With its small headlights, large round fog lights, crossed out square grille, redesigned bonnet and flared wheel arches, the DC Sierra is not something we would approve of especially with those god-awful faux air scoops.

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Royal Enfield showed off the Himalayan Dakar Edition at a motorcycle show in Bangkok, Thailand. The Dakar Edition  Himalayan is a custom-build from Royal Enfield, which gives the motorcycle an enduro bike look. The Himalayan Dakar Edition has hints of the previous generation KTM 990 Adventure in terms of design.

It gets new tank panels, a revised headlamp design that hosts projectors, a new crash guard, auxiliary lamps mounted on the crash guard, a custom seat, revised rear mudguard, new knobbly tyres and a handlebar brace. There’s a taller exhaust muffler that gets a nicely enclosed panel.

Apart from these changes, the motorcycle remains stock mechanically. What this means is, it runs the same 411cc,  air-oil cooled single cylinder engine. This four stroke motor makes 24.5 Bhp-32 Nm, and is capable of propelling the  motorcycle to a top speed of nearly 130 Kmph.

A 5 speed manual gearbox is standard on the bike, which also gets disc brakes on the front and rear wheels. While the India-spec Himalayan does not offer ABS, the motorcycle sold in Europe and other international markets gets dual channel ABS as standard. The India-spec Himalayan is also expected to gain ABS before April 2019 as new government regulations make it mandatory for ABS on all bikes with engine capacity above 125cc.

The Himalayan is the most radical motorcycle as that Royal Enfield has built in decades. Positioned as an affordable  on-off road motorcycle, the Himalayan starts at a price tag of under Rs. 1.7 lakhs. Sold in both India and abroad,  the motorcycle has now been revamped with a Version 2.0, which has ironed out the various niggles that the first-  generation model suffered.

The motorcycle has a good suspension set-up with long travel at both ends. This makes it a great bike for off-road and no-road conditions. The comfortable ergonomics also help greatly for long distance  touring. All in all, the Royal Enfield Himalayan is a formidable ADV motorcycle.

Via Royal Enfield on Facebook

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Yeah you read it right! The new Yamaha R15 V3.0 is facing some issues in the body panels, which are failing to stay in place.  One such manufacturing defect reported by several different people across country involves the plastic body panels wrapping around the fuel tank of the bike.

According to several Youtubers, the plastic body panel surrounding the fuel tank is poorly fastened and the brackets are not strong enough to hold the panel in position. As seen in several videos the panel can be easily dislocated from the body by just a push of a hand.

This reflects rather poorly on the poor build quality of the bike and a few owners have already resorted to some home fixes by placing cardboards in between to firmly secure locks of the panel. Others have reported this issue to the dealers and asked for a replacement, or a fix to this shortcoming.

Now though, there’s a happy ending.

Taking serious note of this matter, Yamaha has now instructed dealers to fix the fuel tank panel issue on the R15 with brand new panels that the company is now shipping out. This fix will be carried out at no cost to the customer. Good going, Yamaha!

The Yamaha R15 V3.0 was launched in Indian market at the Delhi auto expo in Feb this year. Priced at INR 1.27 lakhs Yamaha R15 V3.0 is one of the expensive bikes in its segment.  Powered by an all-new 155 cc single cylinder engine churning out 19.3 Bhp and 15 Nm of peak torque, the R15 V3.0  is the most powerful bike in the segment leaving the segment competitors behind in speed runs.

All the power is transferred via 6-speed gearbox to the rear tyres. Yamaha R15 V3.0 is the first bike in its segment to come with slip and assist clutch as a standard across the range. The new Yamaha R15 V3.0 is designed to mimic its bigger litre class sibling Yamaha YZF-R1 in terms of styling. Last week, Yamaha launched the Moto-GP theme based version of the R15 V3.0 at the price of 1.30 lakhs (ex-showroom).

Via Maxabout with video courtesy A2YMotoride

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Mahindra is testing its upcoming utility vehicles quite rigorously. The Indian SUV giant was spotted testing not one,  not two, but three new cars near Manali, en route to Ladakh. Ladakh is one of the highest altitude regions of India, and automakers routinely carry out their cold weather testing here. The Mahindra convoy of test vehicles spied by our reader Manish Bhardwaj consisted of the Marazzo MPV, the S201 code-named compact SUV and the new Scorpio Getaway.

