Mahindra launched the all-new XUV 300 in the Indian market earlier this year. The sub-4meter compact SUV takes on the likes of Tata Nexon, Ford EcoSport, Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza and the upcoming Hyundai QXi, which will either carry the production name as Venue or Styx. With the electric revolution coming up, Mahindra is currently the only manufacturer in India that officially sells electric vehicles including the E2O and Verito EV. In the near future, Mahindra will expand its electric portfolio by adding new cars.

Mahindra plans to launch the electrified version of the XUV 300 in the Indian market next year and has already officially announced the same during the launch of the compact SUV. This is the first picture of the electric version of the XUV 300 on MotorOctane shows the vehicle being tested under heavy camouflage. Even though the vehicle wears a heavy blanket of random scribbles to keep the design of the vehicle a secret, don’t be surprised if the electric version of the XUV 300 looks identical to the regular version. Mahindra is expected to showcase the production version of the upcoming XUV 300 EV at the 2020 Auto Expo followed by the official launch in the same year.

Details about the drivetrain of the upcoming XUV 300 are not known yet. It is internally known as the S210 and is expected to be launched in two different variants. There will be a standard range version of the upcoming compact SUV that is expected to do around 200 km on a full charge. The brand will also offer the long-range version, which is expected to get around 450-500 km of range from a single full charge. Apart from this, Mahindra is yet to officially reveal the powertrain of the upcoming vehicle.

The batteries for the upcoming XUV 300 EV is expected to be sourced from LG Chem. Both the brands have collaborated to develop new-age Li-ion batteries that will be utilised in the future Mahindra products and can be sold to the other manufacturers too. The new cell developed by the collaboration will be used exclusively in India and will be developed by keeping the Indian conditions in mind. They are also developing Nickel-Magnese-Cobalt based Li-ion batteries that have very high energy density and can pack a lot of juice in a compact space.

Mahindra will also launch an electrified version of the KUV 100 in the Indian market soon. The KUV 100 EV concept was showcased at the 2018 Auto Expo and is expected to be launched by the end of this year. It should be noted that the electrified versions of these vehicles will be substantially expensive than the regular versions of the vehicle because of the cost of the batteries. However, eventually the cost of the batteries are expected to come down as the demand rises and more OEMs start to manufacture such batteries locally.

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When talking of full-size SUV under Rs. 40 lakhs in India, the Toyota Fortuner is the name that comes in the mind of most people. The popular SUV has been here for around a decade now and ever since its launch, it has been the top-selling vehicle in its segment. It is known for its massive street presence, spacious and comfortable interiors, powerful engines and tough build quality. Talking of its off-road credentials and engine, the Fortuner is among the best full size SUVs that can be used for hardcore off-roading without any hiccup. However, what happens when it meets the Escorts Farmtrac 60 tractor and decides to battle it out with him, tug of war style. The video below by Vishal Gujjar answers just that.

As seen in the video, the Fortuner and Farmtrac tractor battle out for the tug if war crown on a piece of empty ground. In all the rounds conducted, the tractor managed to pull a win over the Fortuner. It pulled the Fortuner easily in this video. Though the Fortuner made a comeback in between, it’s the tractor that held its ground here. However, one thing to note here is that the Fortuner was not running in 4×4 mode in this video. Had it had all its four wheels running, there is a good possibility that the result would have been different.

Talking about the Fortuner, it is an older generation model as already mentioned and hence had a different set of engines than the ongoing model. This Fortuner got only two diesel engine options. The smaller one was a 2.5-litre unit that churned out 142 Bhp of power along with 343 Nm of torque. The bigger diesel engine, on the other hand, was a 3-litre unit that churned out a maximum power of 169 Bhp along with a peak torque of 360 Nm. The SUV had automatic transmission options on both the petrol and diesel models.

The Escorts Farmtrac 60 tractor used here, on the other hand, is powered by a 3.1-litre three-cylinder diesel engine with liquid cooling. The engine churns out a maximum power of 49.75 Bhp along with a torque of 185.8 Nm. This means that it is less powerful than the Fortuner and also has lower torque output. Also, nothing beats a tractor when it comes to low-end grunt as their engines and gears are designed in a way so as to deliver power at the earliest.

Also, the tires make a big difference in such competitions. While the Fortuner seems to be running on factory fitted rims and tires, they are no match for the heavily grooved tires on the Farmtrac which lend it excellent grip. Since the competition was on an irregular ground with loose soil, the tires make quite a difference. The final outcome, according to this video then is that the Tractor wins while the Fortuner loses, though the win is not an extremely one-sided one but rather a marginal one.

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50 year-old Snehasis Kar, from Cuttack, Odisha, has been celebrating the birthday of his Royal Enfield motorcycle  every year, and this time around, it was no different. Mr. Kar invited a whopping 1,200 people for his Royal  Enfield’s birthday, and we’ve never seen anything like this before. The Royal Enfield Bullet in question is from  1961, which makes it older than him, at 58 years.

Currently, Mr. Kar owns no less than 16 Royal Enfield Bullets, most of which were restored by him from near-scrap  condition. His favourite though is the 1961 Royal Enfield Bullet 350 Cast Iron, which he bought as a used motorcycle,  in 1993. Also, this Royal Enfield Bullet 350 happens to be Mr. Kar’s first motorcycle. The other Royal Enfields in  his garage are of multiple vintages.

Apart from his first Bullet, the others are of the following vintages: seven models from 1962, one each from 1974, 1985, 1986, 1990, 1995, and the latest one from 2003. Meanwhile, here’s what he has to say about celebrating this motorcycle’s birthday every year.

I was upset when my father sold a bullet that he rode. Later, I bought my first Royal Enfield in 1993 (1961  model).For the past few years that I have been celebrating the birthday of the Bullet. I want to display all the  models with adequate information about them by setting up a small museum in the city so that people can know more  about these machines.

