Honda launches Dream Yuga commuter motorcycle at Rs 44,642 ex-Delhi

Honda Motorcycles and Scooters India today launched their first ever mass market motorcycle, the Dream Yuga in New Delhi. The company in a statement, today said that ‘Honda has unleashed its first big step towards mass mobility in India.’

The Dream Yuga is powered by a 110cc Honda engine with a peak power output of 8.5 BHP @ 7500 RPM and 8.51NM @ 5500rpm of peak torque. Honda claims a fuel efficiency figure of 72 kmpl in test conditions which resemble the city driving environment.

The bike's engine is equipped with technologies like the 'Honda Intelligent Ignition Control System' which changes ignition timings to attain ideal combustion, leading to improved power output and efficiency.

The Dream Yuga has the typical commuter motorcycle look with a bikini fairing. Honda, however, have tried to add some dashes of sportiness in places to make this econo-commuter more attractive to the masses. The dream Yuga is expected to be the first real challenger to the reigning Splendor from Hero Motocorp stable, and is expected to propel Honda as the indisputable second largest bike maker in the country after its former partner in a short span of time.

The Dream Yuga looks reasonably stylish for the class with a black colored engine, sportily styled exhaust, body colored grab rail, and nice alloy wheels. The Dream Yuga comes with a viscous air filter, 120mm front suspension travel and a long, comfy seat. The bike is also equipped with tuff tubeless tyres for better reliability. The drive chain too is fully covered for optimum performance over long periods. Honda is also providing maintenance free battery for added peace of mind.

According to Honda, the Dream Yuga is specially developed for Indian customers, keeping in mind their practical commuting needs. Starting May'12 end, Dream Yuga is available for sale in three variants-

Kick/Drum/Spoke
Kick/ Drum/Alloy
Self/ Drum/Alloy

The starting price of the bike is Rs. 44,642 (Ex-Showroom, Delhi). The motorcycle comes in 5 colors: Black, Monsoon Grey Metallic, Alpha Red Metallic, Force Silver Metallic & Maple Brown Metallic.

At the launch, President & CEO, Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India Pvt. Ltd - Mr. Keita Muramatsu said “The New Corporate Direction is a step forward towards Honda’s objective to attain leadership position in India. We are delighted to have Akshay Kumar as new Brand Ambassador as he personifies Honda’s philosophy of Sach Kardenge Sapne and captures the imagination of Indian customers. With him on board, we will touch the heart of young India! ”

On his association with Honda, Akshay Kumar, the new brand ambassador for the company said, “Honda as the World’s No. 1 motorcycle maker carries with it a legacy of customer oriented products from 50cc to 1800cc and goodwill of over 200 million customers worldwide. I am deeply impressed by Honda’s vision and proud to associate with this young and vibrant Brand that is innovative, technologically advanced and committed to society.”

Bajaj Pulsar 200NS to be launched next week. The wait is soon going to be over!!

Back in 2001, the Pulsar twins started a revolution of sorts. The advent of Brand Pulsar pioneered the democratization of performance biking, offering affordable motorcycles which were not mere commuters. 10 years on, Brand Pulsar, as we know it today has an unparalleled Indian fan base. So the big question that I ask myself as I begin writing this post is, will the new Pulsar, that we tested about 3 months back, be able to do justice to the to its celebrated lineage? Does it have enough substance to snatch buyers from Yamaha R15? Would it be able to carry forward its predecessor’s legacy into an era where Indian biking seems to have finally come of age? The stakes are much higher now than ever before. The Indian biking enthusiast buying into the Pulsar segment has a bigger pocket, and far more options. So does the new Pulsar sustain its relevance as strongly as it did ten years back and throughout the course of its existence? These questions will be answered only in due course of time. However, the news here is that the eagerly awaited bike will be launched in Maharashtra next week and this will be soon followed with launch at other places. This is no rumour but Rajeev Bajaj has said this to a national news channel in an interview. It may be noted that Mr. Rajiv Bajaj had promised a sub INR 1 lakh price for this bike and if Bajaj stays true to its word, we expect the new bike to give a lot of sleepless nights to rivals.