The Mahindra Marazzo MPV will be launched in India on the 3rd of September. Said to have the largest footprint for a Mahindra passenger car, the monocoque-bodied Marazzo will be slotted in between the Maruti Ertiga and the Toyota Innova Crysta MPVs.

The Marazzo will be offered with a newly developed, 1.5 litre turbocharged diesel engine good for around 120 Bhp-300 Nm. A 6 speed manual gearbox is expected to accompany this engine and drive the front wheels of the MPV. 7 seat and 8 seat options will be on offer, and the Mahindra Marazzo’s prices are expected to start from under Rs. 10 lakhs.

The S201 is essentially a sub-4-meter version of the Ssangyong Tivoli compact SUV. It’ll be a direct rival to the likes of the Maruti Brezza and Tata Nexon. Mahindra is expected to launch the S201 in India early next year. The  compact SUV promises best-in-class performance. The petrol engine is expected to be a 125 Bhp+ turbocharged petrol  engine, while the diesel is likely to pack in about 115 Bhp. Manual and automatic gearbox options are likely for the S201, which will be monocoque-bodied and front wheel driven. Mahindra is expected to slot the SUV at under Rs. 7 lakhs in terms of starting price.

The new Scorpio Getaway is already on sale in many international markets, but Mahindra is taking its time for India.  When launched here, the new Scorpio Getaway will take on the Isuzu V-Cross and the Tata Xenon. A twin cab pick-up truck with room for five passengers, the Scorpio Getaway gets front-end styling similar to the Scorpio SUV – its  sibling. The Scorpio Getaway is also expected to share its 2.2 litre mHawk turbocharged diesel engine with the  Scorpio. This motor makes 140 Bhp-320 Nm, and is paired to a 6 speed manual gearbox. A four wheel drive option is also likely for this pick-up truck, whose prices are likely to start from a shade over Rs. 10 lakhs.

In the meanwhile, here is quick look at the Marazzo which will be launched in the first week September.

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Hyundai India has just given the Xcent compact sedan a big safety boost by making twin airbags and ABS standard across all variants of the car. This move puts the Hyundai Xcent at par with the likes of other top-selling compact sedans such as the Maruti Dzire and Honda Amaze, both of which offer these safety features as standard across all variants. The addition of these features also results in the prices of the car going up. The Hyundai Xcent now starts at Rs. 5.5 lakhs for the base petrol model, going up to Rs. 7.69 lakhs for the top-end model. Similarly, the diesel variants begin at Rs. 6.42 lakhs, and go up to Rs. 8.61 lakhs.

Hyundai has also discontinued the E+ variants on the Xcent, and the car is now offered with E, S, Sx and Sx Option, across both petrol and diesel engine options. The Xcent is a sub-4 meter compact sedan based on the Hyundai Grand i10 hatchback. It’s popular both among private car buyers and cab operators. The Xcent shares its engines and manual gearboxes with the Grand i10. The petrol engine is a 1.2 litre VTVT engine with 82 Bhp-114 Nm. The diesel engine is a 1.2 litre 3-cylinder turbocharged diesel motor with 70 Bhp-170 Nm outputs. Both engines are offered with 5 speed manual gearboxes as standard.

Until the arrival of the all-new Honda Amaze, the Hyundai Xcent was firmly entrenched in the number 2 position in sales, behind the segment-leading Maruti Dzire. The new Amaze has changed this order, pushing the Xcent to the third place. This seems to have prompted Hyundai to go in for a variant rejig, in order to make the Xcent more appealing to buyers. The car is due for an all-new model in a couple of years, which is expected to add an AMT option. Key strengths of the current Xcent include high reliability, affordable maintenance costs, good fuel efficiency and spacious interiors, replete with rear AC vents.

Via MyCarHelpline

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Close on the heels of Marurti Suzuki ruling out the Swift Sport and the Jimny models for India, here’s another highly anticipated car that’s unlikely to make it to Indian car showrooms anytime soon. The 7-seat Maruti WagonR, which was first showcased in Indonesia as the Suzuki WagonR R3 concept is unlikely to be launched in India.

This was confirmed by Maruti Suzuki engineering head, Mr CV Raman, who told IAB the following,

We study the MPV segments, and it is actually shrinking…volumes are too low. And if people need practicality of 7 seats in budget, we offer this already with Omni and Eeco. And we have Ertiga also whichoffers VFM. So products are already available.

