Hyundai Creta, the best-selling SUV in the segment is currently feeling the heat from the new launches in the market. The Hyundai Creta currently sells around 10,000 units every month on an average. However, the recent launches like Mahindra XUV300 and the Tata Harrier may hamper the sales of the model in the Indian market. Looking forward, Hyundai is planning to launch a new variant of the compact SUV in the market with extra features. The new variant will be launched in the Indian market next week. The updated variant will offer a few extra features and will also include new features to meet the new safety rules.

According to a report on ACI, Hyundai will launch the EX variant of the Creta in the Indian market. It will replace the Hyundai Creta E+ trim from the line-up. The Hyundai Creta EX will come with additional features like standard daytime running lamps, armrest for the rear seat passengers with integrated cup holder, reverse parking sensors and adjustable rear headrests. These features will be standard on both the petrol and diesel variants of the Hyundai Creta EX trim.

The diesel version of the Hyundai Creta EX, which will be priced slightly higher will get extra additional features like 5.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system, steering-mounted controls for the audio, sun glass holder, map light, two tweeters and a 12V charging socket in the front. The Creta EX petrol will not get a charging socket in the front, which was earlier available with the E+ trim.

Hyundai is planning to juggle the other trims as well. The Creta S automatic variant is likely to be discontinued by the manufacturer in the future. The diesel automatic version will now start from  the SX trim level, which will increase the price of the compact SUV too.

Hyundai will not make any mechanical changes to the vehicle. It will remain powered by the same engine options in the market. Hyundai offers three engine options in the Indian market. There is a 1.4-litre diesel engine, a 1.6-litre diesel engine and a 1.6-litre engine available with the compact SUV. All the variants are offered with either six-speed manual or six-speed automatic transmission.

The 1.4-litre diesel engine in the Hyundai Creta produces a maximum power of 88.7 Bhp at 4,000 rpm and peak torque of 219 Nm between 1,500 rpm and 2,750 rpm. The 1.6-litre diesel version of the compact SUV produces a maximum power of 126 Bhp and peak torque of 260 Nm. There is a 1.6-litre petrol version too. It produces a maximum power of 122 Bhp and a peak torque of 151 Nm.

Hyundai will soon launch the all-new Creta in the Indian market in the coming times. It is expected to be bigger than the current version. For now, the Hyundai Creta’s base variant is priced at Rs. 9.99 lakh. With the new variant, Hyundai may keep the price the same while offering more features.

Also Read: Ola to challenge ZoomCar with new Self Drive car service!

Ola cabs, which has become one of the largest cab sharing platforms in India will soon get into the self-drive car business. The brand has decided to enter the new business after investing $500 million in the sector. It will be the first time that Ola will invest in such a business in the Indian market. The homegrown cab hailing startup recently collected a huge investment from India’s second largest manufacturer – Hyundai and its sister brand and upcoming manufacturer in India – Kia.

Both the Korean brands have together pumped in around Rs. 2,000 crores in Ola and there is investment from Flipkart co-founder Binny Bansal too. The cab-hailing business is also backed by big names like Soft Bank and Tiger Global. The Bengaluru, Karnataka-based company has raised around $3.67 billion till date through various rounds of investments.

Ola will broaden its portfolio with the introduction of the new services. Currently, Ola only offers short distance and inter-state rental cabs. With the new services, Ola will compete directly with the likes of ZoomCars, Avis, Revv, CarzOnRent and more such brands that currently offer self-driven vehicles in India.

Ola currently plans to deploy around 10,000 vehicles in the markets that will be a mix of sedans and SUVs. The exact names of the cities where Ola will provide the self-driving services are not known at the moment. However, it is quite concrete that Ola will initially offer the services only in the major cities of the country before expanding to the other cities.

With the new service, Ola will offer services like long rentals, lease and subscription of the cars. It should be noted that Revv recently started offering subscription-based car ownership in India, which promises to provide a new car if the customer chooses a plan of more than 12 months. Revv offers popular vehicles like Mahindra Scorpio, Maruti Ertiga, Hyundai Creta, Mahindra Marazzo, Mahindra XUV 500 and more.

However, the exact names of the models that will be available with the Ola services are not known yet. Ola is likely to collaborate with the major manufacturers in India to offer the services. However, the decision of entering the leasing business and other such similar services will be based purely on the market feedback.

Self-driving cars are likely to become a major business in the Indian market in the future. Currently, the option is quite unpopular but it is gaining massive popularity and soon we may see more people choosing the rental car service rather than owning a vehicle.

India is one of the world’s largest car market and it is growing at a fast pace. But, the difficulties like maintenance of the car keeps may prospective buyers away. Self-driven vehicles eliminate the need for such ownership experiences and only focusses on the time spent with the vehicle.

Also Read: Ola to challenge ZoomCar with new Self Drive car service!

Sachin Tendulkar is a major car fanatic and is the brand enthusiast of BMW in India. Most of the cars in his garage get the BMW moniker on it and he owns quite a few of them. Sachin Tendulkar’s garage is full of luxury vehicles like BMW 7-Series, BMW M3, BMW M4 and even the futuristic sportscar – the BMW i8.

The Master Blaster has a major love towards his BMW i8 and he is often spotted on the weekends with his i8. He moves around the suburbs of Mumbai most of the time during early hours to enjoy the empty roads of the city. The BMW i8 he owns is in white and blue stock colour but soon after he received the vehicle, Sachin chose to go for a different theme and get a new look for the vehicle. Sachin got his vehicle painted in a custom red with custom blue accents.

Recently, Sachin Tendulkar made some major changes to his i8 and it looks way different from any other BMW i8 in the world. Sachin Tendulkar got the vehicle modified by the popular DC Designs, which is one of the most popular car modification garages in India.

The BMW i8 looks quite good and aggressive in its stock form but with the new changes, it has become one of its kind. The BMW i8 seen in the pictures get a custom made grille, which is very aggressive visually and is completely different from the stock grille, which is plain shiny black in looks. It changes the look of the car completely. The front bumper has been redesigned completely too and it gets bigger air dams. There is a front bumper splitter too that adds a sporty stance to the car.

