Mahindra Ingenio in now XYLO!

Mahindra & Mahindra will launch the much talked about MPV project Ingenio with a new name --- XYLO!

This happened after in-dept research and in house customer feedback. The firm believes that the short name has better recall along with having a ring, similar to their other products - Scorpio and Bolero. Customers felt that XYLO sounded like the name of a planet, acting as a ladder to space travel and further to a spaceship. Some journalists quipped “out of this world product, is it?” while others were quick to add “hope the price is not astronomical”.

Currently the manufacturing capacity for XYLO is 25,000 vehicles. The assembly line is same as the Scorpio though the outer body (shell) will be different.

• The XYLO will feature a fine tuned CRDi 2.5 Ltr engine and not the 2.6 Ltr.
• The MPV will not feature Airbags at launch
• 4 wheel drive will be introduced 6 months post the launch
• ABS will also be offered in due course
• No automatic version

Click here to watch Mahindra Ingenio Video

Mahindra XYLO Pics

Suzuki 150cc bike has finally landed!

The Japanese auto major finally ventures in to the 150cc segment by launching GS150R and it just might 'Drive you crazy' or maybe not! The looks strictly for plain-Jane city commuting but boast features like an electronic speedo, LED tail lamp and integrated rear indicators. The Pulsar-meets-Unicorn tank can accommodate 15.5 litre of fuel or air depending on the rising petrol price :P

The bike boasts of a super reliable 149cc engine that can produce 13.8 BHP at 8500 RPM. One nice aspect of the bike is a six-speed transmission, thats one down five up. The GS150R is equipped with Engine Balancer Technology, and 'balancer driven gear fitted with a rubber damper', which helps in reducing vibration...though some naughty girls might not be too happy with this feature, pun intended!

Aptly priced at Rs 59,000 ex-showroom because honestly there are very few other aspects that can sway a buyers decision towards the 'GS' because the Uni, CBZ and Pulsar more or less offer everything mentioned above and below. Talking about offers, the Jap-giant will be offering the 150 in four electric...BUZZZzzz...colours – blue, orange, grey and black.

Some more info:
Length: 2095mm
Width: 775mm
Height: 1120mm
Ground clearance: 160mm
Wheelbase: 1340mm.
Tyres front: 2.75 x 18
Tyre rear: 100/90 x 18

Skoda Fabia Combi Spotted in Mumbai

Hey guess what I spotted today? The next-on-the-cards from Skoda... the Fabia Combi. Skoda will be launching this baby early next year. I think it'll be an ideal buy for premium hatch back buyers with the extra boot space.

Ya, ya I know some people might think it's way too over priced but so are the i-pods and iphone and people still are willing to pay for comfort, fit & finish and brand.
What say?

GET SPORTY! Skoda Fabia Sport '09

Škoda is rolling its sleeves to give serious competition to its rival by lowering the Fabia Sport by 15mm creating a sportier stance.

The new Fabia Sport will be $500 dearer than the previous model. Here's the price list of the complete international range.

1.2 12V 70 bhp - £10,880 OTR

1.6 16V 105 bhp - £12,035 OTR

1.4 TDI PD 80 bhp - £12,340 OTR

1.9 TDI PD 105 bhp - £13,025 OTR

The Fabia Sport is a loaded sporty hatch and boasts 16 inch ‘Bear’ alloy wheels, front fog lights, halogen headlights with DE module, curtain airbags, sunset glass and a full body kit.

Tata writes a letter to West Bengal

My heart aches beyond words when I think about the entire fiasco around the Nano project and West Bengal. Matter in bengal have gone from bad to worse and we remain silent spectator.

Today Tata Motors issued an advertisement in several leading newspapers of Kolkata which features a letter by Ratan Tata. The letter is about the exit of the Nano from Bengal and asks if the citizens of the state want jobs or lawlessness.