Maruti already has two hot selling 7 seat cars, in fact vans, in the sub-Rs. 5 lakh segments in the form of the Omni  and Eeco. The 7 seat WagonR, if and when launched, would have been Maruti’s 3rd offering in the space, and at a  similar price point.

Considering that this segment is shrinking, Maruti doesn’t think that it’s worthwhile to bring  the 7-seat WagonR to India. What this means is that the Datsun Go Plus station wagon will be the only ‘car-like’ 7-seater at a sub-Rs. 5 lakh price point in the foreseeable future. Notably, the Datsun Go Plus will soon get a facelift in India.

The next major change in the WagonR line-up for the Indian market will be an all-new model. The all-new WagonR is expected to be launched in India some time next year. The car will get a complete styling revamp and will also get  up-rated safety features. For the past couple of years, many test mules of the all-new WagonR have been spotted in and around the NCR roads. The new car is likely to be inspired by the Japan Domestic Model (JDM)-spec WagonR, which was launched last year.

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The first-gear challenge is an internet sensation for gearheads. To perform the first-gear challenge, you need to simply put your bike in the first gear and take off. You need to keep the throttle at full twist until you reach its limit. Your end speed will determine your result. Sounds simple, right? Recently a YouTube video has surfaced, which pits five of the most popular sportbikes in India – the TVS Apache RR 310, the KTM Duke RC 390, the Kawasaki Ninja 300 and the Yamaha R3 to the test. You can watch the video below:

The bikes and their respective speed is as follows:

TVS Apache RR 310: 58 km/h
KTM RC 390: 56 Km/h
KTM DUKE 390: 56 Km/h
Yamaha R3: 66 Km/h
Ninja 300: 60 Km/h

The Yamaha R3 has the most speed thus it is clearly the winner. 

The Yamaha R3 had achieved the maximum speed against all of its competitors. It is because of several factors. The 321-cc liquid-cooled parallel twin cylinder has small 44-mm strokes, which allow them to rev higher. Also, the twin-cylinder nature of the engine reduces torque in the down low to increase power at the top end. Combine these with a super long 1st gear and you have a smooth running motor.

The Ninja 300 came second because it is also a twin-cylinder bike but with a smaller engine. That’s why its pistons had to work extra to get to the same speed as Yamaha R3. All the other single-cylinder bikes make more torque down low and less power up high. As a result, their top speed in 1st gear is almost similar.

Having moderately short gear ratios makes riding in bumper-to-bumper traffic effortless. On the other hand, having really tall ratios will leave you stalling every now and then. The opposite is true if you want to tour on the highway because single-cylinder bikes have a lot of vibrations in the top end while twin-cylinder ones are super smooth.

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Maruti Suzuki, India’s largest carmaker, introduced India to the Maruti 800, in 1983. Since then, the carmaker has rolled out over 15 million vehicles from its plant in Manesar. Over the years, Maruti has introduced India to quite a few cars and many of these are the ones that people are starting to forget as there aren’t many of them on the road today. So let’s take a look back at 10 cars from Maruti Suzuki that you may have forgotten about.

1000

The Maruti 800, which was based on the Suzuki Fronte SS 80, was India’s first hatchback to bear the Maruti badge. Seven years after the arrival of the 800, Maruti introduced the 1000, the first sedan to sport its logo. The Maruti 1000 was considered a premium car when it was launched commanding a price tag of Rs. 3,81,000, in 1990. Powered by a 970-cc engine producing 46 bhp, the 1000 weighed in at just 825 Kg with former PM Rajiv Gandhi a big fan. However, its price, which led to it being described as a project “by the elite for the elite,” meant that not many 1000’s hit the road. In 1993, Maruti replaced the 1000 with the Esteem.

Omni High Roof

The Maruti Omni was simply known as the Van to many Indians. The multi-purpose vehicle was used for everything from a school van to a cargo vehicle. Maruti offered a high-roof version of the Omni with more space; however, people were content with the regular van so the high-roof never really took off.

Zen Classic

The Maruti Zen was launched in India in 1993 and the hatchback has a cult-like following in India. However, when Maruti decided to introduce the Zen Classic, a regular Zen with retro design cues in the form of a three-piece grille, round helmets and steel bumpers, not many Indians cared about it and it was soon discontinued. Finding one of these on the roads today is an extremely rare sight.