Notably, all of the Royal Enfield Bullet 350s that Mr. Kar owns hold vintage value, for Royal Enfield has stopped  building the cast iron Bullet 350. The motorcycle, until its production ceased a few years back, used to run a 346cc,  four stroke long stroke engine. The engine made 18 Bhp of peak power and 32 Nm of peak torque. The bike ran a  separate gearbox and clutch case, which is quite unlike the 346cc unit construction engine the latest Bullet 350  comes with.

The older engine also used solid valve lifters (tappets), a 4 speed gearbox filled with grease and not  oil, and also CB (contact breaker) points ignition instead of the modern day ignitions such as CDI (capacitor  discharge ignition) and TCI (transistor coil ignition). Another unique thing about the Bullet 350 CI was that it has the gear shifter on the right and the rear brake lever on the left hand side. The gearbox also featured a neutral  finder, which allows a rider to come back to neutral from any gear instantly. All in all, the Royal Enfield Bullet CI  350 was a very unique motorcycle that was in serial production for over 5 decades.

Currently, the Royal Enfield Bullet 350 sold in India features a 346cc unit construction engine, with 19.8 Bhp of peak power and 28 Nm of peak torque. The new engine runs hydraulic lifters and gets a 5 speed manual gearbox. The bike even features disc brakes on both wheels with ABS as standard. All in all, the new Bullet 350 is a much more modern motorcycle but one that is styled similar to the vintage model.

Via OdishaTV

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The Royal Enfield 650 twins are the most powerful bikes in their price segment. The Interceptor 650 starts at Rs. 2.5 lakhs which makes it the most affordable twin cylinder bike in India along with the most powerful under Rs. 3 lakh price mark. However, with all the power and torque, the question of fuel efficiency arises among the minds of many prospective buyers. While more power is definitely good, the Indian automotive market is driven by fuel efficiency and how does the Interceptor 650 fares in that? The video below by Bulu Patnaik answers this question. Check out the video below to see how this rider has calculated the fuel efficiency before we discuss the results in detail.

As seen in the video, the rider takes his Interceptor for a long ride and calculated the mileage accordingly. It is done by the regular method of dividing the distance travelled by the amount of fuel filled in the bike. However, the rider here has ridden both in the city and highway and therefore the video here gives both the city and highway mileage.

Talking about the city mileage, the Interceptor 650 manages to give around 20 km/l according to this video. The rider rode the bike for a total of 190 km during which about 56 km was done in the city and the rest on the highway. The highway mileage according to the video stood at around 30-31 km/l. Going by these figures, the average fuel efficiency of the bike comes out to be around 24.8 km/l, which is quite decent for a 650 cc twin cylinder bike.

However, these figures could be slightly different for different riders, depending on their riding style. The mixed fuel economy of 24.8 km/l as in this video is not bad by any measure. If you an easy rider and don’t push the bike very hard, you may get a different fuel efficiency which would be better than achieved here. Nonetheless, Royal Enfield has definitely done a lot of work and that shows in the 650 twins

The Royal Enfield Interceptor is powered by a 648 cc air-oil cooled, SOHC, parallel twin engine that churns out 47 Bhp of power along with 52 Nm of torque. The engine is mated to a 6-speed gearbox and the bike comes with a slipper clutch. This is the most powerful engine on any Royal Enfield bike yet along with being the most modern one too. In fact, the 650 twins are pretty modern bikes and are on par with the competition in terms of technology. They have been designed from grounds up and are built upon a double cradle chassis. Royal Enfield has also done away with the vibration issue its bike faced and the 650 twins are as smooth as any other bike in their price segment.

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The recently launched new Maruti Suzuki Ertiga is among the most affordable MPVs in India. It has been priced at Rs. 7.43 lakhs for the base petrol LXi variant while the top of the line diesel ZXi Plus variant costs Rs. 10.90 lakh. Its nearest competitors are the Datsun Go Plus which is much more affordable but less on features and space, and the Mahindra Marazzo which is more expensive but better speced and spacious.

India’s top-selling and most popular MPV, the Toyota Innova, on the other hand, is much more expensive than the Ertiga and even the top spec Ertiga is about Rs. 4 lakhs cheaper than Innova’s base variant.

However, what if we say that you can get an Innova for much less than the price of the top spec Maruti Suzuki Ertiga. That too, an Innova modified by DC with ultra luxurious interiors. The one you see below is the same car we are talking about, and it is available for Just Rs. 8.5 lakhs.

That’s right, for around Rs. 1.4 lakhs less than the top-spec Ertiga, you can drive home in this DC modified Innova. It is a 2010 model Innova which makes it around 9 years old. Going by the pictures, the car seems to be kept pretty nicely and looks in immaculate condition considering its age. Moreover, this car has an odometer reading of just 8,000 km according to its seller.

The car has not changed hands before and is with its original owner since the beginning. Spare wheels, second key etc are available to the buyer too. However, that is not all that makes this Innova special. It’s USP are its interiors, which have been completely revamped and now feature the DC Innova lounge treatment. The whole DC lounge package for Innova on this car itself costs around Rs. 5 lakhs, which further takes up this car’s value.

As seen in the pictures, the rear seats have been removed in favour of two full-size recliners. Apart from that, the whole interiors have been given a luxury treatment and fitted with high-quality materials. Additional features include a big LCD, privacy partitioner, chiller, wooden fold-out tables, mood lightening apart from a lot of other features. The exteriors have been given a slight tweak too like a custom sidestep, black body cladding on the lower side of the doors, and a DC badge up front.

This DC modified Toyota Innova is the G trim variant and is powered by a 2.5-litre (2KD-FTV) D-4D diesel engine. This common rail turbocharged diesel mill churns out a maximum power figure of 100.6 Bhp along with 200 Nm of torque. The engine is mated with a manual transmission and as mentioned before, has run only for 8,000 km. We doubt that odometer figure as the vehicle is a 2010 model. However, it also could be that it was used for special occasions only.