DC Designs have also completely transformed the rear of the vehicle. It now gets a new customised bumper that echoes the same aggressive looks of the front bumpers. Additionally, the rear gets quad exhaust tips that are exposed. It also gets a wider body look, thanks to the vented rear bumper panels.

It is definitely the only customised BMW i8 in India. Even in the world, a customised BMW i8 can be a rare sight. Sachin has been driving for years now but this is the first time he has customised his vehicles so aggressively. The vehicle also gets a new paint scheme. It removes the blue highlights and gets black highlights all over instead.

The BMW i8 gets a futuristic design that has been applauded and criticised by many. It is the first hybrid sports car from the German brand and it gets powered by a mere 1.5-litre, 3-cylinder petrol engine and an electric motor. The petrol engine generates a maximum power of 231 Bhp and 321 Nm of peak torque. The electric motor is tuned to produce a maximum of 131 Bhp and 250 Nm. Combined, the i8 gets a maximum power of 362 Bhp and 570 Nm. It is quite quick and can hit a ton in just 4.4 seconds from a standstill.

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Royal Enfield has begun testing an upgraded version of its cruiser motorcycle – the Thunderbird. Currently, the  Thunderbird is available in two variants – Regular & X. The motorcycle also gets two engine options – 350cc and  500cc. While Royal Enfield is likely to continue offering multiple engine options on the Thunderbird, and also  multiple variants, the motorcycle will get major mechanical changes ahead of the Bharat Stage 6 (BS6) emission norms, which come into force from April 2020.

Spyshots courtesy PowerDrift

The tightening emission norms seems to have prompted Royal Enfield to go for a full engine redesign. The engine  redesign is evident from the fact that the chain is now situated on the left side of the engine seen on the test  bike. The spyshots also show that the rear brake disc has been relocated from the left hand side (on the current  Thunderbird) to the right hand side (on the upgraded version). The swing arm also seems different. Apart from these  changes, expect features to be added, alloy wheels to be made as standard across the Thunderbird range, along with tubeless tyres.

Another massive change seen on the test bike is the absence of a kickstart. If Royal Enfield dumps the kick starter  for good, it’ll have to rely completely on an electric starter, and this is something that needs very good  reliability from the electric starter unit.

The seats on the spied Royal Enfield Thunderbird seem to have a redesign while the exhaust and rear shock absorbers are also new items. Come 2020, we could see a new range of entry-level Royal Enfield motorcycles with the 350cc and 500cc unit construction engines. We’re saying this as the Royal Enfield  Classic was also recently spied with similar changes.

The 350cc unit construction engine (UCE) that powers most Royal Enfield motorcycles sold in India is expected to  receive fuel injection in order to cope with the BS6 emission norms, which will be much tighter than the existing Bs4  norms. More details on the upgraded Royal Enfields will surface in the coming months.

For now, there’s no clarity on  the launch timeline of the upgraded Classic and Thunderbird range. Considering that Royal Enfield has already started road testing these bikes – which look nearly production ready – and that the BS6 emission norms deadline is fast approaching, we expect the new bikes to be in dealerships before April 2020.

Meanwhile, another retro motorcycle brand – Jawa – will start delivering its motorcycle before the end of March 2019. The arrival of Jawa into the market means that competition for Royal Enfield – until recently a solitary brand in the affordable retro motorcycle space – has just increased in a big way. The new range of Royal Enfields will be aimed at keeping Jawa at bay.

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Tata Harrier, the much-awaited SUV was launched earlier this year in the Indian market. The all-new SUV from the homegrown manufacturer has gained massive traction in the Indian market and there is a huge waiting period on the SUV in the market. However, there are many who are disappointed on the fact that the Harrier does not offer an AWD or 4X4 system. The Harrier is underpinned by the new OMEGA ARC platform that is derived from the Jaguar Land Rover’s D8 platform. The same platform underpins the Discovery, which is a very capable off-roading vehicle.

However, Tata has developed a multi-mode traction control system that allows the Harrier to reach challenging places. The various terrain modes on the vehicle help it to tackle different road surfaces and definitely makes it more capable than the regular 4X2 SUVs. This video from Sagar R shows exactly what kind of terrains the Harrier can take on.

In the video, the Tata Harrier can be seen reversing on a rough incline. The driver of the vehicle gets out to check the ground clearance and sees if the underbody of the vehicle will be damaged in the process and then carries on with his attempt. Reversing the Tata Harrier on the rough incline is not the easiest thing and the front wheels of the SUV struggle to find grip initially too. But by the end of it, the Tata Harrier can be seen climbing the incline without any problem and reaches the top without getting the underbody scraped.

The Tata Harrier offers a ground clearance of 205mm, which is enough to keep it clear of most of the obstacles on the road. Why did the driver reverse the vehicle instead of taking it forward? Well, the exact reason is not known but in off-roading, many try this technique to climb on short steep inclines. All the SUVs have a longer front overhang when compared to the rear overhang. This increases the approach angle of the vehicle if it is reversed. But we think that this test was done to purely check Harrier’s capabilities and not because of a limited approach angle.

The Tata Harrier is powered by a 2.0-litre diesel engine sourced from Fiat. Tata has rebadged it as the KRYOTEC 2.0 engine and it generates a maximum power of 140 PS and a peak torque of 350 Nm. The Harrier comes with a 6-speed manual transmission at the moment but soon Tata is expected to launch a 6-speed automatic transmission sourced from Hyundai. The Harrier gets various driving modes and engine modes that change the SUV behave on different terrains. It surely does not make the vehicle as capable as the 4WD SUVs but the terrain response system surely helps in difficult situations. Tata is said to be working on a new AWD system for the SUV but it is not known when it will be introduced to the Harrier.

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Honda has re-introduced the Civic in the Indian market after a gap of 7 long years. Honda launched the 10th generation civic earlier this year and the all-new car has received a good response from the market. Honda has received around 2,400 bookings for the car in just 40 days since Honda officially started taking bookings for the car.