Zen Carbon and Steel

Maruti also released limited-run, two-door versions of the Zen in the form of the Zen Carbon and Zen Steel. Maruti made only 50 of the Carbon and Steel cars and they were quickly gobbled up by fans. If you find one of these on the road today be sure to burn the image of the sporty Zens in your mind as it may take you quite a while before you see one again.

Zen Diesel

Maruti introduced a diesel version of the Zen in the year 2000. The diesel Zen was powered by a 1.5-litre engine, sourced from Peugeot, that produced 58 bhp and 78 Nm of torque. Despite the big gap in the prices of petrol and diesel fuels at its launch, the diesel Zen was not popular and there are only a few still left on the roads today.

Baleno Altura

India’s relationship with estate cars hasn’t been a good one especially for station wagons. Maruti too fell in the estate-shaped hole with the Baleno Altura. The Altura was powered by a 1.6-litre petrol engine, but like every other estate car in India didn’t do so well in terms of sales and was quietly forgotten.

Versa

Maruti introduced the Versa as a larger 7-seater upgrade to the Omni van. Despite roping in Amitabh Bachchan to promote the Versa at its launch in 2001, the 7-seater people carrier did not garner much attention from Indian car buyers due to its hefty price tag. The Versa was discontinued in 2009, and a year later, the much cheaper Eeco took its place in the Maruti line-up.

A-Star

The Maruti-Suzuki A-Star was launched in 2012 as a rival to the Hyundai i10. While its quirky style and easy of driving attracted attention, its price tag put it in a position where car buyers could buy a Wagon R or even a Swift, both of which were well-established brands from Maruti and offered more space. The A-Star did well for Suzuki in international markets but was discontinued in 2014, in India.

Grand Vitara

The Vitara is a common name in Indian households thanks to the success of the Vitara Brezza compact SUV. Back in 2009, Maruti Suzuki first introduced the Vitara name in India with the Grand Vitara SUV. Unfortunately, the Grand Vitara was imported as a CBU into India, which drove up its price to over Rs. 20 lakh. Apart from that, the Grand Vitara was only offered with a 2.4-litre petrol engine and the large Maruti SUV quickly faded into the background before being discontinued in 2014.

Kizashi

The Suzuki Kizashi was the carmaker’s response to the Toyota Corolla and the Honda Civic. The luxury Suzuki sedan was one of the most affordable CBU vehicles on sale in India. However, people’s perception of Maruti Suzuki as an affordable car brand along with its thirsty 2.4-litre petrol engine didn’t give the Kizashi any brownie points with buyers. The lack of a diesel engine also hampered the Kizashi’s chances and it bid India adieu in 2014, three years after it first arrived.

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Multiple reports suggest that Maruti Suzuki is preparing to launch a petrol-powered version of the Vitara Brezza, in India. Launched two years ago, the best-selling Maruti Brezza compact SUV has been motoring on with a single-diesel engine option, even as the competition comprising the Ford EcoSport and the Tata Nexon offers both petrol and diesel engines.

According to reports, the petrol engine for the Brezza will be the newly introduced 1.5-litre K-Series motor, which was first seen on the facelifted Ciaz. This engine will be offered in combination with the Suzuki Hybrid Vehicle System (SHVS) mild hybrid, the reports add. Maruti however, has not confirmed these rumours yet.

Initially, there was talk about Maruti offering the 1-litre 3-cylinder BoosterJet turbocharged petrol engine on the Vitara Brezza. The same engine is offered on the Maruti Baleno RS. The new rumours though have put paid to the speculation.

However, the 1-litre motor still makes a lot of sense for the Vitara Brezza considering the fact that the sub-4 meter compact SUV will be able to enjoy duty benefits if it gets this engine. In case of the 1.5-litre K-Series naturally aspirated petrol engine, duty benefits will not be available as the engine is well over the 1.2-litre limit (for duty exemption).

There’s no clear timeline as to when the petrol powered Maruti Brezza will be launched in India. For now, the compact SUV is available with the Fiat Multijet 1.3-litre turbocharged diesel engine. This motor makes 89 Bhp-200 Nm, and is paired with two transmission options – a 5-speed manual and a 5-speed AMT. The addition of the petrol engine to this SUV is expected to provide a substantial boost in sales. But until clear confirmation from Maruti Suzuki arrives, do treat this bit of news as a rumour that originated sometime during the market launch of the facelifted Ciaz.

