New Bajaj Discover 135 Launched

Bajaj Auto has introduced first of its promised four launches in the 125cc category for the current fiscal. Although it is not what most of us were anticipating, but anyhow the Discover 135 has been upgraded.

The new model features the following changes:

Racer breed tank mounted spoilers with integrated indicators
Striking new dual tone graphics
Digital speedometer with tachometer and reserve fuel indicator
All new aggressive front fairing
Nitrox Suspension & front disc brake (Sports version only)
Wider rear tyre and racing wheel stripes (Sports version only)


The three versions in which the Discover 135 is now available are the Sports, Electric Start and Kick Start. These are priced between Rs. 46,248(ex-showroom) to Rs. 51,895(ex-showroom).

This launch leaves three more launches in the 125cc segment from Bajaj. As regards to the Discover brand, it seems good strategy to not slap a completely new design on the face of the customers in the form of the soon to be launched Discover 150. So the Discover brand is not going to move up the ladder into the 150cc ballpark completely as was thought but straddle between 125 and 150.

But given Bajaj’s penchant for dropping models without as much as a whimper tells me it is quite possible still.

Volkswagen Looking To Expand Range - Beetle Might Be Launched

After launching the Jetta in the market, Volkswagen is looking to expand its product range and is quite bullish about the Indian market. Models currently under consideration are the Passat CC, Tiguan SUV and the Beetle.

Beetle will be a perfect car for Volkswagen to have in its lineup, having a sort of halo effect on the rest of the range. If it comes, it definitely will come through the CBU route.

Next year the S-Class rival, the Phaeton will be launched. Also the production of the Polo based hatch back and sedan version of the same are slated for production in the upcoming plant.

Fiat 500 Launched

Fiat has launched the highly acclaimed small car, the 500 in the country. The car has been launched in only two trims, and only one engine option, unlike Europe, where a buyer can customize the car in any which way possible. The car comes to our shores via the CBU route.

The engine powering the retro modern design is the same 1.3 liter 75 bhp unit found under the hood of the Palio and the Swift. ABS and EBD is standard feature. Top Speed is a little above 160 kmph mark. Airbags are also a given, considering the car was given a five star rating by NCAP. There is even an airbag which protects the knees.

It costs about Rs. 14.30 lakh (ex-showroom) in Delhi, so it is obviously not meant for everybody. Unless you are a millionaire and the wife has been pestering you for a self driven car, here is a perfect car for the lady. Don’t think twice before buying it. She will love you even more.

Ducati Monster 696 – Test Ride

Ducati are officially here and NO! I didn’t get to ride the baby Monster. But some lucky sod did and you can read it all here. Lucky fella.

Volkswagen Launches The Jetta

The German auto giant yesterday launched the Jetta mid size sedan in the Indian car market. The car has been launched with two engine options. The 1.9 PD Diesel, same as the one found under the hood of its cousin, the Skoda Laura and 1.6 Petrol. The diesel makes a 105 PS of power and 250 nm of torque, while the petrol is rated at a 102 PS and 148 nm.

The car comes in three variants, namely Trendline Petrol, Trendline Diesel and Comfortline Diesel. Both the Trendline and the Comfortline are loaded with equipment. Twin AC vents for the rear passengers, 10 speaker sound system, ABS etc. The Comfortline comes with a six-speed twin-clutch DSG gearbox. It also gets 8 airbags, rain sensors, coming home and leaving home functions.

Petrol is priced at Rs. 12.97 lakh (ex-showroom) and the diesel retails at Rs. 14.22 lakh (ex-showroom).

Bajaj Auto – Royal Enfield Another Battle In The Making

Hot on the heels of the court battle against TVS for its Flame, it seems Bajaj is all ready to take on Royal Enfield now. RE have launched the Thunderbird Twinspark recently and Bajaj it seems are not too amused.

Rahul Bajaj has been quoted as saying that they “are studying it”. Royal Enfield on the other hand is quite confident of not having infringed on any patent. It may be recalled that Bajaj’s DTS-i patent is for motorcycles with engine capacity less than 250cc.

Although nothing is for sure right now, I don’t think RE will have any trouble with the Thunderbird.

Hyundai i10 With 1.2 Liter ‘Kappa’ Engine Launched

Hyundai Motors today launched the i10 with a new 1.2 liter four cylinder engine. The car has been launched in three variants, namely the Magna, Spotz and Asta. The top end version will now come with ABS and airbags apart from the sunroof. Also the i10 will now be available with the option of a 4 speed automatic transmission.



The engine produces a claimed 80PS of power and is already Euro 5 ready. The company also claims good fuel efficiency and better emissions from the engine. The engine sports a first in class double overhead camshaft setup for the top end of the cylinders.