If you are looking for a luxurious vehicle in a budget but your expectations are not met by sub 10 lakh cars, this Toyota Innova is just the one for you. For Rs. 8.5 lakhs, what you get is a pretty well-maintained MPV along with ultra luxurious interiors that even Rs. 30-40 lakh cars can come close to. Also, the price is negotiable and the whole service record of the car is available for the buyers to inspect. If you are interested in this car, click on the link given below which will take you to the original Advertisement.

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While Hyundai is yet to showcase the upcoming Venue to the public, they have finally revealed quite a few surprises that will be in store for buyers looking at getting a compact SUV. This is one segment that has been growing by 20% and makes up for over 25000 units per month. But Hyundai understands the tough competition that comes in the form of the Brezza, EcoSport, Nexon, WRV and the newly introduced XUV300 and the reason why they have left no stone unturned to make sure the Venue ends up attracting buyers in the price range of Rs 7-11 lakh.

Hyundai claims the Venue compact SUV will be Indias’ first ‘Smart Connect SUV’ and will come with the company’s global ‘BlueLink Connected Technology’. It will bring in a host of never before seen features that aim to offer safety, convenience and various vehicle management services. Let’s have a look at some of the key features:

• 33 features, 10 Indian specific
  The Venue compact SUV will have as many as 33 services under its “smart connected SUV” banner. Of these, 10 have been developed for the Indian car market. For example, the voice recognition (via AI) feature that will offer voice assisted calling, navigation, media functions, 3rd party services like weather information etc. This will be possible via interactive recognition pattern that will offer Indian English (accent) support.
• eSIM
  The Venue will get an inbuilt eSIM and for this the company has partnered with Vodafone Idea. The subscription for this, as we understand, will be free till the car’s warranty period. The SIM card is essential to allow cloud based services, real time navigation, car tracking facility and functions that will run from an owner’s mobile app.
• Remote access
  This will be the biggest USP for young buyers! Imagine starting your Venue remotely via the app and even turning on the air-conditioning to fight Indian summers. Likewise, owners will be able to lock/unlock the car, enable remote honking and turning on the lights, find their SUV in a parking lot and share the location with others.
• Safety 
  The Venue will come with automatic crash notification of ACN which will send out distress signals automatically in case of a severe collision. Then there will be the SOS/Emergency feature, roadside assistance and panic notification. The last feature is what we really appreciate, especially given the rising number of female drivers. Good work Hyundai!
• Smart IRVM 
  Further to the point above, the internal rear view mirror will have three essential buttons that can be accessed easily. These include the SOS button (emergency assistance, medical assistance, panic assistance), RSA button (road side assistance) and BlueLink button with which you can talk to the customer care department.
• Security 
  Car theft is an increasing problem in metro cities but the Venue has its way around this issue. You will get notified if the car is stolen, you can track it thanks to eSIM and most importantly, immobilize the vehicle remotely. Once done, there is no way the car will be able to start or driven away further.

Apart from this, the Venue will be offered with smart features like geo-fencing, speed alert, valet alert etc. You will be able to track your driving patterns, get monthly health reports on the car and even be able to push the map (to a destination) onto the screen of the vehicle. Do note that, features like remote start / stop will only be offered with the automatic variant and the car needs to be in P mode for it to start. This feature will not be available on the manual Venue.

The Venue SUV will be showcased to us on 17th April and that is when we will bring you pictures and videos of the vehicle. It will be offered with both petrol and diesel engines in India and will be positioned at the premium end of the compact SUV market. This is based on the Carlino concept that was showcased four years at the Delhi Auto Expo.

Few images used for representational purpose only

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The Mercedes-Benz G63 AMG and the Suzuki Jimny are poles apart and using their name in the same line is not generally considered as sane. The only similarity these two vehicles share is that both of them are SUVs. On one hand is the G63 AMG which is like the Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson of the SUV world while on the other is the Suzuki Jimny which, with all respect, is just a tame sheep in front of the former. Why then are we even making comparisons between these two SUVs? Well, that’s because of the video below by carwow, which pits both of them together in a tug of war, albeit with a twist. Let’s now check out the video before proceeding further.

The result of this unique competition was quite predictable but yet quite interesting. The moment one hears that the G63 AMG is in a tug of war competition with a Jimny, it is quite obvious that the G63 will beat the hell out of the Jimny and that is what happens in the video. But here is the interesting thing, the Jimny then goes on to win the last round, or must we say Jimnys. The first round sees a bright neon shade Suzuki Jimny cling to the rope against the Mercedes-Benz G63 AMG. The G63 easily manages to pull the Jimny, while the driver of the Mercedes also reading a newspaper all this while. You see, this round was a child’s play for the Jimny.

The Jimny driver doesn’t lose hope though and brings another friend in a different Jimny to join him in his ordeal against the Mercedes. However, this round also sees the Mercedes managing to pull both the Jimnys, albeit with some effort. Also, the Mercedes driver this time was not reading a newspaper but stuffing down some fast food down his throat. War needs energy we guess. What happens next is that now there are 3 Jimny’s against one Mercedes-Benz G63 AMG. With their combined might, the Jimnys take home the trophy this time, though the G63 AMG still didn’t look as miserable as the Jimny looked in the other rounds.

Talking about engines and power, the Suzuki Jimny is powered by a naturally aspirated 1.5-litre petrol mill that churns out a maximum power of 101 Bhp along with 130 Nm of torque. The engine comes mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox along with a host of other off-road kits. Suzuki launched the all-new Jimny last year and it became very popular due to its affordable price tag, decent off-road prowess, and simplistic, no-nonsense motoring approach.

The other SUV here is a proper monster in all senses. The Mercedes-Benz G63 AMG gets powered by a 4-litre twin turbo engine, essentially the same that you also get on the Mercedes-AMG GTR. This firebreather of an engine churns out a maximum power of 577 Bhp along with 850 Nm of torque. The engine comes mated to a new 9-speed dual-clutch gearbox. This new version of the G63 AMG was also launched last year and is among the most powerful and well known SUVs in the world.