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The automotive market of India is currently going in top gear. A slew of new launches and facelifts have already made their way into the market. Huge discounts are also on offer by almost all major companies. The market is hot and the manufacturers are in no mood of slowing down. Here’s a list of 13 new cars that are going to be launched soon.

Datsun Go

The most affordable car on the list. The new facelifted model will reportedly feature a reworked bumper with LED DRLs and a new set of eyes. A new grille with chrome accents could also possibly make an appearance. The interiors are expected to get reworked with a newly designed dashboard. It will continue to be offered with the current three-cylinder, 1.2-litre petrol engine, mated to a five speed manual transmission. An automatic option is unlikely, but could be offered as an option. Pricing is expected to go up by Rs. 30,000 – 50,000 than the outgoing model, which retails in the Rs 3.31- 4.56 lakh range. The car is expected to be launched somewhere around September of this year.

Hyundai Santro

The good old Santro is coming back, but in an all-new form. It is touted to replace Hyundai’s current entry level hatchback Eon. It is likely to feature the same 1.1-litre engine which previously did duty on the discontinued i10. Also, it will be Hyundai’s first car to launch in India with an AMT gearbox.

It will also score big on safety and features. Interior space will also be better than the i10 and the company is betting big on this one. Expect the car to be launched by the end of this year with a price tag between Rs.3.5 Lakh to Rs. 5.5 Lakh.

Tata Tiago JTP

Tata Motors and Coimbatore-based Jayem Automotives have been busy readying the performance version of the Tiago hatchback. Dubbed as the Tiago JTP, this hatchback will be powered by the Nexon’s 1.2-litre three-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine. Hence, in all likelihood, the upcoming hot-hatch version of the Tiago will offer a maximum power of 110 PS along with a peak torque of 150 Nm. Other than a more powerful engine, the car will also have a performance-tuned suspension and transmission. The launch is likely to take place towards the end of this year.

Ford Figo/Aspire

After Ecosport, Hyundai also plans to bring in facelifted modes of the Figo and Aspire. The company has planned to not launch any new models for the next 2 years, so these facelifts will probably run long. Onto the cars now, the design changes will include a new honeycomb mesh grille with redesigned front and rear bumpers. Newly styled fog lamps will also be present.

At the rear, the car will sport a redesigned bumper with a rugged look. The main change in the interior would be a floating touch infotainment screen with the new SYNC3 system. Both the cars are also expected to get revised upholstery and a new interior theme. The engines on offer are a new 1.2-litre ‘Dragon’ series 3-cylinder petrol engine and the same old 1.5-litre TDCI diesel engine. Prices are expected to be around Rs. 6 lakh. Expect it to be launched sometime in October.

Tata Tigor JTP

Even the Tigor compact sedan will get a JTP variant. Akin to the Tiago JTP, the Tigor JTP will be powered by a 1.2-litre turbo-petrol engine that outputs 110 PS and 150 Nm. It will also receive a performance-tuned gearbox and suspension. On the outside, it will get minor visual tweaks that will make the JTP variant look sportier than the regular ones. Subtle changes will be made to the interior, too. The performance variant of the Tigor will be launched around the end of this year.

Datsun Go+

The bigger brother of the Datsun GO, the GO+ is a very economical choice for someone who wants a decent MPV. It will share all its underpinnings with the GO. Expect the same changes on the outside too. A new bumper with LED DRLs is one of the main features at the front along with redesigned headlights. Interior changes include a completely new dashboard design with a centrally mounted 6.75-inch touchscreen infotainment screen. The engine options will remain the same as the Datsun GO. Prices are expected to be around Rs. 4 lakhs. The company will launch the vehicle somewhere around September.

Mahindra S201 compact SUV

Another SUV that Mahindra and Mahindra plans to launch this year is the S201. The compact SUV is based on the Ssangyong Tivoli and will compete with the Maruti Vitara Brezza. It will be powered by the company’s new-age 1.2-litre petrol and 1.5-litre diesel engines. These engines will offer a good mix of performance and fuel efficiency. It’s expected to be launched early next year.