Pulsar 200NS Specifications

Engine

Type SOHC – 4V – Liquid Cooled

Combustion system                           Triple spark

Ignition system Independent spark control through ECU

Crankshaft Type          Integral

Max Power                   23.52 PS @ 9500

Max Torque                  18.3 Nm @ 8000

Bore                               72 mm

Stroke                            49 mm

Displacement                 199.5 cc

Fuel system Carburettor, UCD 33

Air filter Paper element

Exhaust system Exhaust TEC enhanced centrally mounted

Vehicle

Frame Type Pressed steel Perimeter Frame

Wheel Base                         1363 mm

Length x height x width      2017 mm x 1195 mm x 804 mm

Seat ht-Rider                       805 mm

Ground Clearance               167 mm

Vehicle Kerb weight            145 kg

FAW/RAW                           72/73 kg

Fuel Tank capacity               12 L

Suspension

Front suspension Telescopic Front Fork with Antifriction Bush Dia 37

Rear Suspension Nitrox Mono Shock Absorber with piggy back gas canister

Brakes – type

Front Petal Disc with floating caliper

Rear Petal Disc with floating caliper

Brake Size

Front Dia 280 mm Disc

Rear Dia 230 mm Disc

Tyres

Front 100/80 – 17, 52 P, Tubeless

Rear 130/70 – 17, 61 P, Tubeless

Rims

Front 10 spoke 2.5 x 17, Alloy

Rear 10 Spoke, 3.5 x 17, Alloy

Max Speed 136 Kmph

Acceleration

0-60 kmph 3.61 sec

0-100 kmph 9.83 sec

Braking performance

Braking Distance – Both brakes (60 – 0 Kmph) 16.33 meters

Electricals

System DC Ignition

Battery        12V 8AH VRLA

2012 Mercedes Benz M Class to be launched in May

Mercedes India is all set to launch the 2012 M-Class in the Indian market.

The latest edition of the popular SUV is an all new product. However, the first word that comes to the mind when glanced at is – ‘Bland’. Though Mercedes seems to have solved the space issue which made the previous M-Class a hassle to sit in. There is a visible change in the size of the car and looks like the 2012 M-Class will come with an extended wheelbase taken from its elder sibling the GL-Class. The 2012 M-Class also features a huge panoramic sun-roof which will make the cabin come alive with fresh incident light. There is also the wrap around rear windscreen which makes the M-Class stand out of the crowd.

The insides are typical Mercedes top notch standard quality with a lot of wood used to give that upmarket feel. The ML 350 CDI will be laucnched first. The motor here pumps out some 258bhp and churns out 63.2kgm of pulling power. The motor is mated to a seven-speed 7G-Tronic gearbox along with permanent four-wheel drive as a standard feature.

The car could be priced in INR 65-70 lakhs bracket.

Yamaha FZ series gets minor updates

Popular 150cc bike, the FZ 16 and others from this series, get a few changes to keep them from rapidly aging. The FZ-S also gets a new paint shade- Fiery Orange.
The FZ-S is now being offered with a choice of as many as 4 colors to chose from- Black Cyber Green, Sunset Red, Competition White and the new Fiery Orange.
The FZ series in India also gets a revised pillion seat. This is owing to the feedback the FZ users have been providing to the bike manufacturer. It is no secret that the FZ’s pillion seat isn’t the most comfortable around. Now, the rear seat has been elongated and widened a little.
FZ series also gets a new grab rail. Yamaha says,“The grab bar not only acts as a backrest but is something the pillion rider can hold on to if the road is bumpy”. The FZ also gets a new chain cover to cover both the upper and lower portions of the chain.
Unfortunately, the engine has remain untouched. The good bit here though is that the prices remain unchanged. While most of these changes might go unnoticed, I am quite sure that the better half will surely enjoy the revised seat.

SPECIFICATIONS:-

Engine type                                                       Air-cooled, 4-stroke, SOHC
Displacement                                                    153.0cc
Bore & Stroke                                                   58.0 × 57.9mm
Compression ratio                                             9.5:1
Maximum output                                               14PS / 7500 rpm
Maximum torque                                               13.6 N.m / 6000 rpm
Starting method                                                 Electric & Kick
Lubrication type                                                Wet sump
Fuel Supply                                                        Carburetor
Clutch type Wet,                                                 multiple-disc
Primary/secondary reduction ratio                      3.409 / 2.857
Transmission type Constant mesh 5-speed
Gear ratio                                                           1st=2.714 ,2nd=1.789, 3rd=1.318
                                                                           4th=1.045,5th=0.875
Cylinder layout                                                   Single Cylinder



Ex-Delhi prices-

FZ Rs. 67,000
FZ-S Rs. 69,000
Fazer Rs. 74,000

Ford revealed production version EcoSport at Beijing Auto Show

The 2012 Beijing Auto Show as already started entertaining automobile fans around world, now new verdict from Ford really surprised people around China, according to ford they will deliver 15 new vehicles to China by 2015.

