Cars and Bikes
Government Approves Digilocker; Soft Copies Of DL, Registration Now Legal In a bid to encourage digitalisation, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has issued a notification that a digital copy of documents such as driving license and a vehicle s registration, insurance etc. which are stored in Digilocker or mParivahan mobile app, will now be accepted legally along with the actual physical documents. Also, in accordance with the Information Technology Act of 2000, digital copies accessed from the Digilocker will be treated as original documents as well. The rule has been made effective immediately across India. Bihar along with Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka were the first states to accept documents on Digilocker as legal documents. All states and union territories have been notified to accept driving licenses and vehicle documents through the Digilocker or mParivahan app.
Taxis And Cabs Registered In Other States Will Need Permit To Enter Delhi According to a report filed by PTI, Delhi s Transport minister Kailash Gahlot told the Delhi Assembly that taxis and cabs of aggregator services are plying in Delhi through agreements. It is likely that cabs and taxis of other states plying in the national capital will have to get Delhi government s permit as it is firming up a policy to regulate such vehicles. In reply to a question by BJP MLA Jagdish Pradhan, Gahlot said, Licensing and Regulations of App based Aggregators Rules were formed. A high powered committee has been formed to give final shape to it,
Infiniti Teases New Electric Vehicle Concept; To Debut At Pebble Beach Concours Infiniti will debut a new concept vehicle at the 2018 Pebble Beach Concours d Elegance and yes it will be an electric car. With executive design director Karim Habib at the helm, the teams in Japan, the U.K. and the U.S. have contributed in the making of the EV. There aren t many details given out other than the fact that it s a concept EV and it ll be revealed on August 23, 2018 and the teaser image too doesn t let on much in terms of design. All we see is a cockpit which does tell us that it s a single seater and the triangular shaped air intakes right behind the driver s seat indicates the aerodynamic nature of the car.
Mazda Caught Cheating On Emissions And Fuel Economy Tests The Japanese automaker, Mazda has joined the long list of automakers that have been caught cheating in fuel economy and emissions regulations tests. According to a new report from Nikkei Asian Review, Mazda, similar to Nissan and Subaru, has been found guilty of falsifying data in emission and mileage tests, and the company has submitted its reports on the findings to the ministry in response to a request for all domestic automakers to investigate compliance procedures. Fellow Japanese automated, Suzuki Motor Corporation and Yamaha Motor Company have also been implicated in the latest data scandal.
Next Generation Yamaha YZF-R25 Spotted Testing In Indonesia The next generation Yamaha YZF-R25 is currently under development and the motorcycle has been spotted testing a number of times in the past. The all-new R25 is expected to be unveiled in 2019 and the latest spy shots from Indonesia provide a host of new details on the upcoming motorcycle. The next generation R25 will also lead to the development of the all-new Yamaha YZF-R3 that uses the same platform and components, albeit with a bigger engine. The R3 is the model that will make its way to India replacing the current version by 2020.
Honda Recalls Another 69,000 Vehicles In China Honda Motor Co. Ltd will recall 69,090 UR-V sport utility vehicles (SUVs) in China, market regulators said on Thursday, a result of a cold-climate engine problem that has already forced the recall of hundreds of thousands of vehicles. The UR-V is produced and sold in China, the world s biggest auto market, by Honda s joint venture with the Dongfeng Motor Group. As many as 18,907 vehicle recalls are linked to problems caused by an unusual amount of uncombusted petrol collecting in the engine s lubricant oil pan, the Defective Product Administration Center of State Administration of Market Regulation said on Thursday.
Eicher Motors Net Profit Up By 25 Per Cent In Q1 FY2019 Eicher Motors, a commercial vehicles and two-wheeler manufacturer (Eicher Motors owns Royal Enfield) has reported that its net profit for the period of April-June 2018 is at ₹ 576 crore and saw a growth of 25.3 per cent over the net profit of ₹ 459.62 crore earned during the same time last year. The company missed its estimate of a net profit of ₹ 597 crore for Q1 FY2019. The company s revenue too rose to ₹ 2,547 crore which is a 27 per cent growth over the revenue generated in Q1 FY2018. Also, this was in-line with company s estimate of ₹ 2,525 crore worth of profit in Q1 FY 2019. Royal Enfield played a very important role here registering a volumes growth of 22.5 per cent.