Maruti Suzuki Ertiga

Maruti’s successful MPV Ertiga has been in wait for a new model for quite some time. The new car features an all new headlamp unit at the front. Also, a new grille and a reworked bumper complete  the package. Overal, the car gets sharper than before and looks good. On the inside, there’s an all-new cabin with a touchscreen infotainment system, likely to be the same unit as the Dzire. The same old 1.4-litre four-cylinder petrol engine will continue its duy, while reports suggest that the company’s newly developed 1.5-litre diesel engine is likely to replace the old 1.3-litre four-cylinder motor. Expect pricing to start at Rs. 6.5 lakh with launch near October.

Mahindra Marazzo

It’s said that Mahindra and Mahindra will launch as many as three all-new cars in the next six months. Out of these, one will be the Marazzo MPV that has been spied on numerous occasions. The U321 MPV will be launched around Diwali this year and will be powered by a 1.6-litre turbo diesel engine that will have a high power output along with decent mileage.

Jeep Compass Trailhawk Diesel

Jeep’s Indian success can be wrapped up in a single word, the Compass. It is a model which changed the company’s fortune on its own. The new Trailhawk version is already being manufactured at FCA’s plant in Ranjangaon. The new diesel engine will be mated to a nine-speed automatic, rather than the six-speed manual offered on the current top-spec trim, the Limited (O) 4×4. Expect the pricing to be somewhat around Rs. 24 lakh. The version will be a top of the line variant with all the whistles and blows. So we can expect the car will not be short on comfort and equipment.

Honda CR-V

Honda recently revealed that the new CR-V will be launched in October 2018. The new CR-V shares its platform with the new Civic. As it will be an all new car, expect the interiors to be revamped fully. On the outside, it follows the same design that the company has been using on other models. A thick chrome bar sits at the centre, changing the whole look of the CR-V

New angular headlamps with a redesigned bumper also grab attention. Not to forget LED DRLs which are now the norm across the range. The new CR-V will be sold in India with a 1.6-litre, 120 PS diesel engine and a 2.0-litre, 154 PS petrol. Both the engines will come with automatic transmission only. The diesel-powered model will be the one with 3 rows. While the petrol CR-V will be 2WD only, the diesel will have the option of AWD as well. Pricing is expected to go over Rs 27 lakh.

Mahindra XUV700

Mahindra and Mahindra will launch the new-gen Ssangyong Rexton G4 in India towards the end of this year. Rumours abound that the all-new Rexton will be launched in India as the XUV700. It will become the most expensive model in Mahindra’s product portfolio and will take on vehicles, such as the Toyota Fortuner.

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Recently, a media report suggested that Tata Motors is developing a brand new micro SUV for the Indian market, which will compete with the Mahindra KUV100. Code-named the X445, this Micro SUV has been dubbed as a mini Nexon of sorts. Earlier this year, during the 2018 Auto Expo, Tata Motors put out a teaser video throwing hints of its future products. A screen grab from that teaser video shows a car that looks like a micro SUV. This could perhaps be the Hornbill micro SUV that Tata Motors plans to launch in India sometime in 2020/21. Apart from this screengrab, nothing much is known about what the Tata Hornbill could look like.

The screengrab indicates a squat stance for the car, much like the Maruti Ignis, but with a much more taller profile, and more butch looks. The design seems to have an element of sharpness, quite unlike any other Tata car on sale currently. It doesn’t look like a scaled down Nexon.

Rather, the Tata Hornbill micro SUV looks like the baby brother of the H5X, a full-sized 5-seat SUV that’s coming to India early next year. Although the Mahindra KUV100 and the Maruti Ignis haven’t really taken off in India, interest in the SUV segment remains sky high, and Tata Motors seems intent on riding this wave with multiple offerings, at multiple price points.

While none of the mechanical details of the Tata Hornbill micro SUV have been revealed, we can take a few calculated guesses. Since the Hornbill will sit in the sub-4 meter segment, the petrol engine will have to displace 1.2 litres or lesser for duty benefits.

Tata Motors already has the Revotron range of 1.2 litre petrol engines, both in naturally aspirated and turbocharged forms. Coming to the diesel engine, if it will actually be offered on this car, there’s the 1.5 litre Revotorq unit that can be borrowed from the Nexon. Tata also has the 1.1 litre-3 cylinder turbocharged diesel that it offers on the Tiago and Tigor.

