New Honda City Launched

The much awaited car from the Honda stables has been launched in the country within weeks of its launch in Thailand. The car is an all new design and is based on the Jazz and looks much better than the car it replaces. Honda calls it the ‘Arrow Shot Form’. The look is aerodynamic and very sporty.

The new City is bigger than the current car in all respects. It is 5mm longer and equally wider and also has its wheelbase extended by a 100mm. This liberates space on the inside and gives the big boot a capacity of 506 liter. The car has been lowered by 15mm than before too. I just hope it doesn’t have the habit of kissing the breakers as the Civic, although with 15 inch wheels that should be negated.



The engine is a 1.5liter i-VTEC unit producing 118 PS of power. This is the highest for a 1.5 liter engine in the country. The engine is E10 ready and is also Euro IV compliant. The suspension is McPherson struts up front and H type torso beam suspension at the back.

Two transmission options are available. A five speed manual is one and replacing the CVT is a new five speed auto. The big news though is that the auto comes with paddle shifts behind the steering a la Civic. A first for the class.

The safety quotient goes up more than a few notches with ABS (Antilock Braking System) with BA (Brake Assist), Dual SRS Airbags, pre-tensioner seat belts and G-CON (G-Force Control Technology) being standard across the range.

Another talking point is the music system. Forget carrying anymore disks, the system has no option for them. Only thing you’ll need is your iPod or a USB drive or for that matter your phone, though there is a provision for an after market one.

The car is available in two variants, the 1.5E and the 1.5S. The auto tranny is available in the S trim only. The 1.5 E is priced at Rs 7.7 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi), the 1.5S (MT) for Rs. 8.20 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi) and the 1.5S (AT) for Rs. 8.90 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi). This pricing is bound to give more than a few sleepless nights to the competition. Another success story in the making for Honda? You bet.

Bajaj Platina 125 DTS-Si Launched

Bajaj Auto have launched their latest motorcycle in the growing 125cc category, the Platina with a 125cc DTS-Si engine. The company intends to lure the 100cc buyer away by pricing its 125cc offering competitively. The Platina 125 has been priced at Rs. 39,000 (ex-showroom). This puts it right into the entry level price band.

The engine is the DTS-Si unit from the XCD, and one can expect similar performance and fuel efficiency from the new motorcycle. The motorcycle has features such as ride control switch, Electric Start, Auto Choke, Maintenance Free Battery, Anti friction bushes in front forks, Bajaj’s trademark SnS suspension and twin pilot lamps.

Mind you, at 39k its cheaper than the HH Splendor that too with an electric start. If this doesn’t increase sales for Bajaj in the 125cc category, I don’t know what will.

Singapore Grand Prix - What Gearhead Thinks

If ever there was an example of F1’s double standards, this is it. These guys talk about cost cutting and what not and then go and want to conduct a race at night time. Do they know how much money could have been saved on cabling and lighting equipment?

These people want to introduce KERS in a bid to extract more energy but they have no idea of how much energy would be wasted in lighting up the whole track. I’m guessing enough to power a small village in India for a week. And what is wrong with the Europeans anyway. Can’t they get up early to watch a day race? I know we stay up late to watch the Canadian and the Brazilian races.

A totally bogus idea I say. I just hope nobody gets hurt during the course of the race.

150 Posts

A hundred and fifty is down. More on the way…

Bajaj Ups Stake In KTM

Bajaj Auto through their wholly owned subsidiary, Bajaj Auto International Holdings B.V. have bought a further 59,500 shares in KTM Power Sports AG. This takes their total tally of shares to 1,782,500 in one of Europe’s fastest growing motorcycle manufacturers.

This translates to 25.8% voting rights in KTM up from 21% before. Rajiv Bajaj is already on the board of KTM. The companies are working together on a 125-250cc liquid cooled engine platform and also three other vehicles.

2009 Yamaha R1 Launched

Old news now, but I’ll post it anyways.


Yamaha have given the venerable R1 a thorough upgrade. In fact it’s not an upgrade at all but a completely new motorcycle. The former king of the liter class is back to rest its crown from the CBR. And from the looks of things, it just might do it.