Ferrari Teases New Limited Edition Supercar, Possibly Called 812 Monza Ferrari has teased a new supercar, which is due to be released at a private event on September 17, 2018. The new supercar, possibly a custom bodied Ferrari 812 Superfast without a roof is rumoured to be called the 812 Monza . The new Ferrari will be available in very limited units and will possibly priced in the multiple million Euro range. The new supercar is also most likely completely sold out considering Ferrari s track record with ultra limited number custom body supercars. As obvious, the new car will be based on the Ferrari 812 Superfast and is likely to get the same mechanicals too.
2019 Fiat 500X Facelift Teased Ahead Of Launch It s been a while since Fiat updated the 500X and it was in dire need of a mid-cycle refresh. And the Italian carmaker finally heard our voice, and has now teased the 2019 Fiat 500X Facelift ahead of its launch in October. While the teaser image does not speak much about the facelift, but we do know that it is refresh and not a full-blown facelift as such. Nevertheless, the 2019 Fiat 500X facelift gets major updates on the exterior, while continuing with the same powertrain under the hood. But, the question remains, will the 2019 Fiat 500X will only be a facelift or will the company introduce it in a completely new platform is still unclear.
Indian Chieftain Elite Launch Date Revealed First revealed last year, the Indian Chieftain Elite will now be launched in India as well. Indian Motorcycle India has confirmed that it will be launching the Chieftain Elite in India on 12 August, 2018. The Chieftain Elite is a member of Indian s Chieftain range of touring motorcycles and is powered by the same Thunderstroke 111 V-twin engine which is a 1,811 cc unit that makes a massive 161.6 Nm at a very low 3,000 rpm. Indian motorcycle does not reveal the power figures of its models but expect the power output to be above 100 bhp. The Chieftain Elite is already showing as a new model on Indian Motorcycle India s website and Indian says that only 350 units of the Chieftain Elite will be manufactured for the global market. Each Chieftain Elite model will be different from each other and will be done in custom-inspired paint that takes 25 man hours to do for each motorcycle unit.
VW CEO s Remarks Spark Rumours Of Ducati Sale Will Ducati be sold after all? That is the question that has cropped up once again, after several rumours and speculations of the Italian brand s imminent sale over the past year or so. And now, rumours of the sale of Ducati have again re-surfaced, and this time, thanks to the comments of Volkswagen AG CEO Herbert Diess to Bloomberg TV. The Volkswagen Group owns Ducati, and the comments of Diess don t specifically say that the Italian brand will be up for sale, but he doesn t rule out the sale of the brand altogether as well.
Ducati Sales Down Worldwide In Second Quarter Of 2018 Ducati sales seem not so encouraging for the first half of 2018, with sales down 7.4 per cent than the first six months of 2017. So far, Ducati has sold 32,250 motorcycles in 2018, and that amounts to 448 million Euros in revenue. Ducati has had a growth run for eight consecutive years, but this year, sales have been sluggish. For the second quarter this year, Ducati sales were down 8.9 per cent compared to the second quarter of 2017. In the April to June period of 2018, Ducati sold 20,319 motorcycles, compared to 22,300 motorcycles sold in the same period a year ago.
Bajaj Platina Disc Brake Variant Spotted Testing The Platina has been one of Bajaj s best-selling motorcycles over the years. The Platina is a no-nonsense commuter motorcycle which is quite popular among the rural areas of India thanks to its robust build and low maintenance quality. And now, photographs of a Platina with a disc brake have emerged which leads us to believe that Bajaj could launch a Platina model with a disc brake in the near future. The test mule was spotted in Pune, where Bajaj has its plant. Apart from the disc brake, the Platina also featured a few cosmetic updates which seem to have been inspired from the Discover 125. In fact, the front disc brake on the Platina test mule too seems to be a lift from the current Discover 125.