The all-new 10th generation Civic is priced at Rs. 17.69 lakh, which makes it costlier than all other vehicles in the segment. The Honda Civic takes on the likes of Hyundai Elantra, Toyota Corolla and the Skoda Octavia in the Indian market. It not known how much the waiting period does the car comes with at the moment. The all-new Honda Civic is being produced at the Greater Noida plant of the brand in Uttar Pradesh. It should be noted that the Civic is Honda’s best-selling car in the world and India is one of the 10 countries in the world where the production of the Honda Civic takes place. The car is sold in over 170 markets around the world, making it quite popular.

The all-new Honda Civic gets powered by both petrol and diesel engine options. The petrol variants of the car are powered by a 1.8-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine that develops a maximum power of 139 Bhp and a peak torque of 174 Nm. The petrol engine comes only with a CVT automatic transmission. The diesel variants of the Honda Civic get powered by the same 1.6-litre diesel engine that also powers the all-new Honda CR-V in the Indian market. It generates a maximum power of 118 Bhp and a peak torque of 300 Nm. The diesel variants of the Honda Civic are only available with a 6-speed manual transmission. The diesel variants return a phenomenal fuel efficiency of 26.8 km/l while the petrol variants offer a maximum of 16.5 km/l according to the ARAI tests.

The all-new Civic is quite loaded with features and even the base variant of the sedan offers features like 16-inch diamond cut alloy wheels, projector headlamps, LED DRLs, LED cabin lamps, 12.7cm infotainment system, four-speakers, paddle shifters for the petrol version, remote engine start with the petrol variant and more. All the variants of the all-new Civic offer ABS+EBD, electronic parking brake, four airbags and remote opening and closing the windows as standard features. The top-end variant offers full LED automatic headlamps, 17-inch alloy wheels, rain sensing wipers, electrically adjustable and remote controlled sunroof, lane watch camera and 6 airbags.

The Honda Civic targets the existing Honda customers who already own a Honda City and are looking to upgrade to a new vehicle. Honda is also expected to bring in new variants and automatic diesel variants if the market demands the same.

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Underage driving is a major nuisance in India that also causes a lot of accidents on the Indian roads. However, in this bizarre incident, a five-year-old was stopped by cops when he took his electrified mini car on the public roads.

The incident took place at one of the busiest traffic junctions in Vijayawada – Benz Circle. The five-year-old wearing his bright yellow shirt and shorts drove the electric vehicle right onto the public road at the Benz circle, which caused a huge traffic jam. The motorists stopped all over to avoid an accident with the toy car, which in turn created a block on the road. The local traffic police reached the spot to ensure the safety of the boy.

The blue electric, battery-operated toy car of the kid can be controlled through remote or by the steering itself. The boy stayed at least a kilometer away from the spot and according to the reports, the child did not realize that he had left the house and is on the public road. A few pedestrians spotted the child and the Traffic SI Jagannath Reddy came to the spot to ensure that he is safe from the vehicular movement.

The video shows the boy crying without the knowledge of what is happening with the traffic cops and trying to converse with him. There is a huge gathering of the crowd around the kid which must have panicked the kid in the car. The police then took an autorickshaw and dropped the child to his home. However, by the time they arrived, the parents of the child had started looking for him and they had no idea of how he reached so far away from the home.

Speaking to The News Minute, the traffic police officer said,

He was coming in a battery-driven car around 9.15 -9.30 am towards Benz circle road from the Fakirguda side. He was stopped near Jyothi Mahal theater by the public. We then took an auto to take him to his house. As his battery car is so small, many people did not notice it with all the big vehicles around. A big danger was averted. Who knows where he would have gone if no one had observed,”

No one was booked for the incident but the DCP asked the parents to keep a strict eye on the child to avoid any such issue in the future. The incident could have turned dangerous for the child and other motorists on the road. Such electric toy vehicles are not allowed to legally ply on the roads in India. Parents should keep a watch on children with such toy cars and even cycles. Most of the children do not understand the dangers of doing such things as they are not mature enough and it is the duty of the parents to keep them safe.

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RTO officials in Pune have announced that buyers of scooters and motorcycles beyond the 1st of April will have to  ensure that it’s fitted with CBS/ABS as applicable. CBS stands for combi-braking system, a safety feature that is  mandatory for all two wheelers sold in India with engine capacity less than 125cc. For two wheelers with engines  displacing more than 125cc, the ABS (anti-lock braking system) feature is mandatory. The government of India has made these safety features mandatory on all two wheelers sold in India from the 1st of April.

Here’s what an official at the Pune RTO had to say about the checks that are all set to begin,

The system (mandating ABS and CBS) is already present in the new models of two-wheelers. However, the dealers also sell old model vehicles, which don’t have the system. From April 1, it will be mandatory for the manufacturers to  ensure that these old but unsold vehicles also have the system. There are many people who are interested in buying  unsold old edition two-wheelers from dealers. The dealers will have to ensure that these two-wheelers have the system in place. Checks will be conducted to ensure compliance.

So, if you’re buying a motorcycle or scooter after the 1st of April, make sure that either CBS/ABS is present in it.  This will ensure that the RTO does not act against you during the registration of the vehicle, which is when non-CBS  and non-ABS vehicles will be barred. While the drive has been announced in Pune, RTO officials in other places across  India may also start acting against new vehicles that don’t have the mandatory ABS/CBS feature fitted.

To give you an idea on what these life savig safety features are, we’ll first begin by describing CBS. CBS works by  depressing both the front and rear brakes of a two wheeler even when either of the brake (front or rear) is  depressed. This ensures that braking happens on both wheels, shortening stopping distances and also reducing the  possibility of skidding. This is safety system built to a tight cost, and is not as effective as ABS.

Here’s a video that shows how ABS works!