Well, what we know now is that it takes 3 Suzuki Jimny’s to defeat one Mercedes-Benz G63 AMG. HEre is another interesting fact though, the Suzuki Jimny costs around ten times less than the biggie Mercedes. So you get 3 Jimny’s along with a lot of spare money that will get you a big garage, lifetime fuel supply along with probably another interesting car. Though, you’ll need 3 drivers too every time you want to feel the combined Jimny power again. Or you can just buy a Mercedes Benz G63 AMG and watch the world burn while you enjoy the brute.

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The Maruti Suzuki Swift is among the best selling hatchbacks of India. In the modification circuits too, it is one of the most popular cars and therefore gets a ton of customization options. The modification options available on the Swift range from simple visual tweaks too hardcore engine upgrades. However, many people only go for visual changes and not engine tweaks as it affects the fuel efficiency of the vehicle. Headlights and tail lights are among the most popular and inexpensive way to make your car look good and the video below by JJ automobiles Vlogs shows stylish custom LED tail lights for the Maruti Suzuki Swift. Take a look at the video to see how the light functions before we move on to the details.

As seen in the video, the new tail lamps take the aesthetics of the Swift to a whole different level. The car in question here is the latest generation model and not the older generation one. The aftermarket tail light fitted on the car is a full LED unit and looks quite good when lighted up. It gets different lights and patterns for each function. Apart from the glass area cover that is over the LED lights in the tail lamp, the rest of the glass area is blacked out to lend a dark look to the car.

A C-shaped section inside the tail lamps act as the default light and the glow is pretty decent. The brake lights are positioned in the centre while the indicators are placed in the lower strip. This strip also houses the reverse light. The indicators get a flowing pattern which looks quite good and is in the trend these days. The Swift used in this video is in a white shade which further compliments the blacked out panels of the tail lights.

The cost of these tail lamps, according to the video is in between Rs. 12,000 to Rs. 15,000. Among the heap of tail light options available for the Swift, this one here looks quite decent and will give a boost to how your car looks like. The lights would stand at night especially and the difference will be distinctive.

The Maruti Suzuki Swift comes equipped with a 1.2-litre VVT petrol engine and 1.3-litre turbo diesel engine. The petrol motor churns out 83 Bhp of power and 113 Nm of torque. It comes mated to both a 5-speed manual and a 5 speed AMT transmission unit. The diesel unit, on the other hand, dishes out 75 Bhp of power and 190 Nm of torque. It is also available with both manual and automatic transmission options. The availability of an automatic transmission on both the engine options is another factor contributing to its high sales.

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The Honda Civic has made a comeback to the Indian market after a gap of seven long years. The Honda Civic skipped a generation in the Indian market before the launch all-new tenth-generation sedan in the Indian market. When Honda introduced the 8th-generation Civic in the Indian market, around 50,000 units of the car were sold in the Indian market. However, due to the low demand, the model was discontinued from the market.

The Honda Civic has changed quite a lot after the 8th generation model, which was the first Honda Civic model to be introduced in the Indian market. There are many good looking and well-maintained examples of the Honda Civic in the Indian market. Many of these Honda Civic sedans have been modified with extreme modifications too. Here is an eighth-generation Honda Civic that has been modified to look like tenth-generation Honda Civic Type-R.

The transformations are quite heavy on the sedan and major changes have been done to make it look similar to the present-day Civic. To start with, the front-end has been completely reworked and it now gets a new bumper, new LED headlamps, a new front bumper splitter, a new hood scoop and a new grille that mimics the latest-generation single metallic bar.

The rear end of the Honda Civic also gets a few transformations. The most attention-grabbing part in the rear is the new C-shaped LED tail lamp units that look extremely good on the car. The boot lid has been altered too and it gets a huge boot-mounted spoiler at the rear. Even the rear bumper has been upgraded to an aftermarket bumper with a splitter. The pictures of the car’s side view are not available. The old Civic came with a conventionally designed roofline but the all-new Civic gets a coupe-inspired roofline that makes it look very aggressive and different from the rest.

Apart from these, it is not known if the interior of the car has been altered too. The all-new Honda Civic looks very different from the eighth-generation car that was available in the Indian market. These pictures have been put up on the TBHP forum and there is not more information available.

The eighth generation Honda Civic was only offered with a 1.8-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine. In the present day, Honda also offers a 1.6-litre diesel engine with the petrol engine in the Indian market. The car has also received a huge demand in the market and according to sources, more than 2,400 bookings in just 40 days. The Honda Civic takes on the likes of Toyota Corolla Altis, Hyundai Elantra and Skoda Octavia in the Indian market but it is the most expensive vehicle in the segment.

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Among the various forms of automotive pleasures petrolheads indulge themselves in, off-roading is among the most popular ones. The gush of adrenaline that rushes inside the body after conquering a challenging terrain is something that needs to be experienced in order to understand it fully. All across the world, off-roading and rally sports are quite popular and the same is the case in India too. However, there are several factors to be kept in mind while going off the road or things could go south before you know. The video below by Lokesh Swami is about a stuck Thar and a winch that eventually saves the day and pulls it out. Take a look at it before we proceed further.

In the video, we see a group of guys enjoying wild off-roading in their 4×4 vehicles. The vehicles in the group mostly include Mahindra Thars and some Maruti Suzuki Gypsys. During the course of dune bashing, one of the Mahindra Thars gets stuck on the treacherous sandy ground. It could not come out even after many attempts by the driver and the people around. Finally, another Mahindra Thar is called on the scene which has a winch on its front bumper. The winch wire is attached to the other Thar that is stuck.

With the help of the winch, the stuck Mahindra Thar comes out in the first attempt itself. This proves how useful and effective the winch is for such outdoor expeditions. While off-roading is fun, it is definitely not an easy task. One may climb through some rocks and splash some stream but hardcore and planned off-roading needs patience as well as planning. Just aiming your vehicles and going out like a bullet will end up in either you being damaged or the vehicle suffering mechanical damage or in the worst case, both. Always test the terrain you are about to drive on before driving into it. This will let you formulate a driving plan according to the surface. Mind you, things may not turn out to be what they seem to be and therefore, get out of the vehicle and get a feel of how the terrain is.