Also Read: Royal Enfield Lightning 535-based chopper Is The ultimate custom thumper

Royal Enfields are pretty expensive bikes to maintain and run. They need care, thought and more than a normal biker to remain in good condition. But above all they give you a warm feeling when you thump that engine to life and ride like there’s no tomorrow, every time. However, what if we say that your favourite bullet can give your hard-earned bucks back to you. And no, we are not talking about some company offers, but of this video which popped out of nowhere and had us in splits. Take a look.

Apparently, this particular Royal Enfield is throwing cash out of its exhaust pipe like an ATM machine gone rogue. The bike in question seems to be a Royal Enfield Bullet 350 with a cast iron engine (going by the thump). From what we see, the bike has not been modified much apart from a set of fancy alloys. The owner, as it seems, has stuffed a wad of notes in his exhaust pipe. They were arranged such as to not cause a blockage when the engine runs.

The video starts from a point where the Bullet is already running and blurting notes out of its exhaust pipe. The notes in question are Rs. 200 bills which is quite evident if you notice their signature orange colour. The bike is on a standstill with the engine being revved to dish out the notes. Also, there are not just 4-5 notes but a whole lot (wad) of them. If you see the video carefully enough, you will notice that the notes had been stuffed in a very proper and orderly fashion. This is quite evident in the manner they come out.

This one sure makes for a good laugh. However such things can seriously damage the bike in some cases. Doing such antics to a regular bullet may even cause a fire. So, try such antics at your own peril.

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A Delhi based rider, Taranpreet Singh Sahni has got himself what is perhaps one of the most aggressive choppers on the road today. The chopper can be seen in the video uploaded by The Savage Singh on Youtube, who captured the cruiser with the heart of a Royal Enfield Lightning in all its glory during an Independence Day ride with the Fateh Family riders group in Delhi.

The custom chopper was built in Ludhiana, Punjab and features a custom hardtail frame, which means that there is no suspension setup at the rear. While the hardtail frame allows for the classic chopper lines that enthusiasts love, the lack of suspension at the rear means that the ride will be a bumpy one.

Other cool design features on this custom chopper from Delhi include an extra long raked front end, skull-shaped turn indicators, extremely wide handlebars (which make riding in traffic and turning an absolute workout). The sculpted fuel tank features a Punisher skull motif and follows the frame as it curves down onto the low set seat. Other custom features include chopped and sculpted front and rear fenders a custom intake and exhaust setup for the donor Cast iron 535cc Royal Enfield Lightning engine. The total price for building the custom bike is an eye-watering Rs 7 lakhs.

The customized chopper is not Sahni’s only big bike. The Delhi rider who goes by moniker the_boy_with_bikes can be seen riding numerous bikes including a Ninja 650, Ducati Monster, Hyosung Aquila, a Suzuki Intruder M 1800R & Hayabusa, a few Harleys and a Can-Am Spider among many others on his Instagram and Youtube pages.

The 535cc engine used on this custom Chopper is from a Royal Enfield Lightning 535, a cruiser motorcycles built by RE in the 90s and the first half of the 2000s before it was discontinued. The RE Lightning 535 featured a cast-iron 535cc single-cylinder engine that produced around 26 Bhp. The Lightning’s engine was based on the Fritz Egli tuned Bullets and came paired with a 4-speed gearbox. The Lightning had a top speed between 125 km/h and 130 km/h.

The Royal Enfield Lightning was made specifically for the Indian market and featured a dual-tone paint scheme, pulled back handlebars, slim front and rear fenders, a teardrop-shaped fuel tank and a sissy bar for the pillion. Electric start was an optional extra.

Also Read: Royal Enfield Lightning 535-based chopper Is The ultimate custom thumper

Royal Enfield has sent out media invites for a launch that will happen on the 28th of August, 2018. The invite reads ‘An ode to the Royal Enfields in service and those who ride them’. From the looks of it, it could be yet another military-themed motorcycle that Royal Enfield is planning for India.

However, a Team-BHPian recently revealed that a Royal Enfield dealer has said that dual channel ABS equipped motorcycles are due for launch. A couple of other Royal Enfield dealers that CarToq spoke to also confirmed the same. So, it remains to be seen what Royal Enfield launches/unveils on the 28th of August, 2018.

It’s high time that dual channel ABS makes it to all Royal Enfield motorcycles sold in India. In fact, the motorcycle maker already sells dual channel ABS equipped motorcycles in Europe. So, the technology is certainly available with the brand, and mass production is already happening.