ABS, on the other hand, is a more complex and highly effective safety system. ABS has three main components: sensors on the wheels, an electronic control unit (ECU), a hydraulic motor and pressure release valves. When the sensors detect that the wheels of a vehicle have locked during hard/emergency braking, the ECU makes sure that some amount of braking pressure is released to make sure that the wheels get back in motion. This prevents a skid, and allows the motorcycle/scooter to be steered, thus allowing the rider to avoid the obstacle. Also, since the skid is eliminated, the chances of the rider losing balance and falling due to a skid is eliminated. ABS works beautifully on slippery roads also, preventing skids.

Skidding is one of the biggest causes of two wheeler riders losing balance and falling off the scooter/motorcycle.  Such accidents claim a lot of lives each year. ABS is a feature that ensures that skidding is eliminated, making  riding a scooter/motorcycle a lot more safer. This is why it’s known as a life saving safety feature.

Via ETAuto

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Hyundai will officially unveil the all-new sub-4m compact SUV at the New York International Automobile Show on 17th April. The all-new car is based on the Hyundai Carlino concept that was showcased at the 2016 Auto Expo, Delhi and will take on the likes of Tata Nexon, Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza, Ford EcoSport and newly launched Mahindra XUV 300 in the Indian market. Hyundai has officially named the car as Venue and here is what it may look like in the production form.

The production version of the Venue will be heavily inspired by the new-age Hyundai cars and will follow the family design. The rendered image by CarWale follows the same. The Hyundai Venue is likely to draw design inspirations from the Hyundai Kona, which is an all-new compact SUV from the brand. Following the latest trend, which has also been seen on the Hyundai Kona, the Venue is expected to get separate pods for the DRL and the main headlamp cluster. The vehicle is expected to get sleek DRLs at the top, which will be placed above the grille while the main headlamp cluster will be positioned at a lower level. The headlamp cluster of the Hyundai Venue will be similar to what see on the Tata Harrier.

It will get a sporty stance with aggressive bumper design and machined alloy wheels. From the side, it may look like the mini Hyundai Creta and get a similar raked A and C Pillars. The shape of the vehicle can be confirmed from the heavily camouflaged test mules that have been doing spotted on the Indian roads numerous times.

Hyundai is a late entrant in the segment, which is growing at an extremely fast pace. However, with the aggressive design and bells and whistles, Hyundai is expected to gain a lot of attention in the market. The Venue will be a global car and will be sold in various international markets. However, the Indian version of the vehicle is likely to be slightly different from the international spec vehicles. Hyundai has always tweaked the vehicles available in the Indian market to make them better suited to the conditions. For example, the Hyundai Grand i10, which is sold as the i10 in the international markets gets bigger rear windows because most Indians carry passengers with them and the small, aggressively designed windows could make the occupants feel claustrophobic.

According to several reports, Hyundai will offer two petrol engines and a diesel engine with the Venue in the Indian market. Since it is a sub-4m vehicle, Hyundai will take advantage of the tax by installing a petrol engine lower than 1.2-litre displacement. The 1.2-litre petrol engine that is available with the Grand i10 in India is expected to power the upcoming SUV. Hyundai will also offer a high-performance 1.0-litre 3-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine and the diesel variants will draw power from the 1.4-litre diesel engine that also powers the Hyundai Verna sedan and Hyundai Creta in the market.

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MG Motors is working to launch the all-new Hector in the Indian market. While MG is yet to officially reveal the details of the upcoming car, pictures from an advertisement shoot of the car have already revealed many details about the way it will look like in the production guise. The all-new MG Motors Hector will offer a range of features and many of them will be seen in the vehicle for the first time ever.

According to new pictures and details about the upcoming car on ACI, the all-new MG Hector will offer a hybrid system. It will be available only with the petrol engine. It will not be a full-blown hybrid system but it will be a cost-effective mild hybrid system that will make the vehicle better to drive in many ways.

The mild hybrid system will not be standard across the petrol variants. Instead, customers will be able to choose the hybrid variant and it will be on sale with the regular petrol and diesel powered variants. The vehicle will get a 48V mild-hybrid system that will be available with the 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine. The engine develops a maximum of 143 Bhp of peak torque and the hybrid system will provide an additional 20 Nm of extra torque that will improve the low-end torque of the vehicle. The hybrid system also gets a regenerative braking system that will use the energy while braking to recharge the battery.

Since it gets an electric motor, the hybrid system will help to negate the effects of the turbo lag in the SUV. Other additional benefits of the hybrid system are quicker acceleration, easy driving in start-stop traffic, automatic engine start/stop system to save the fuel and increased overall fuel efficiency. The price of the hybrid version will be higher by around Rs. 50,000 in the market.

It is an all-new car, which is why the details are overall fuel efficiency is not known yet. Apart from the 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine, the upcoming MG Hector will be powered by the 2.0-litre Multijet Diesel engine that powers the Jeep Compass and the Tata Harrier in the Indian market. The exact power output of the engine in the MG Hector is not known yet. The same engine produces a maximum of 170 Bhp in the Compass and 140 Bhp in the Tata Harrier in the Indian market. It should be noted that MG is also planning to launch an all-electric car in the Indian market as its second launch.

The MG Hector will offer some high-tech features including cloud-based data collection and over-the-air updates for the car. It will get many such high-tech features but the price of the vehicle is likely to remain in the Rs 15 lakh to Rs 20 lakh range.

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The Indian Railway network is the fourth largest in the world. It is only behind superpowered such as US and Russia along with China. Also, ours is probably the most densely packed railways due to the large population and affordable travel rates. With a rail network so vast, it then becomes quite a task to maintain the whole network across the country. When it comes to the maintenance of tracks, the Indian Railways use several utility vehicles that do the job more efficiently and quickly. Among them are Hopper trucks, which have become a necessary utility for the Indian Railways overtime. The video below shows one such hopper truck which is on field duty.

As seen in the video, these Hoppers are essentially dumper trucks fitted with specially designed wheels that enable them to run on railway tracks. The video above is shot around a location near Khandwa district of Madhya Pradesh. According to the driver of this truck, the wheels on this truck have been brought from Gwalior and then fitted on it. The hopper improves work efficiency to a great extent and saves a lot of manpower along with time.