While driving on a sandy surface, let out some air off your tires. This will sag the tires and thus increase the surface area in contact with the ground. Doing so will prevent the wheel from sinking in the sand. However, make sure not to let too much air out of the tires because that will make the conditions worse. Also, group off-road trips are always better than solo trips as there are people to help when the need arises. Apart from these, their are various other things to be followed while off-roading but we’ll touch upon them sometime later.

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MG Motors, which is one of the oldest brands in the UK will soon launch its first vehicle in the Indian market. To take on the models like Jeep Compass in the Indian market, the first launch from the brand will be the MG Hector, which is expected to be launched in the coming months. With electric cars showing signs of being the future of the mobility, MG Motor will bring in an electric SUV as their second offering in the Indian market. The MG eZS electric vehicle, the second car from the manufacturer will be the second offering from the brand and the electrified SUV was showcased at the Bangkok International Motor Show (BIMS).

The British brand MG Motor is under the Chinese automotive giant SAIC. They have already confirmed the launch of an electric SUV in the Indian as their second vehicle in the market. The manufacturer is most likely to bring the eZS to the Indian market by the end of 2019 to gain momentum in the segment. Currently, the electric vehicles are sparse in the Indian market and only Mahindra sells the E2O hatchback and Verito sedan in the Indian market. However, in the future, we may see more manufacturers launching electric vehicles in the market as they become more popular. The MG eZS will be a global car and will be available in various markets around the world.

The vehicle was showcased at the Bangkok International Motor Show (BIMS). It gets a range of electrified SUV is 335 km according to the NEDC cycle on a single charge. It gets powered by a 150 Bhp electric motor. Even though MG Motors has not confirmed the exact model that will be launched in the Indian market as an electric vehicle, the eZS fits the requirement of the brand and the Indian market easily.

The price of the MG eZS is likely to remain on the higher side as it will be a low-volume vehicle and will be imported to the Indian market. Depending on the demand, MG Motors may even start to assemble the SUV in the Indian market at a later stage but initially, it is likely to be a CKD or CBU product.

MG’s parent brand has already partnered with CATL for the supply of the lithium-ion batteries, which will power the upcoming electric SUV from the brand. Apart from MG Motors, Mahindra and Mahindra are planning to launch the electrified version of the XUV 300 in the Indian market. The Indian manufacturer will also launch an EV version of the KUV 100 in the market. Other manufacturers like Hyundai and Tata are also planning to launch their products in the segment in the coming year, which will definitely provide a wide range of choice to the customers in the market.

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Bajaj Auto has begun dispatching the 2019 Dominar 400 sports tourer to dealers around India, and the first customer  deliveries have already begun. Here are a couple of videos that show the 2019 Bajaj Dominar at a Bajaj dealership in Mumbai. Also, the official price list of the new motorcycle is now out. First, the video.

As the video indicates, the 2019 Bajaj Dominar seems to have gained quite some heft from the front thanks to the  upside down front forks that replace the telescopic units at the rear. The motorcycle also gets new alloy wheels,  which look more substantial than the units on the older bike. Besides this, the new Dominar gets a unique green paint scheme, and gruntier exhaust note thanks to a new, double barrel exhaust. Other key changes include revised rear view mirrors and added features to the instrument cluster.

Mechanically, there are big changes on the new motorcycle. The engine head now runs twin camshafts instead of the  single camshaft that was offered on the older bike. Consequently, the 2019 Bajaj Dominar sees a major power bump up. Peak power is now rated at 40 Bhp, up from 35 Bhp, while peak torque remains constant at 35 Nm. The additional power should make the 2019 Bajaj Dominar quicker through the gears while the revised suspension should make it a smoother ride on bad roads.

Also, Bajaj Auto has extensively worked on better integrity of the body panels on the 2019 Dominar 400, and the  initial reviews suggest that the vibrations from panels, which were higher on the older Dominar, have now been  reduced drastically. All in all, the 2019 Bajaj Dominar is a massive improvement over the first-generation model. The  motorcycle is priced at Rs. 1.74 lakhs, which represents a near 11,000 rupees increase in prices over that of the  older Dominar.

Most prospective buyers will find the new price to be justified given the slew of changes on the 2019 Dominar.  Notably, the non-ABS version of the bike has been discontinued and dual channel ABS is now standard. Bajaj dealers  are also selling leftover stock of the older Dominar at chunky discounts. However, the 2019 Doiminar is a huge improvement, and we recommend that you opt for the new model despite attractive discounts on the older one. Bajaj dealers will also start offering many touring accessories offered by Autologue Design – a Pune based custom parts maker. As for competition, the Bajaj Dominar 400 rivals the Royal Enfield Thundebirds 350 and 500, and other similar Royal Enfield motorcycles.

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Tata Motors has begun working on a facelift for its best selling SUV – the Nexon. Spyshots of the facelifted Nexon  have leaked but the full camouflage on the test mule doesn’t reveal much. There’s talk that Tata Motors will give the  facelifted Nexon styling inspired by the Impact 2.0 design philosophy, which was first seen on the Harrier, and will  soon be seen on the Cassini (Buzzard/H7X). Here’s a speculative render that shows what the Nexon inspired by the  Impact 2.0 design could look like.

Render courtesy CarWale

As the render indicates, the Nexon gets a front end that’s simply borrowed from the Harrier. While the final model  may obviously not be a full copy of the Harrier, it’s likely that many design bits of the SUV will make it to the  compact SUV. For instance, the headlamps could move to the bumper, with the traditional headlamp position instead hosting LED DRLs. Similarly, the grille could see a full revision, and become much wider. The rest of the Nexon’s profile and design could be similar to the current model as we’re dealing with a facelift, which is very unlikely to get a full top-hat restyling.