Leading the charge of this all out attack is the all new engine. Displacing 998 cc the engine gets a whole bunch of tech inputs from the lessons learnt in MotoGP. There is a cross plane crankshaft, not the big bang design from the M1 though. The crank puts each connecting rod at 90 degrees from the other and hence an uneven firing order. Yamaha says it help low down torque like a twin and still has a high rev power of a four. Brilliant! The YCC-T (Yamaha Chip Controlled Throttle) and YCC-I (Yamaha Chip Controlled Intake) continue.

Taking a leaf out of Suzuki books, Yamaha have given the R1 a D-MODE switch which gives the rider a choice of three throttle control maps. The B Mode is for less sharp responses (wet conditions) while the A Mode lets the rider enjoy the quick responses in a low and mid range. The normal mode is the regular maniac mode for those brave souls who want to really exploit the capabilities of the R1.

Chassis parts have been upgraded as well. The frame is all new and the swing arm is new as well as more rigid than before. The subframe is now made entirely out of magnesium, thereby reducing weight. Another thing making its way to the R1 from the M1 is the SOQI front suspension. Here the compression duties are handled by the left fork while rebound duties are handled by the right fork. The steering damper is electronically actuated unit. The footrests are adjustable with a 15mm height and 3mm front to rear adjustment.



The ram air intakes are now integrated with the headlights and the whole look of the bike is a bit too Kawasaki for my liking. Also there is a gear position indicator and a programmable shift light. The later comes handy on the track.

So a lot of new features at only a little more than before make the flagship Yamaha a winning proposition. So those of you who have got the dough and have been itching to get one, wait a little longer and you can have the very latest by the beginning of next year.

Yamaha FZ16 Launched - Detailed Specs And Pictures

India Yamaha Motor's second offering in the 150cc category is the FZ16. The company has launched the bike today in Goa. The bike is loaded with features like the full digital display, monoshock rear suspension, tubeless tires front and rear. The bike features one of the widest rear tire of any motorcycles in the market today. The design of the bike has been derived from the FZ1000 sold in the international markets.


The bike sports a carburetted 153cc engine making 14PS of power. Gearbox is a regulation five speed unit with a one down four up shift pattern. The foot pegs are rear set and with a short handlebar should provide a sporty riding position. The instrumentation is an all LCD affair, but looks a bit garish with the mix of different colours thrown in. The suspension at the rear is a monoshock while the front gets a thick pair of telescopic forks.


No kick starting this bike with the electric start being the only means to get the engine up and running. Retardation duties are performed by disk brake up front and a drum rear. The bike has been priced at Rs. 65000 (ex-showroom) and is right in the ball park as far as the competition goes.


Expect a fuel efficiency in the region of 45 kmpl. Being a Yamaha it most definitely will be a good handling package and for once Yamaha have given the bike a fat pair of tires. Competition better watch out.


Specs


Engine
Engine type - Air-cooled, 4-stroke, SOHC, 2-valve
Displacement - 153.0cc
Bore & Stroke - 58.0 × 57.9mm
Compression ratio - 9.5:1
Maximum output - 14PS / 7500 rpm
Maximum torque - 14 N.m / 6000 rpm
Starting method - Electric starter
Lubrication type - Wet sump
Carburetor type - BS26
Clutch type - Constant Mesh wet multiplate
Ignition type - CDI
Primary/secondary reduction ratio - 3.409 / 2.857
Transmission type - Return type 5-speed

Chassis
Frame type - Diamond
Suspension (front/rear) - Telescopic / Monocross
Wheelbase - 1,335mm
Brake type(front/rear) - Hydraulic single disc / drum
Tire size (front/rear) - 100/80-17 / 140/60-R17


Dimensions
Overall Length × Width × Height - 1,975mm × 770mm × 1,045mm
Seat height - 790mm
Wheelbase - 1,335mm
Minimum ground clearance - 160mm
Dry weight/Curb weight - 126 kg / 137 kg
Fuel tank volume - 12 liters
Engine oil volume - 1.2 liters


Features

Full Digital Display

140 Section Tubeless Rear Tire










Monoshock Rear Suspension

Colours

Wallpapers

Images courtsey: India Yamaha Motors

2009 Honda City Launched In Thailand

Honda has launched the new City in the Thai market. The same model is also due for the Indian car market and will be out in a short time. The Thai model is powered by a 1.5 liter i-VTEC engine making 120 bhp. Two transmission options are either a five speed manual or an automatic. Company also claims better fuel efficiency figures than before.