For those wondering what a Hopper does, it is used for ballasting railway tracks. The tracks are banked by stones on either side and this task is performed with the help of a hopper truck. The video below showcases how these trucks work and reduce labour.

These Hoppers are loaded with stones that are to be laid on the tracks. Upon reaching an appropriate point, the driver lifts the rear bed slowly so as to make the load fall. The rear cover is open only on the sides which enables the stones to be laid out on either side of the track. The truck then moves while the stones fall of the dumper bed and thus covering the required track. This process of laying locks for stabilising the tracks is known as ballasting. The stones are then spread out manually wherever needed and banked in a proper way, so as to hold the tracks properly.

Railway track ballasting is very necessary as it gives the much-needed strength and stability to the tracks. Trains move at good speeds at with the amount of load they carry, an improper ballasted track can prove fatal for them. These stones hold it in place and avoid too much movement as they absorb the vibrations and spread them across themselves. Bent or broken tracks can be a result of improper ballasting which again shows why it is important. With the help of hoppers, this task becomes quite easy and can be done at a much faster pace than doing the whole job manually.

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When talking of indigenous sportscars in India, we don’t have many examples to count except for maybe the DC Avanti. However, the list saw a new entrant in 2016, when Shadhid Haq of Motormind Design fame showcased the Hyperion-1 sportscar at the Delhi Auto Expo. It was India’s answer to the likes of KTM X-Bow and the Ariel Atom. The Hyperion looks as sharp as a razor and has a design so radical that people gawked at it like anything. The video below by SupercarsInBangalore shows the Motormind Hyperion-1 in action. Let’s take a look at the video and enjoy the beauty of the car before proceeding further.

As seen in the video, the Hyperion 1 not only looks great but has an exhaust note which matches its personality. It is the dream project of Shahid Haq, who is the owner of Bangalore based Motorminds Design. Shahid, who is a graduate from Coventry School of Art and Design, UK, wanted to build a car that would make Indians look away from the international sportscars and attract theirs towards it. It features a design language that is quite sharp and loud and sure to grab attention wherever it goes.

The Hyperion 1 features a V6 petrol engine from the Hyundai Sonata which is mounted at the rear. The engine drives the rear wheels and doles out enough power to make it a quick vehicle. According to a recent Instagram post by Shahid, they are working on a new version, or say a facelift of the Hyperion which will be lighter and faster with a host of customizable options along with other creature comforts. He expects to start taking orders by 2020 and the final pricing to be out by the end of this year.

As for the question that whether its road legal or not, currently it is in a prototype stage and so it has not been licensed. The company is working to get the required government permission to make it road legal. The Hyperion will be a low production model and will come with all the required features to make it road legal. The wild looking two-door sports car contains a twin seat cockpit while the scissor doors add to its design. The final production version of the car could come with features like an entertainment and audio system to make it more user-friendly.

When finally launched, the Motorminds Hyperion 1 will rub its shoulders with the DC Avanti, as it is the only other Indian made sportscar yet. However, it will probably cost a lot less than its DC rival and going by the reaction it is getting now, it could be a hit in the market. With aftermarket modifications been banned by the Supreme Court, we expect more such cars to come out and provide some relief to the automotive enthusiast crowd of India.

Also Read: Mahindra XUV300 Electric SUV spied for the first time ahead of its 2020 launch

Land Rover Range Rover has become the chariot of many Bollywood celebrities in the past. Even now, it is a popular choice of wheels. Sanjay Dutt, the veteran actor and a known car fanatic has got his hands on a brand-new Land Rover Range Rover Vogue and the SUV was delivered to him recently.

The pictures of the new SUV show only the front part of the vehicle, which makes it difficult to make out the exact variant of the vehicle. However, it looks like the Range Rover Vogue Long Wheelbase diesel variant. The car comes with a price tag of Rs 2.33 crore, ex-showroom Delhi, making it one of the most expensive SUVs available in the Indian market. The car seen in the pictures carries his signature number “4545” on the registration plate.

The white coloured Range Rover Vogue is expected to be seen with Sanjay Dutt soon but there are no pictures of him with the vehicle yet. It is the current-generation model that looks extremely sharp with bright LED DRLs at the front. Powering the Range Rover Vogue diesel is a massive 4.4-litre SDV8, 8-cylinder engine that generates a maximum power of 335 Bhp at 3,500 rpm and an earth-moving torque of 740 Nm at 1,740 rpm. The engine sends power to all the wheels of the vehicle through an 8-speed automatic transmission.

The Range Rover offers the best of both the worlds. It is extremely luxurious from the inside and highly comfortable on the highways. It can also go off-the-road and perform quite well too. The Range Rover Vogue is rarely seen off the tarmac but it can reach some really challenging spots, which may prove to be quite difficult for the other SUVs in the same segment.

The Range Rover Vogue LWB also offers extra leg space, which makes travelling in it even more comfortable. The Range Rover seen in the pictures gets custom red interior, which can be chosen by the customer as an optional choice. The red interiors make the vehicle look fiery while the white exterior adds a sense of class to the SUV. Land Rover also offers the Range Rover in the regular wheelbase variant in the Indian market. The LWB also looks humungous on the roads.

The Land Rover Range Rover brand has become a common choice among the rich and famous in India and around the world. The Ambanis own a couple of Range Rover SUVs while celebrities like Amitabh Bachchan, Ranbir Kapoor, Malaika Arora, Kareena Kapoor, Ajay Devgn and Shahrukh Khan have been using the same SUVs for a long time now. Recently, even Katrina Kaif upgraded to the all-new Range Rover LWB Vogue from her Audi Q7 while Salman Khan recently bought the Rangie as a gift for his mother but has started using the vehicle for his own commute.

Via MidDay

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Ever since the term SUV, short for Sport Utility Vehicle, came into existence, auto enthusiasts around the world were split into two halves. One considered low slung, powerful and fast cars as their love while the other sect was going gaga over the huge go anywhere capabilities of the SUVs. We today will talk about the second half of this species. The love of these people for their 4×4 vehicles is justified as they provide unmatched fun in their own way. The 5 examples below will demonstrate how these 4×4 SUVs are the ultimate tool of redemption in the modern world.