In the past, we’ve seen Tata Motors carry out major facelifts on cars, changing the entire design and stance. The
Hexa-Aria design makeover is something that comes to mind. Something like this could be carried out with the
facelifted Nexon as well. If the Tata Nexon indeed gets the Harrier’s styling, a lot of buyers could be swayed by the
compact SUV’s looks alone. Under the hood, and in terms of features, the Nexon is already very strong, and the
facelift is likely to add only a few features with no major mechanical changes to speak of apart from emission
related equipment required to meet the upcoming Bharat Stage 6 (BS6) emission norms.

Currently, the Nexon sold in India features two engine and two gearbox options. The petrol engine is a 1.2 liter-3  cylinder turbocharged unit with 108 Bhp-170 Nm on tap. The diesel, also a turbocharged unit, makes 108 Bhp-250 Nm, and is also much larger, with a 1.5 liter displacement and a 4 cylinder layout. 6 speed manual gearboxes are standard with both engines, which also get 6 speed AMT options. In fact, the Nexon is the only sub-4 meter compact SUV in India to feature both manual and automatic options.

The Tata Nexon has been rated 5 stars by Global NCAP for excellent performance in the agency’s crash test. Tata  Motors has been harping about the high levels of safety that the Nexon offers, and in the facelifted model, expect a  few safety feature additions to reinforce the Nexon’s solid safety levels. As for pricing, a mild upward revision is  very likely for the facelifted Nexon.

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Honda will soon unveil the all-new Jazz for the first time most probably during the 2019 Tokyo Motor Show. Slated to happen in October, the motor show will see the world premiere of the premium hatchback which had been caught road testing quite a few times in Europe and North America. Known for its spacious interiors and features in India, the new Jazz will sport a design that marries the older stance with a more modern design direction. First launched here in 2009, the premium hatchback has seen several updates and facelifts during its time here. The render below gives us an idea of how the new generation Jazz would look like.

As seen in the render above, the new Jazz will probably sport squarish headlamps with LED projectors along with vertically slated LED DRLs. Going by the current design direction of Honda, the new Jazz is expected to carry an overall curvier profile and take styling hints from bigger Honda cars. The sides carry a similar design as on the current model apart from the slight change around the C-pillar. Talking about the rear end, this is where the majority of the changes will be made going by this render.

The rear features horizontally positioned wraparound LED tail-lamps with a black bar running in between. A roof end spoiler, fin end antenna and a new, bulkier looking bumper complete the package. It looks like a bigger car from the rear when compared to the ongoing model of the car. The overall length of the new Jazz will be 3,990mm in length, which makes it 35 mm longer than the outgoing model in India. Honda will also increase the width of the new Jazz which will allow for more room in the car. The interiors will also get a redesign and the car will be better equipped than the current model.

Talking about firepower, Honda could bring the two-motor hybrid setup here. The regular gasoline engines will also be available, including the 1.0-litre, four-cylinder turbocharged motor. Also known as Fit in many international markets, the Jazz is among the first premium hatchbacks to be made available in India. Though it may not be the sales topper in the segment currently, this new generation car could topple the segment, just like the new Amaze did for Honda.

When launched in India, it will rival the likes of the Maruti Suzuki Baleno and the Hyundai Elite i20 in the segment. However, an all new and bigger challenger will be waiting for it in India in the form of the Tata Altroz, which will also be launched here during the festive season. The premium hatchback segment is growing steadily in India and with the pricing done right, Honda can again taste the success it recently had with the Amaze.

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We already know that the iconic Ambassador is set for a new ride in India. The French PSA Group had acquired the Ambassador nameplate back in 2017 and plans to relaunch it soon.

A recent report suggests that the PSA Group will launch the Ambassador as its electric mobility brand in India. What we could be seeing is an electric Ambassador sedan for the Indian market, which is derived from one of the many electric car concepts that Peugeot has in its stable.

We browsed through the Peugeot electric concepts, and came across the Peugeot e-Legend concept electric vehicle, a sedan that gets retro styling. What we know from this is that this is the design direction Peugeot would like to go in. And in that direction, the e-Legend looks like a super cool modern-day Contessa than an Ambassador!

Could the Ambassador Electric sedan – when it gets launched in India – be inspired by or resemble the e-Legend? We can only hope that Peugeot would find a way, and would not give us a dull, boring everyday car as the next Ambassador. If they do go ahead and try to do a Tata here, we may actually end up with a Contessa successor named Ambassador that is an EV – what more could one ask for? However, we fear this may end up just a dream.

The report also goes on to say that a range of electric cars will be planned under the Ambassador brand. The brand is also expected to a compact SUV or crossover styled vehicle, followed by a premium hatchback. Both the vehicles are expected to share their platform and components with similar sized internal combustion engined car. The engine and some of the mechanical bits will be taken from Citroen which will be launched by 2021 in India. The intent is to make Ambassador a profit-making entity from within the first quarter of the start of sales.

As for the launch timeline, the Ambassador branded range of cars are likely to debut only after 2022. Also, it is not yet decided whether the brand would have a separate retail network or be sold alongside the rest of PSA’s company’s. Talking of which, the upcoming Citroen brand form PSA will have a full-fledged dealer network. It is also being speculated that the Ambassador branded cars are likely to be sold using an exclusive online sales strategy. However, workshops for the two brands will be common.

Along with being sold in India, PSA aims for a global presence of the Ambassador brand too, especially the Commonwealth countries which are mostly Right-Hand-Drive. The company is already studying and examining the export potential of Ambassador badged products from 2023 onwards.

Citroen’s premium brand DS has also announced its range of EVs for Europe, which will use the E-Tense badge. The DS3 Crossback E-Tense is expected to be the one such model picked for the Ambassador brand’s resurrection, and is expected to have a 330-kilometre range.

The Ambassador nameplate has a lot of emotional value in India. Sold earlier by Hindustan Motors, the iconic sedan long remained the best selling car of India. The upcoming onslaught from the modern, frugal and more affordable Japanese cars meant that the sales of the Ambassador went down but it was still quite popular nonetheless. As for PSA Group’s plan for making it an electric brand in India, it is a pretty bold decision but could also give the company a headstart here if the design and pricing of the vehicle are done right. EVs are going to get quite popular in the coming time with the manufacturers and the Government both pushing for them.