Addressing the youth the letter says: "Would you like to support he present government of Mr Buddhadeb Bhattacharya to build a prosperous state with rule of law, modern infrastructure and industrial growth or a state consumed by a destructive political environment of confrontation, agitation, violence and lawlessness".
"Do they want education and jobs in the industrial and hi-tech sectors or," the letter goes on to say, "does the future generation see their future prosperity achieved on a 'stay-as-we-are' basis?"
Ratan Tata says he has written the letter in response to criticism by "vested interests" that the decision to pull out the Nano project from Bengal was "hasty" and "politically motivated".

He names Mamata Banerjee and says "confrontative actions" by her party, supported by "vested interests and certain political parties" disrupted work at the Nano plant at Singur. Sigh!

James Bond's wrecked Aston Martin DBS

This April, the $ 233,000 Aston Martin DBS used for filming the new James Bond flick - 'Quantum of Solace', fell into an Italian Lake, when an Aston Martin tech-guy driving the car during the shoot lost control... crashed through iron railing and plunged into the lake...OUCH!

Check out the picture above, the car is completely destroyed and thankfully the driver escaped with only minor injuries. If this was a normal movie then this would have meant a $233 thousand set-back for MGM (the producers). But this is a JB movie - 007 has a license to kill and thrill... and there are abundant eccentric collectors who are willing to gather all sort of garbage with astonishing price tag. Recently Daniel Craig announced that a private collector paid around a whooping $350,000 for the wrecked car or whatever was left of it.

So if I calculate correctly MGM actually made a profit over a $100,000! Freak, some people have all the luck.

Here’s a video made right after the crash.

Suzuki gears up for motorcycle price war

The war is hotting up. And Suzuki India is gearing up for the competitive pricing war in the two-wheeler market. The auto-biggie is already selling its 125cc 'Heat' motorcycle with a competitive price tag closer to that of a 100cc.
The firm is now planning to target volumes by debuting the 100cc domain and is working on strategies to squeeze out profits from the extremely competitive entry-level segment. Atul Gupta, VP Sales & Marketing – Suzuki said that the company is planning to launch three new two-wheelers in the next two years and at least one of them will be a 100cc vehicle.

Gupta also believes that contrary to predictions, the 100cc segment still accounts for 70% of the overall market so entering this segment would make sense for the auto major. He further adds that analysis has shown that over the last several months, the pricing in the 100cc space have narrowed down and the trend will continue.
But the biggest challenge according to Gupta will be to find out how to remain profitable, while operating in the mass motorcycle segment. Industry gurus claim that Suzuki might seek support from its well-established sister-concern Maruti Suzuki India to rationalise the cost factor.

The other launches scheduled in the near future is a premium bike, which will be unveiled later this month, and which we presume could be the Hayabusa . Also industry sources say that another new bike, which would be in the market by March next year could be the much talked about 150cc bike. While, the 100cc bike would take over a year and half to hit the Indian roads.

Honda CBF goes international

According to a post on Motoblog.com, our Honda India's latest launch CBF Stunner is on display at the Intermot Colonge Show 2008 in Germany. The CBF will boast a Electronic Fuel Injection system, though I'm not sure what good will it make to the tiny 125cc mull. All do take a closer look as this international version does feature a kickstart lever... not that the firangs will miss it.

To make life easy I tried to translate the alien language of the website and here's what Google churned out - 'The new CBF 125 is definitely an epitome of assurance and loyalty of Honda in the field of low-cost, low environmental impact. To elaborate the features, the propeller which equips the small CBF125 is a single-cylinder 4 stroke to 125cc, fueled by electronic injection approved Euro 3, capable of a power of 11 CV. In addition to this, there is compact engine, sports timing, change a 5-speed transmission and electric starter.