Shortcuts – Drive over the dividers for U-turn

4×4 SUVs are generally big vehicles with large turning radius and can be difficult to manoeuvre sometimes. U-turns can be especially a problem in tight city spaces. However, seems like some enthusiastic drivers have already found a cure to this while we are discussing matters here. The initial part of the video above shows a Toyota Fortuner and then a Mahindra Scorpio take U-turns by running over the dividers itself. To heck with the World they say. On a more serious note though, this is a dangerous practice which should not be done in any circumstances. It may not harm your 4×4 ride but poses a threat to other road users.

Relaxing your legs – Climb stairs in a 4×4

Now who would want to strain their legs and climb a couple of stairs when their vehicle could easily transport them to the top. Jokes apart, 4×4 vehicles can easily ascend and descend stairs without a hiccup. Armed with their powerful engines, high ground clearance and low ratio transfer case, these machines can make the impossible seem possible. The video above shows a Mahindra Thar climbing up the stairs as if that is what it was always destined to do. Land Rover even has a record to its name where a Range Rover Sport PHEV climbed 999 steps in one go.

Dune bashing in style

Ask any off-road enthusiasts and he’ll tell you that dune bashing is one of the most fun activities one can have in a vehicle. The sheer pleasure of gliding through the sand dunes while creating flying sand spirals from the huge wheels. No other normal vehicle can even think of this without getting stuck and being helped out by any other 4×4 vehicle. Trust us, you have to do this to believe it if you already haven’t done it. Like in the video above, where a Mitsubishi Pajero Sport can be seen levelling the sands.

Swim through the obstacles

It is always said that 4×4 SUVs are go-anywhere vehicles and allow one to explore the unexplored. The video above is a great example of the same. Here, a modified Maruti Suzuki Gypsy can be seen taming the heavy water current and going to the other side of the stream. No doubt that this is a feat no normal vehicle could achieve. Apart from the ease 4×4 vehicles provide in such conditions, on a lighter note they save you the money of taking a boat to the other side.

Help others – Pull out stuck Trucks

It is always taught to us from childhood that one should help the needy. After all, that’s among the basic threads of humanity. 4×4 SUVs may be fuel guzzlers, take up too much parking space and have other debatable vices, but they never step back when it comes to helping any other stuck vehicle. Like in the video above where a Toyota Fortuner can be seen pulling an Eicher truck from its troubles. Now sedans and hatchbacks can pull other small cars, but they certainly can’t pull such heavy loads so quickly without hurting their transmissions. 4×4 SUVs can easily do that not just because of their powerful engines but also with the help of the low transfer case, which multiplies the torque output about 2.2 times.

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Honda has begun testing the 4th generation Jazz premium hatchback, which is due for launch in 2020. Honda will launch the new Jazz in India sometime in 2020 end, or in early 2021. Spyshots of the car have surfaced internationally, and the hatchback that will wear the Jazz badge in future seems to be much larger than the current version.

The Honda Jazz is likely to be sold as a hybrid model in developed markets. In India though, a mild hybrid system is likely to be available on the car. The Indian Jazz could do away with the diesel engine in the face of tightening emission norms. Demand for the Jazz in India comes primarily from the petrol variants, and in terms of sheer numbers, the Jazz is much behind the likes of the Maruti Baleno and the Hyundai Elite i20.

So, it doesn’t make much sense to offer a diesel engine at a big extra cost to the customer. Also, the Honda Jazz isn’t really a big name in the taxi market or the self drive circuit, where diesel cars are preferred. All these things coming together means that the Honda Jazz is likely to drop the diesel engine even for the Indian market in 2020 – when Bharat Stage 6 (BS6) emission norms kick in and make diesels a lot more pricier than petrol engined cars.

Adding a hybrid option to the Jazz makes more sense, and Honda is expected to with a mild hybrid system initially. This will allow the Japanese automaker to test the market, and also give the next-generation Jazz impressive fuel efficiency figures. A good fuel efficiency number also means low emissions. So Honda could use the mild hybrid approach to slay two birds in a single stone – fuel efficiency and Bharat Stage 6 emission norms.

With the increase in overall size, the next-generation Jazz could the biggest in four generations – inside out. The car has always been known for its spacious interior thanks to Honda’s man-maximum-machine-minimum design philosophy. The same is expected to continue with the new Jazz as well, which promises to be a class leader in terms of interior space and comfort for its occupants.

As for features, the car is likely to be loaded. From the latest in creature comforts to a cutting edge infotainment system, the new Jazz is expected to have generous levels of equipment. The coming months will reveal more features about the upcoming, new Honda Jazz. Watch this space.

Via Autocar

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When having a budget of around Rs. 35 to Rs. 40 lakhs, most of the people here go for big burly SUVs that offer dollops of space and massive street credential. Among the SUV choices in that price range, the Toyota Fortuner is the most popular choice due to various reasons. It gets a decently powerful engine, comfortable and feature rich interiors along with the Toyota brand name itself. To let you know, the top end model of the Toyota Fortuner, 2.8 4×4 AT, costs Rs. 33.28 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi). 

The case here, however, is that within the same amount of money or even less, you can get a car from the famous four-ringed German manufacturer as your daily drive. That’s right, a brand new sparkling Audi can be bought in less than the price of the top end Toyota Fortuner as the company is currently offering humongous discounts on its range of cars. Though their maintenance and ownership cost would be on the higher side, but what you get in turn is proper German build quality, luxurious interiors along with massive brand presence. Read along to find out which all Audi cars are availble for the price of a Fortuner.

Audi A3

Total discount: Rs. 8.5 Lakh

The Audi A3 is the most affordable way to get into the Audi bandwagon. The sedan is currently being offered with discounts up to Rs. 8.5 lakhs, applicable on all variants. The Audi A3 range starts at Rs. 33.10 Lakh and goes on till Rs. 36.69 Lakh. With the current discount scheme of up to Rs. 8.5 lakh, you can get the Audi sedan for as less as Rs. 24.6 Lakh.