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Bollywood actor Shahid Kapoor is on a bike shopping spree and his latest acquisition is the mighty BMW R1250 GS. This bike is considered as the best adventurer tourer motorcycle by many and retails for a whopping Rs. 18.25 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi). The actor posted a photo on Instagram a few weeks back in which he posed alongside the bike and called himself “a bike lover gone mad”. The actor is known for his love of bikes and owns a range of motorcycles. Just a few months back, he got himself a new Ducati Scrambler 1100 and a BMW G 310R after that.

Talking about his latest buy, the BMW R 1250 GS is a big daddy full-size adventure tourer and gets the typical family design with a beefy fairing and a beaky mudguard up front. Shahid has again gone for the White-red-blue paint scheme, which is the BMW racing theme colours. The smaller G 310R he bought also was in the same paint shade. The BMW R 1250 GS gets different riding modes, ABS, dynamic traction control and suspension compensation Dynamic ESA, In addition, the bike hosts dynamic brake assist.

Powering the BMW R1250 GS is a 1254 cc boxer engine that produces a maximum power of 138 PS at 7,750rpm and 143Nm of torque at 6,250. The engine sends power to the rear wheel via axle through a six-speed gearbox. The bike comes with a single-sided swingarm and spoke wired rims shod with dual purpose tyres. The bike is offered with an optional HP sports exhaust from the manufacturer without voiding the three-year warranty.

Further, It gets a 6.5-inch TFT screen on the instrument panel which displays important information about the motorcycle like tyre pressure among others. The screen can be connected to a smartphone via Bluetooth and display navigation, music player and telephony. The big beemer is quite a heavy bike also and tips the scales at 249 kgs. It is used by off-road and touring biking enthusiasts across the world for its tough nature, reliability, power and practicality.

The Ducati Scrambler 1100 Shahid owns has a price tag of around Rs. 11.12 lakh, ex-showroom. The Scrambler 1100 gets powered by a 1,079cc, liquid-cooled, L-Twin engine that generates a maximum power of 85 Bhp and a peak torque of 88 Nm. It comes with three riding modes that change the power output of the engine to suit the situation. The smaller BMW he owns, the G 310R, is powered by a 313cc, single-cylinder, water-cooled engine that generates a maximum power of 33.6 Bhp and peak torque of 28 Nm. The engine is mated to a six-speed transmission and the bike get disc brakes on both the wheels. It is priced at Rs. 2.99 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi). Shahid also owns a Harley Davidson Road King bike.

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Hyundai Venue, one of the most-awaited sub-4m compact SUV in the Indian market will be officially unveiled at the 2019 New York International Auto Show (NYIAS) on 17th April 2019. However, before that, the pictures of the car have been leaked online on Rushlane Spylane. The pictures reveal the front-end, alloy wheels, interior and rear of the vehicle.

The front-end of the car partially shows the grille and the headlamp of the upcoming Venue. It resembles the all-new Hyundai Kona and follows the latest design philosophy of the Hyundai cars. The front-end gets a chrome-dropped large cascading grille. It gets LED DRLs that form the extended part of the grille itself while the headlamps are located lower in the bumper inside a square housing. An official video of the camouflaged test mule released by Hyundai shows that the boundary of the main headlamp cluster also glows like DRLs.

The Hyundai Venue looks like a scaled Creta from the side which has been revealed through the numerous pictures of the car testing on the Indian roads. The pictures also reveal extremely good looking precision cut dual-tone alloy wheels that look like 16-inches in size.  Also, the rear of the vehicle has been revealed. While the bumper of the car remains under the camouflage, the upper part of the vehicle shows the regular, single-unit tail lamps of the upcoming SUV.

The car gets a big “VENUE” moniker across the tailgate of the vehicle that is positioned just below the Hyundai logo. Two more badges reveal the variant name, which is the SX and “Turbo” badge is a likely indication towards a performance variant in the Indian market.

The interior of the vehicle has been revealed too. The image shows a big screen mounted on the centre of the dashboard and a multi-functional steering wheel like will remind you of the Creta. It gets a circular display that shows the AC’s function and temperature while two big dials are placed on either side of the circular screen to control the fan speed and temperature of the AC. There is quite a lot of space in front of the gear lever, which can be a wireless charging pad for smartphones but it cannot be confirmed.

Hyundai officially revealed that the Venue will offer 33 features out of which 10 features are India specific. In India, the car will get an eSIM from Vodafone-Idea that will be utilised for various first-in-segment features in the Venue. The car will offer features like geo-fencing, AI based voice recognition, remote control of the AC and driving reports.

The Turbo-badged version of the Venue will likely to get powered by a 1.0-litre turbocharged engine, a 1.2-litre petrol engine and a 1.4-litre diesel engine from Verna. The launch is expected to happen by the end of this year.

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KTM has been planning to launch the adventure tourer version of the Duke 390 since long and it is expected that the bike will be launched this year itself. However, if you already own a KTM Duke series bike and can’t wait any longer to unleash your bike on the treacherous off-road terrain, Autologue Designs have just the right solution for you. The Pune-based custom house and accessory manufacturer has launched touring bike kits for the KTM Duke 125, Duke 200 and previous generation Duke 390 motorcycles. These are kits are bolt-on units that can be attached and detached easily. Called the Xplorer kit, it is priced at Rs. 13,500 for the basic parts while the full kit costs Rs. 20,500.

Also, these kits do not nullify the bike’s warranty as they do not affect the performance of the bike in any way and have been specially designed for the Duke series motorcycles. With the full kit on, the regular Duke bikes will be transformed into long distance touring and adventure bikes. However, since the Xplorer body kit does not enhance the performance in any way, the adventure part might not be that feasible. However, some suspension tweaks by yourself and the bike will be transformed into a decent adventure tourer.