Suzuki Cheated On Mileage And Emissions Tests In a major blow to the Japanese carmaker, Suzuki Motor announced that the company used improper fuel economy and emissions tests on its vehicles in Japan. According to Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport of Japan, Suzuki, along with Mazda and Toyota have accepted to having cheated on the emissions tests and submitted a report of samples of manufactured vehicles selected during the quality assurance process. Moreover, the samples were found to have been tested under incorrect driving conditions. However, the company is not considering product recall at this moment.
Kawasaki Ninja ZX-14R, Versys-X 300, Versys 650 And Z900 RS Get New Colours For 2019 Kawasaki has announced new colour schemes for the 2019 Ninja ZX-140R, Versys X-300, Versys 650 And Z900 RS motorcycles for the international market. However, the bikes get no mechanical changes for the new model year and continue with the same specifications. The 2019 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-14R gets a new Metallic Spark Black/Candy Cardinal Red shade for 2019, dropping the green and black paint scheme. The 2019 Kawasaki Z900RS, on the other hand, gets a new shade inspired from the iconic Z1 s Jaffa colour. The new Metallic Matte Covert Khaki/Flat Ebony shade is reminiscent of the original machine of 1972.
Wipro And Genesys International Sign MoU To Develop Autonomous Vehicles Genesys International Corporation Ltd. has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Wipro Limited jointly tap the opportunity in the autonomous car sector. As per the MoU, Genesys will develop HD Maps and Content while Wipro will develop the navigational and control technology for autonomous system and smart mobility companies. The first activity under this MoU was to create an HD map of the Wipro campus in Bengaluru. This has now enabled the pilot vehicle, developed by Wipro, to drive around the campus autonomously.
Ducati May Introduce Smaller V4 Engine Ducati is planning on building more versions of the V4 engine which is currently used in the Panigale V4. These V4 engines will be smaller in displacement, and will be lower-performance versions of the current V4 to be used in new models, according to Ducati CEO Claudio Domenicali. The CEO of Ducati is quoted as saying in an interview to MCN that more V4 engines will be made in future, to be introduced in other models in Ducati s motorcycle range. Ducati has introduced the V4 engine in the company s flagship superbike, introducing the 1103 cc Desmosedici Stradale engine this year in the top-of-the-line Panigale V4. And now, it looks like there will be more Ducati motorcycles with smaller V4 engines.
China Levies 25 Per Cent Tariff On American Cars And Two Wheelers With the on going trade war brewing between America - led by President Donald Trump and his Twitter account - and China, and with extra taxes and tariffs levied on Chinese imports into the United States, it was only a matter of tome till our northern neighbour responded in kind. China has now levied a 25 per cent tariff on all American cars and two wheelers sold in the country amongst a long list of other imports like oil, coal, asphalt, metal, etc. The overall tariff placed on American imports, which include cars, totals up to a whopping $16 Billion and is expected to kick in on August 23!
ISRO Receives Response From 141 Companies For Its Lithium Ion Cell Technology The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) today announced that the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) received response from 141 companies for its lithium ion cell technology. In the month of June 2018, ISRO issued the Request for Qualification (RFQ), in connection with the technology transfer, containing a brief description of the qualification aspects, technology transfer process, timelines and other relevant details. The lithium-ion cell technology is one of the most promising electrochemical energy storage technologies owing to its high voltage, high energy density, long life cycle and high storage characteristics. Recent progresses in Li-ion battery technology have made it the favorite power source for electric and hybrid electric vehicles as well.
Mahindra Marazzo MPV Interior Revealed Mahindra gave us a glimpse of the upcoming Marazzo MPV in a host of teaser images when the company revealed the name of the car. The automaker has now revealed the cabin of the Marazzo in a new image providing a full view of what the dashboard looks like. The Mahindra Marazzo is based on an all-new platform and the company has already said that it will be spacious on the inside. The dashboard design is clean and clutter-free and looks a lot more premium. The Marazzo will be going on sale in September this year.