Not only this makes it an excellent alternative to the Toyota Fortuner, it further means that you can get even the top end variant for much less than the Fortuner’s top-end variant. The Audi A3 is quite fun to drive and offers a great ride quality too. Therefore, of buying a sedan is not an issue for you, you can dump your SUV plans and go chill with the Audi A3.

Audi Q3

Total discount: Rs. 10 Lakh

Next in line is the Audi Q3, which is the most affordable SUV from the brand. The softroader is currently being offered with discounts up to Rs. 10 lakh, which makes it a pretty great deal. To let you know, the base variant of the Audi Q3 comes with a price tag of Rs. 34.73 lakh while the top end variant retails at Rs. 42.88 lakh.

The discount being offered varies on which model you pick. The manufacturer is giving discounts up to Rs 10 lakh on the diesel Q3 35 TDI Technology, Rs 9 lakh on the diesel Premium Plus and Rs 8.5 lakh on the Q3 30 TFSI and Q3 30 TDI. This makes the whole Q3 range to be available at a price less than the Toyota Fortuner with the discounts applied.

Audi A4

Total discount: Rs. 10 Lakh

The Audi A4 is also running on big discounts currently and despite being quite expensive than the other vehicles here, it can be had for less than the Toyota Fortuner. There is an over all discount of up to Rs. 10 lakh on the sedan right now. The A4 range starts at Rs. 41.47 Lakh for the base 30 TFSI Premium Plus variant and goes all the way up till Rs. 46.94 Lakh for the top of the line 35 TDI technology.

Audi is offering up to Rs. 10 lakh on the top-spec A4 Technology and up to Rs. 9.5 lakh on the lower-spec A4 Premium Plus. The sedan rivals the likes of Mercedes-Benz C-Class and the BMW 3-Series among others in its segment and is known for its luxurious and quality cabin along with refined and smooth engines.

All prices listed are ex-showroom, Delhi

Discounts Source

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The Hero Impulse was India’s first budget dirt cum commuter bike. Though it didn’t sell as much as it was expected and the company discontinued it later, it made a mark in the industry. The Impulse was perfect for the dug up city roads one has to encounter every day while commuting. Apart from its practicality, the Impulse also looked the part and stood out among the crowd of regular 150 cc bikes in India. This is probably the reason why some cops became interested in the bike when they saw it doing some off-road stuff. Check out the video below by RevCorner to watch the cop’s reaction after taking a good loo at the bike.

The guy on the Hero Impulse was apparently shooting a video while doing some skids and slides on the gravel and dirt-laden path. After a few moments, two cops arrived on a bike and inquired about what he was doing at a secluded spot. To this, the biker replied he was shooting some video footage and the conversation kept going on on a lighter note. The cops then get interested in the Hero Impulse with one of them doing a full walk around, checking it out from every angle.

The cops were apparently impressed by its unique looks, big tires and high ground clearance. He displayed interest in buying one too, to which the biker guy suggested him to buy the upcoming Hero XPulse 200R. The cops then ride away after checking his license and exchanging a few more words. They were probably conducting a routine check after seeing a guy riding along at a secluded spot but rather came away impressed with the bike. We also suggest them to get the Hero XPulse 200R if they are interested in such bikes.

Speaking of which, the Hero XPulse 200R is based on the same platform as the Hero Xtreme 200R and will be launched in the coming months. The adventure tourer will be powered by a 200 cc, single-cylinder, air-cooled engine that will churn out around 18.4 Bhp of maximum power and a peak torque of 17.1 Nm. The bike will wear 21-inch tires up front and 18-inch units at the rear. This along with long travel suspension will make the XPulse 200 a comfortable and capable bike off-road the road and during daily commutes.

The bike also gets a massive ground clearance of 220 mm and an upswept exhaust, both of which will aid in its off-road prowess. Additionally, the Hero XPulse may also get full LED headlamps, long windscreen, luggage rack, knuckle guards and ABS as standard. Upon its launch in India, it will have no direct competitor in its price range. The nearest rival to it can be said to be the Royal Enfield Himalayan and the Recently launched Bullet 350 Trials.

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Jawa has finally started the deliveries of their products in India after a long wait. The dealerships across India have started delivering the bikes – Jawa and Jawa 42. Currently, there are 105 outlets across India and the deliveries have started at all of them.

Currently, Jawa will only deliver the non-ABS version of the bikes and from June 2019, Jawa will start the deliveries of the dual-channel ABS models. It should be noted that Jawa started taking official bookings last year and the brand received an overwhelming response from the market. The online bookings of the bikes had to be shut down due to demand for the bikes. However, the bikes can be booked and experienced at the Jawa showrooms across India. The Jawa bikes are currently sold out but customers can book them through the dealerships. The current bookings will be delivered to the customers by September 2019.

All the Jawa bikes are available with standard front disc brake and rear disc brake with single-channel ABS unit. However, Jawa also offers a rear disc dual disc version of the bikes in the market. Jawa 42 with single-channel ABS is priced at Rs. 1.55 lakh. The dual-channel version costs Rs 1.64 lakh. The Jawa is priced at Rs. 1.64 lakh for the single-channel version and the dual disc with dual channel ABS costs Rs 1.73 lakh.

Both the bikes are powered by the same 293cc, single-cylinder, air-cooled engine. It generates a maximum power of 27 Bhp and 28 Nm of peak torque. This is the same engine that powers the Mahindra Mojo but Jawa has tweaked the engine to make the low-end quite juicy. Looks-wise, the Jawa bikes look quite good and keep the Jawa DNA alive.

Both Jawa and the 42 follow the vintage design that brings back good memories of the time when Jawa bikes were available in the Indian market. The Jawa bikes will take directly on the Royal Enfield bikes in the Indian market. Royal Enfield is currently the best-selling brand in the above 300cc segment in India.