Amazingly, the fuel consumption has no competition — with a full 13-liter tank can go almost 600km. The frame is lightweight, responsive and demonstrates great quality traffic. The powerful front disc brake from 240mm ensures effectivity and safety. Furthermore, the front fork is 30mm in diameter, with an excursion of well-115mm. A section swing-arm rear suspension and differential easily adjustable in pre-load spring are its other features.'

Well it might be made in India but still there is no confirmation of the CBF EFI to be available in India soon... such is life my friends...

Bullet goes back to origin!

Oh so sweet...


Legendary classic bike makers Royal Enfield, recently unveiled their brand new Bullet 500 model in Germany. The bike maintains the classic looks and carries the old school charisma from the bygone era.

This new version may remind you of our age old Bullet 350 and honestly most of the specs still remain unchanged. Except the all new Unit Construction Engine with fuel-injection which by some miracle just manages to meet Euro 3 emission laws. This classic model is expected to be in the Europe Distributors showrooms by January 2009.

We in India have to keep our fingers crossed and wait...and wait...and did I mention 'wait'? Here is are some of the specs.

For more details pls visit BIKE India or Bulletclassic.com

Honda launches V4 concept bike

Japanese auto major - Honda has launched a V4 sports bike concept at the Cologne Motorcycle Show. This is what the firm say as the bike Honda really wants to build.

The space age bike features the new V4 mill. This amazing bike has been developed to mark 30 years of the Honda V4 engine.

Honda Europe’s Boss Mark Davies said ‘This bike shows exactly what we can do and is the sort of thing that could be reality within a couple of years.’

Awesome, ain't it?

Mitsubishi Outlander out on Indian roads

Hindustan Motors and Mitsubishi Motors launched the Outlander, the crossover sports utility vehicle in India today.
The SUV is has a price tag of Rs 20.2 lakh (ex-showroom) and it has already sold 3,00,000 units in North America, Japan, Australia and the European markets.

“The car is very fuel-efficient as compared to other SUVs and has a capability of 10.3 kilometres per litre under test conditions,” said Hindustan Motors chairman CK Birla.

The four-wheel drive (4WD) vehicle is powered by a 2.4-litre 16-valve petrol engine giving the car a maximum power of 170 ps/6,000 rpm. The crossover SUV has a six-speed transmission powered by paddle shift on steering wheel.

"We launched Outlander in India in keeping with the policy of offering the latest from the Mitsubishi stable to the Indian consumers," he added. "This vehicle has all that needs to be a winner and will strengthen the Mitsubishi brand as the leader amongst premium SUVs."

Well, sir we expect a lot more models from Mitsubishi.

Picture courtesy: Reuters

Honda gearing up for hybrid motorcycles

According to a Japanese English daily, automobile giant Honda is working on hybrid motorcycles & plans to launch them by 2010. The auto major will also launch smaller electric two-wheelers by 2011. Honda claimed that these bikes could be 50 percent more fuel efficient than conventional bikes.
With the success of hybrid Honda cars like the Civic, the company aims to implement similar technology to develop the hybrid bikes. In typical Japanese fashion Honda officials said that they believe they can make a tiny hybrid engine so that it can be mounted on a motorcycle frame.

Audi starts production of new Audi A4 in India

• Total of 11,000 Audi A4 models to be produced by 2015

• Production starts two months ahead of schedule

• Audi A4 the second model to be assembled in India after the A6

• Investment of more than €30 million in production site

Mumbai/Aurangabad/Ingolstadt – Audi is continuing to make its mark on the Indian automobile market. The company today announced the start of local assembly of the new Audi A4.

Ohh...What a City!

"When I grow up I wanna be a City!" that's what my small car told me when we saw the all new sparkling Honda City. It's one heck of a car and I just couldn't get enough of it. Simply amazing.
I'm not bothering to put the details coz it's all around the web and I don't have the time or energy to waste repeat it all over again. It's a 1.5 l and would cost you around Rs 8.1 L onwards ex-showroom. So, let me shut up as you enjoy the amazing lines of the car... what a car!