Among the car to be launched includes EcoSport, Kuga and Explorer while the sole car is the new worldly Ford Focus ST five-door hatch.

“We are working hard to secure the avid interest of Chinese car enthusiasts with these new and exciting Ford vehicles loaded with green and smart technologies,” said Joe Hinrichs, president of Ford Asia Pacific and Africa. “With the opening of our latest state-of-the-art brand new manufacturing facilities in Chongqing and the continued, rapid expansion of a family of vehicles in every class that Chinese consumers want and value, Ford is committed to China. We are ready to demonstrate aggressive growth this year in China, the most exciting car market in the world.”

We’re already familiar with the Explorer and the Focus. The EcoSport on the other hand is one of Ford’s latest global products. It was first revealed in India, but this time around, it gets its debut in China. The EcoSport is an ultra-compact SUV crossover that Ford hopes will provide affordable, modern motoring for the Asian masses.

The EcoSport is the latest ‘One Ford’ global product, a vehicle designed to help expand Ford’s footprint in the world’s fastest-growing auto markets, including India. It will be the second of eight products Ford plans to bring to India by mid-decade for which the company will invest US$ 2 billion in the development and production of the new vehicles.

The five-door EcoSport gets chunky, technical styling, and a very space-efficient interior. A large trapezoidal front grille dominates the front end, while the front headlights are slimmer and more technical than on the Fiesta.

The lower front bumper and side sills get cladding, while there are also muscular wheel arches and a fixed spare wheel at the back to further emphasise its off-road intentions. The roof gets chrome rails and the rear side windows have the familiar Ford upwards kink in the window line.

Ford will debut a new 1.0-litre, three-cylinder, direct-injection turbo-petrol motor in the EcoSport – a world debut – that will be capable of developing power similar to a bigger, 1.6-litre motor. It will also deliver class-leading fuel economy. The car will also get the 1.5-litre diesel engine that currently does duty in the Fiesta.

The EcoSport, which cleverly combines the charm of an SUV, the frugality of small engines, cutting-edge styling and a very affordable price tag somewhere in the region of Rs 7-9 lakh, has the makings of a winner. At that price, it will provide a genuine alternative to a midsize car or even a premium hatchback.

Bosch named the 'most admired' motor parts manufacturer by Fortune magazine

Popular German auto component manufacturer Bosch has been given the ‘most admired’ motor vehicle parts supplier title by the US magazine Fortune. Based on responses from 3,855 executives, directors and analysts from as many as 698 companies at 58 industries and 32 countries, Bosch was ranked as the No. 1.

This is not all as the parts manufacturer ranked fifth ‘most admired’ among all German companies. The company ranked 11th in India and 14th among companies in the European company category.“Fortune's ranking is a tremendous honour for our company, associates, customers and suppliers,” said Franz Fehrenbach, chairman, Board of Management, Robert Bosch GmbH. “Bosch remains committed to providing excellent service, high-quality products and leading industry advancements. This honour demonstrates our associates' dedication to our industry and our work.” Fortune magazine's ‘World's Most Admired Companies’ is the most popular company ranking list since it was introduced in 1997.

Skoda India Launches Fabia Scout @ INR 6.79 Lakhs

It is no secret that Skoda Fabia never took the hatchback segment in India by storm. Skoda recently resorted to some aggressive price cutting & promotion and that did help but the car is still far from being as popular as the Suzuki Swift, which flies out of the showrooms. To complicate matters even more, parent manufacturer Volkswagen introduced the Polo some years ago and Fabia suddenly started feeling pretty dated. However, Skoda India is in no mood to give up on Fabia yet and has launched the Skoda Fabia Scout in the country.

Scout version of Skoda cars are rugged and strong looking versions of Skoda car with bigger wheels, more SUV-like visuals, enhanced ground clearance and in some cases, bigger engines too. The Skoda Fabia Scout too belong to the same category. Its robust good looks add to this practical small car, thanks to its evocative, specially designed bumpers and off-road design. Black and silver roof rails and protective plastic coverings along its flanks make the Škoda Fabia Scout a particularly characterful car.

Distinctive Scout styling also features in the passenger compartment: The Scout comes with new leather upholstery and stainless steel pedals. In essence, the Scout, inside and out, is a more rugged and bolder variant of the Fabia.

Fabia Scout Price (Ex showroom, Delhi):

1.2L MPI: Rs 6.79 Lakh

1.2L TDI: 8.10 Lakh