The current car looks anything but outdated and though some people didn’t like its looks almost everybody wanted it. And Honda being Honda, have decided that the dolphin looks is passé and its time to get in a replacement. The new car gets the new Honda family looks with the three slat grille and thin long and very Civic-ish headlamps. The design is taut and looks sporty and thankfully not something that we would have to train ourselves to get used to like the last time.

The trim levels for India, I am not really sure about. But rest assured it will be loaded, relatively speaking. Expect the engine to be tuned to make around 110 bhp to deal with the fuel quality here. Pricing will be premium compared to the rivals and I expect the top end variant to hover just below the cheapest Civic.

Toyota Corolla Altis Launched

Toyota Kirloskar Motors have finally launched the new Corolla, badged the Corolla Altis. The pricing starts at Rs. 10.80 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi) and goes all the way up to Rs. 12.8 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi) which at first sight looks par for the course.

The car comes packed with features like the HID head lamps, head lamp washer, auto dimming rear view mirrors, power adjust for driver seat and even cruise control. The same 1.8 liter engine powers the Altis but now makes 130 bhp, about 7 bhp up from the outgoing model.



Transmissions on offer are a five speed manual and a four speed auto with a manual mode. The triptronic though doesn’t have paddle shifts behind the steering. The company also claims better fuel efficiency than before.

Another battle in the making with the Civic then?

GM Upgrades The Tavera

General Motors has launched a new variant of the Tavera called the Tavera Neo-2. The car has been clocking at par figures thanks mainly to the taxi operators taking a liking to its fuel efficiency and space combo. This time though GM have made it a little more up-market and have tried to make it more family friendly to lure in the family man.



Lots of goodies are on offer. Like the individual captain seats for the middle row (a la the Innova), new steering wheel, rotary knobs for the air conditioning, leather seats, twin glove boxes, etc.

On the outside the nose is slightly altered with a bigger grille and an equally bigger Chevy bow tie logo. But all this also costs a little more, and at approximately Rs. 9.55 lakh (ex-showroom) in Delhi it certainly isn’t cheap. Also on the horizon though is Toyota with an upgrade of the Innova. Watch this space.

You Think It – You Blog It

I am quite frankly getting sick and tired of this. Any given day at least one brilliant idea for a post does a proper sortie in my head. Takeoff, barrel rolls, cobra maneuver, dog fight, refueling and a proper landing to wrap things up. This can be anything really, from cars to motorcycles, phones, technology, blah blah blah. The works.

Now the thing is that by some crazy miracle of god, either I don’t get the time to write it down (I write on a paper first) or completely forget about it. Also I am a bit of a laid back character (people often make the mistake of labeling me lazy) and I don’t know how but the whole thing just takes a leave of absence without submitting an application.

Then after a few days this idea will saunter back into my brain again. I will again evaluate the whole thing over and as soon as I am about to put it into words, someone else has already done it. This is either in the papers, their blogs or magazines.

I simply hate this. Not their work, but this lack of time. Also putting something similar on the blog would seem like I am copying their stuff. I don’t want to be included in that list of people who have no problem lifting other people’s works. I simply don’t know what to do about this whole thing.

Bajaj To Launch Platina 125 DTS-Si Electric Start

The 125cc segment is getting crowdier (is that the word?) by the day. Buyers want more power without sacrificing on fuel efficiency and manufacturers are only happy to oblige with new launches, better margins of course.

In an earlier post I had written about three new 125cc motorcycles coming out from Bajaj stables, one of which would be a bigger Platina. Well, the company has confirmed the eminent launch in its press release today.



The production of the Platina 125 will commence this month and you can expect the motorcycle in showrooms soon. The engine doing duty on the new variant will be the same as on the XCD. So it will be equally fuel efficient and torquey too. Just hope Bajaj differentiates the new variant from its smaller cousin.

Press Release:

In keeping with its 125cc + segment focus, Bajaj will commence production of the new Platina 125 DTS-Si Electric Start in September’08, targeting 10.000 units in the very first month.

This follows the successful launch of the new Discover 135 DTS-i, in August’08 of which 27,091 units were sold in its very first month.

By virtue of these introductions and the growing popularity of the 125cc + segment in which it is the leader, Bajaj expects its domestic motorcycle sales to register double digit growth in the second half of FY09.

Similarly, Commercial Vehicle sales are expected to grow in the second half of FY09 on the back of two new products, one each in the passenger and the goods segments.

Export growth is on plan.