Jawa motorcycles earlier announced that they plan to sell more than 7,500 units of the bikes every month. Jawa has not officially revealed the number of bookings but it sure is pretty high, which is why the current backlog of orders will clear by September. Jawa showcased a custom bobber in their line-up during the launch, which is known as the Jawa Perak. The bike was expected to be launched in the market soon but now Jawa has pushed the launch to the end of the year due to the high demand in the market.

The Jawa brand is now owned by Classic Legends, which is partly owned by Mahindra, Boman Irani and Anupam Thareja. Classic Legends also own the BSA brand and may launch bikes under the BSA name in the future.

Images courtesy JawaMotorcyclesIndore

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The Indian road infrastructure, which is one of the biggest road networks in the world has improved quite a lot in the recent past. Owners of powerful motorcycles and cars now find open, speed-friendly stretches on the highways quite easily compared to the older times and with the new trend of portable cameras that can be mounted on the helmets and other parts of the body, many high-speed videos are populating the online platforms. Here are two such videos of the mighty Suzuki Hayabusa bikes touching the restricted speed of 300 km/h on the Indian highways.

While aiming to reach the highest possible speed of any vehicle can take some time on the Indian roads. More powerful machines like superbikes or sports bikes or even supercars are capable of doing extremely high speeds on the roads if there’s enough road space available. However, it may take some time to find such open stretches.

Both the videos put by different YouTube creators –Sbkvlogs and Turbo Xtreme show that they attempt to push the needle of the speedometer to the desired number multiple times on the road. Both the riders can be seen taking extreme risks to show you what you see on the screen and both of them finally succeed to record the highest speed on their respective motorcycles.

The Suzuki Hayabusa is an iconic motorcycle that fought one-on-one with the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-14R to be on the top position when it comes to speed during the initial years. However, due to increasing speeds of the bikes and the rising number of accidents, the top-speed of the motorcycles were electronically limited to 299 km/h. Even the restricted speed is not quite safe, especially on the public roads, even more so in India, where most of the motorists do not follow the lane discipline and pedestrians and stray animals can appear from anywhere.

Nonetheless, the Suzuki Hayabusa is a commendable sports touring machines and the riders did show a lot of courage to test the capability of their machines. The Suzuki Hayabusa is powered by a 1,340cc, four-cylinder, inline, liquid-cooled engine that generates a massive 197 Bhp at 9,500 rpm and peak torque of 155 Nm at 7,200 rpm. It gets a six-speed transmission. The Hayabusa is not a track tool but it is meant for long-distance cruising on the highways. The bike weighs a massive 268 kg and is not as agile as the litre-class track-oriented bikes like the Suzuki GSX-R1000 or the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R. The Hayabusa is meant for comfort and can is extremely stable on the straight lines.

Speeding on the Indian highways

While India has one of the finest expressways and highways in the region now, it is the usage of the roads that make them extremely dangerous. Most of the motorists do not follow the lane discipline in India and the vehicles can change the lane suddenly. Also, most of the drivers do not even use the rear view mirrors on the road, which is highly dangerous. The other significant dangers of the Indian highways are the stray cattle that can appear out of nowhere on the roads and pedestrians, who choose to cross the highways due to the lack of foot over bridges or simply want to save time. Such speed tests are illegal and should be restricted to safe zones like tracks. There is no better place to enjoy a powerful machine other than the tracks.

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High-end automobiles are something that most people crave for but only a few can own. Apart from the one time cost of buying them, the ownership of these cars means constant money shed on their maintenance and servicing. However, the joy of owning when easily surpasses all these niggles. But because of some unfortunate reasons, some of these gorgeous machines end up being abandoned and gather dust over the years. Here are 5 such high-end exotic cars that have been left to die in open.

Cadillac CTS Sedan

Starting off the list is this imported beauty which is as rare as a Dodo in India. The car you see in the video above is a Cadillac CTS sedan and going by the look of it, it isn’t exactly in a great condition. It is one of the most popular American cars and very few examples of any Cadillacs are present in India, which includes some Escalade SUVs too. This one here is apparently a second generation model finished in a shade of silver. The second generation CTS sedan was available with a host of engines options in V6 and V8 configurations.

Rolls Royce Silver Spirit

Now a Rolls Royce lying abandoned is something that is not heard on a regular basis. However, some cars have tough luck too, which is evident by the condition of this Rolls Royce. It is apparently the Silver Spirit Mark 3 model, which was produced from 1993 to 1996 and was powered by a massive 6.75 litre V8 engine.  Rolls Royce cars are among the most expensive and luxurious cars money can buy on earth and this one lying in this hapless condition surely is heart-wrenching.

Audi Q7

This abandoned Audi Q7 was found in a pitiful condition at Magathane, Borivali in Mumbai. Now the Audi Q7 was once the flagship SUV of the German four-ringed badge and is the preferred ride for a lot of celebrities as well as other distinguished people. It is known for its comfortable interiors and imposing road manners. The one here seems to have been lying around since long and has a damaged suspension along with broken wing mirrors. Whether it was impounded by the police or left by its owner, the fate of this vehicle should definitely be in better hands.

Toyota MR2

This yellow beauty here is a Toyota MR2, which was clicked somewhere in Kerela. The MR2 is a two-seat, mid-engined, rear-wheel-drive Japanese sports car which was made by Toyota from 1984 to 2007. It was also Japan’s first mid-engined production car. The one here is a first generation model. India has quite a good number of Toyota MR2’s and one can get them for a minimum of around Rs. 15 lakh in the used car market. It is a pretty light car with a curb weight of around 1100 kg, which makes it quite fun to drive.

Mercedes-Benz S-Class

The Mercedes-Benz S-Class is among the most luxurious saloons one can buy in the market right. This one here though, had a fate written otherwise and now lies abandoned. It is a fourth generation S-Class (W220) and was considered to be the classiest cars of its time. The current generation Mercedes-Benz S-Class (W222) costs about Rs. 1.32 crore for the base model and is used by well-known celebrities and industrialists. Going by the condition of the one pictured above, it seems like its suspension has suffered some serious damage.

Image Source – 2, 3, 4, 5

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