Royal Enfield will have to compulsorily equip its motorcycles with ABS before April 2019 due to governmental regulations kicking in. We hope that the brand does it well ahead of the government-mandated deadline as a lot of riders in India will be looking forward to such a safety feature.

ABS, which expands into anti-lock braking system, is a life-saving safety feature. It ensures that the wheels of a vehicle do not lock up even under severe, emergency braking. You can simply press the brake pedal as hard as you can during an emergency and yet, the wheels will not lock up.

This eliminates skidding, which is one of the biggest reasons for two-wheeler accidents. ABS also allows the rider of the two-wheeler to steer safely during hard braking. This helps the rider avoid colliding against an obstacle by steering around it. Europe has already mandated ABS on two-wheelers and India is all set to follow suit from April 2019.

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Tata’s upcoming 5-seater SUV Harrier was first previewed at Auto Expo 2018 in February in the form of the H5X concept. With the Harrier set to launch in January of 2019, Tata Motors is hard at work putting its upcoming SUV to the test. The latest spy shots of the Tata Harrier, captured by Autocar India, show the SUV testing at a rather surprising place – Kari Motor Speedway, near Coimbatore.

While the Harrier may seem out of place at a race track, Tata appears to be testing the high-speed cornering and stability to fine tune the suspension and steering settings. While the track may seem an odd place for an SUV, the Harrier is the first SUV from Tata to be caught on a race track, but hopefully, this will ensure that it doesn’t roll badly in a corner.

However, what appears odd on the test mule of the Harrier are the same 16-inch wheels fitted with 235/70 R16 tyres seen on lower-spec Hexas. However, the final-spec Tata Harrier models are expected to feature larger wheels considering the top-spec Hyundai Creta comes fitted with 17-inch wheels.

The test mule of the Harrier seen at the Kari Motor Speedway was once again highly camouflaged as Tata wants to keep the SUV’s final design under wraps until it arrives in January 2018. However, Tata has stated that the production-spec SUV would look mostly similar to the H5X concept.

The Tata Harrier will be powered by a 2.0-litre turbocharged diesel engine from Fiat’s multijet, which can also be found under the bonnet of the Jeep Compass SUV. The Harrier’s engine will be paired with a 6-speed manual gearbox and a 6-speed automatic transmission from Hyundai. The Tata Harrier is expected to feature all-wheel drive and multiple driving modes.

Tata is also working on a larger version of the Harrier, codenamed H7X, that will feature seven seats. The new Tata Harrier will be available in India, in January 2019, and will  take on the Hyundai Creta, Mahindra XUV500, the Renault Captur and the upcoming Nissan Kicks.

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Maruti Suzuki recently launched the new 2018 Ciaz. IAB’s automotive illustrator Shoeb Kalania has come up with a render of the exterior styling of the 2018 Maruti Suzuki Ciaz S (Sports) trim.

The new Ciaz has been priced between Rs 8.19 – Rs. 10.97 lakh. The car is currently available in four trims – Sigma, Delta, Zeta and Alpha. As seen in the render, the front grille does not have any chrome inserts. The bumper has also been given a new look with the round fog lamps replaced with horizontal LED strips.

The top of the grille gets a body-coloured trim. Talking about the sides, the car features striking all new, sporty multi-spoke alloy wheels. The side mirrors are now completely black. Coming to the rear, the boot lid spoiler further enhance the look of the Ciaz. Also, the roof is painted completely black, in stark contrast to the rest of the paint job.

As far as the interiors are concerned, Maruti Suzuki is expected to come with an all-back theme to enhance the sporty look of the car. Features like touchscreen SmartPlay infotainment unit, all-leather upholstery and cruise control are expected to come along with this Sports version. Other features will include LED projector headlamps, LED Daytime Running Lights and electric-folding ORVMs.

As this is a sporty version of the regular Ciaz, safety should be a priority for the company. Therefore, safety features, such as dual front airbags, ABS, Speed Alert Warning, and seat belt reminder for front passengers are likely to be present in the car.

Comparing the regular Ciaz and the Sports variant, the former seems to have more bling while the latter is definitely sportier, justifying its name. Though any major engine change is unlikely to happen, some minor tweaks to the mechanicals can truly make it a ‘Sports’ version. Maruti is yet to sign off on the sportier Ciaz though. In the meantime, here is our video review of the new Ciaz:

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