The Xplorer kit includes an adjustable front windshield, tail panels, semi body fairing, a redesigned engine bash plate and the 17” stock wheels have been fitted with dual purpose tyres enhancing its off-road capabilities even further. Apart from this, there are no other changes on mechanical bits like engine, brakes or suspension setup.

A tall set handlebar and front set foot pegs are also present on the bike in the pictures. This will provide the rider with a better seating position and a more upright riding stance, which is necessary for long distance riding comfort. The full body Xplorer kit from is priced at Rs.20,500, as mentioned before. However, you can also individually buy parts like with the Fairing kit, tank extension with visor and bracket for relocation for Rs. 13,500. The Tail panels and the Bash plate has been priced at Rs. 3,000 and Rs.4,000 respectively.

Before this, Autologue designs also showcased adventure tourer body kits for the new generation 390 Duke, 250 Duke and the Bajaj Dominar 400. The Xplorer kit is quite a good deal for those who are not planning to change their bike anytime soon. Along with the practicality benefits, the aesthetics of the bike also get a boost. A set of panniers and maybe a top box fitted on it will fully transform into the tourer you were looking for. The pricing is also quite affordable and only costs only a fraction of the original cost of the bike.

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A lot of police officers in the past have been criticized for their behaviour with the public and many of such incidents have been recorded too. In a recent incident from Chennai, two police officers were caught on camera while damaging a parked scooter on the road. Both the officers have been dismissed since the video has become viral.

The video was taken from a mobile phone camera by the locals. It shows a home guard on duty repeatedly hitting a parked Honda Dio with his baton. Another policeman can be seen giving instructions to smash the front of the scooter which the home guard follows and starts damaging the front-end of the scooter repeatedly. After a few minutes a youth, who is the rider of the Dio appears in the frame and starts talking to the police officers present but the cop keeps on hitting the scooter repeatedly with his baton.

The youth then sits on the scooter and leaves the spot without even putting on the helmet on his head and the cop can be seen hitting the scooter one last time with all his strength. The Honda Dio is definitely damaged from the rear, side and the front after the repeated blows from the baton.

Both the cops have been identified after the video became viral online. The cop who is repeatedly hitting the bike has been identified as home guard Mohan while the other person, who was giving instruction has been identified as sub-inspector (SI) Haribabu. Both of them have been suspended by the police department after the video became viral on social media platforms. Both the police officers belong to to the Fort Police station and the incident took place near the War Memorial in Chennai.

The police personnel claimed that the youth had come to buy some illegal substance from the place and the SI had warned him to leave the place earlier. However, the youth did not obey the orders, which is why they damaged the vehicle. However, such reasons are not enough to damage an individual’s property. It is not known if the cops will take any further action on the suspended cops.

The local who was shooting the video went unnoticed by the cops till the very end. However, while keeping the baton in the police vehicle, the home guard noticed that someone is making the video and he passed on the information to the SI who then turned angrily towards the local. The video ends there, it is not known if the cops asked the video maker to delete the clip from his phone. The video has been shared on various social media platform and has even picked up by various news agencies. The police are yet to comment on the incident officially.

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Volkswagen has launched special ‘Black and White’ edition of their popular cars – Ameo, Polo and Vento in the Indian market. The special models are available at no extra cost at all the Volkswagen dealerships across the country. They have also introduced the ‘Deep Black’ colour, which was taken off the market sometime back. The Deep Black version is only available with the Polo and Vento.

The ‘Black and White’ edition Ameo, Polo and Vento offer various additional features at no extra cost. The changes are only visual and mechanically, the cars remain identical to the regular version of the models. The additional features include new aggressive body graphics, Black & White leatherette seat covers, a new sporty roof-mounted spoiler, glossy rear spoiler, new 16-inch Portago Alloy wheels, black painted roof, black ORVMs and ‘Black & White’ chrome moniker on the fender. The ‘Black & White’ edition is only available with the select variants of the models. However, Volkswagen has not mentioned the exact variants of the models that will offer the special edition.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr Steffen Knapp, Director, Volkswagen Passenger Cars said,

“It is our constant endeavour to enhance our product offerings that are in-line with evolving consumer aspirations. The Polo & Vento have been strong contenders within their segments. Adding a dash of style, these enhanced feature offerings further make an attractive value proposition for our discerning customers. In turn, giving them the power of choice within the Volkswagen product portfolio.”

Mechanically, the cars remain unchanged. The Volkswagen Polo is available with a 1.0-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine that develops a maximum power of 76 PS and peak torque of 95 Nm. It is available with a 5-speed manual transmission and returns a maximum of 18.78 km/l according to ARAI. The diesel variants of the Polo are powered by a 1.5-litre turbo-diesel engine that generates a maximum of 90 PS and 230 Nm of peak torque. Volkswagen also offers Polo GT in the Indian market that gets powered by a 1.2-litre turbocharged petrol engine that generates a maximum of 110 PS and 175 Nm of peak torque. It gets a 7-speed DSG automatic transmission. The Polo GT is also available with a diesel engine that generates a maximum of 110 PS and 250 Nm of peak torque. It gets a manual transmission only. The GT versions are not available with the ‘Black & White’ package.

The Volkswagen Ameo, which is exclusively developed for the Indian market and is based on the Polo gets powered by the same 1.0-litre petrol engine that generates a maximum of 75 PS and peak torque of 95 Nm. The petrol version is only available with a 5-speed manual transmission. The diesel variants get powered by a 1.5-litre engine that generates a maximum of 110 PS and 250 Nm. There is a 5-speed manual and a 6-speed DSG automatic transmission available with the sedan.

The Vento is available with three engine options. There is a 1.6-litre petrol that generates 105 PS – 153 Nm, a 1.5-litre diesel that generates 110 PS – 250 Nm and 1.2-litre turbocharged petrol that generates a 105 PS and 175 Nm. Volkswagen offers dual-clutch DSG automatic transmissions as an option with 1.2-litre turbocharged and a 1.6-litre diesel engine of Vento.

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