The new engine will be produced at the new engine and transmission plant at Sriperumbudur. The plant has a capacity to produce 250,000 units annually. The car has already become one of the successes for Hyundai in the international markets and the new engine option will definitely improve sales.

HM Boosting Ambassador Sales

The Amby has been around for ages now. It was there when the angry young man was ‘young’ and for a long, long time was one of the only couple of options the Indian car buyer had. Old age though has caught up with it. Last year the company sold around 11,000 units. It’s less than what Alto does for Maruti in a month.

Old age aside, the amby still has one of the best rear seats in the business and the company is looking to boost sales of the old war horse by means of newer, cleaner and more fuel efficient engines. The engines will meet the Bharat Stage 3 emission norms. Company is claiming the fuel efficiency of around 16 km per liter.

HM is looking at the Taxi segment to boost sales. So you can bet the amby will be there for a long, long time to come.

BMW 3 Series Upgrade To Premier In Paris

The upgraded 3 Series will be making its first appearance at the Paris Motor Show in October. The changes include a new bumper, new hood and slightly tweaked headlamps, new ORVMs, altered tail lamps, etc.

The bumper is all new up front and so is the grille. Although it is the same shape, the chrome treatment has been given the boot. The hood is now more muscular, with prominent ridges across it. On the inside, there is new trim and the power window switches become more accessible with the change in the central arm rest.

The iDrive controller gets four buttons to reduce the complexity of the system. Also there is a new 8.8 inch high resolution monitor and an optional 80 GB hard drive for the music system and the sat-nav.

Expect it to make to our shores after a couple months of its international launch, with a slight bump up in price ofcourse.

New Cars And Motorcycles

BMW has introduced new variants of the 5 series. The models introduced are the 520d, 530d and 530d Highline. The prices star from Rs. 36.9 lakh (ex-showroom) and go up to Rs. 46.8 lakh (ex-showroom). All diesels as the names suggest. Earlier the only diesel variant available was the 525d. So now there are more options for the diesel buyer in the segment.

Audi on the other hand launched the latest generation A4 based on the A5 platform. The car is available with the 3.2 liter V6 with permanent four wheel drive, also known as Quattro in Audi speak. The 2.0 liter diesel will be available shortly. The 3.2 is slightly pricier than the competition though.

Royal Enfield launched the 350cc Thunderbird Twinspark recently. And as the name suggests, there are two spark plugs doing duty. But what is more important is the new engine construction, which integrates the gearbox with the engine. Though the new engine looks the same in profile, it is altogether new machine making 20bhp. Fuel efficiency is also improved and the oil leaks are a thing of the past now. Other models will follow soon featuring the same engine.

TVS introduced the fuel injected iteration of the 160cc Apache RTR. The bike makes a healthy 15.7 bhp of power. The bike will be available in Yellow and Orange colors, priced at around Rs. 65k. The company had upgraded the RTR just a short while ago with tank scoops and a sporty O-Ring sealed chain.

Picture courtsey: The Telegraph

Future Fuel

Fuel prices are going up like there is no tomorrow, and those science lessons from class six don’t seem too far off the mark now do they? Hundred years it said right? Make that eighty, will someone?

Everybody wants to replace the precious liquid with something a little ‘less precious’. This search for an alternative source of energy is driving everybody from Bush to Bittoo, crazy. Okay, everybody but Leno.

The ‘new’ fuel has to be cheap, easy to manufacture and clean too. So, what are the options? How about corn or sugarcane for ethanol? Naahhh…if the fuel prices don’t kill you, the hunger will. So that is a big no. Bio-diesel? Growing Jatropa has it’s side effects in farmers switching from food crops to cash crop and again that shortage of food thing ‘crops’ up its head. Similar is the story for bio-diesel from edible oil. No, nuclear energy in your boot is not an option. We’re still a few years away from the Jetsons.

So what is the right way to go? Electricity seems right. Yes, the electric motor. Remember the one that the IC engine killed at the beginning of the last century. Electric two wheelers are already selling like hot cakes in the country and though the Reva might not sell in huge numbers, the positives out weigh the negatives. Now one might argue that plugging your car into the socket will the send the emissions to the power plant. But consider the fact that hydel and nuclear power are cleaner than thermal power.

Also, producing electricity must be cheaper than making bio diesel (I’m just guessing here. Heck, we’ve been producing electricity for a while now). Battery tech is only going to improve from here and expect weight to come down while the charging interval and capacity to improve.

Another thing that just might work is the fuel cell. NASA has been using these for past few decades in their space program. The technology is proven but still not cheap enough. And Honda has just manufactured a batch of FCXs. The fuel cell can be used to charge the batteries of your vehicle either at a charging station or while in motion.

So there you have it. In the years to come, the most likely question a buyer is going to ask the dealership is not Average Kya Hai? but Range kya hai?.