Preview on TVS new Scooty streak

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Scooty —-> scooty streak

After luring most of the fair sex with its scooty pep, TVS has set its eye on urban youth who love scooters. The love for scooter is witnessing a strong attraction from urban youth who love hassle free ride. Honda recently came up with Aviator to cater to this set of customers. TVS which has been enjoying success with its scooty pep will soon come up with a scooter called ‘Scooty streak’.

Scooty streak is the TVS second attempt to conquer the 100cc plus scooter customer, after its first attempt in 1999 with 150cc four stroke Spectra. The geared scooter spectra failed to take off in the market and it was withdrawn. Scooty streak a 100cc plus four-stroke scooter will be positioned above the scooty and it will be target urban customers.With the scooty streak, TVS hopes to widen its customer base. The 90cc TVS Scooty has always been associated with women and the 100cc plus *scooty streak could bring in male customers into the fold.

Styling and Engineering:

The new scooty streak inherits the styling of the popular scooty which means the Scooty streak will not be a full- bodied scooter. Scooty streak is a typical gearless scooter with a prominent snout, handlebar mounted headlamp, multi-purpose die-cast rear grab rail and contoured seats The smiley headlamps and two tone colour theme is a carryover from scooty. The  new stylish triangluar turn Indicators will be mounted vertically on the steeply raked aprons. The body coloured mirrors will increase the appeal of the scooter. The line flows upward towards the rear giving the scooty streak a swan like look.

The triangular instrumentation (similar to Honda’s aviaotr) will house all the essentials – a speedometer, an odometer and warning lamps.The switchgear consists of horn button, blinker switch and headlight Hi-Lo beam switch at LH, and self-start button & 2-step light switch at RH.

If Bajaj and Kinetic front fueling is getting popular, TVS new scooty streak will have rear fueling system. The fuel tank lid is mounted between the rear seat and the grab rail. However to fill the fuel in the scooty streak you have to get down. The flat, wide foot board and in built glove box will be most lovable feature in the scooty streak.

Price and the launch:

Scooty streak will hit the showrooms during the festive season (september – october).Along with the scooty streak, TVS plans to launch a new scooter early 2009. TVS scooty streak will be priced around Rs40000. Scooty streak will be the TVS answer to Honda’s Aviator, Suzuki’s access and Kinetic’s flyte.

Update: * Scooty streak comes with a 90cc engine

Honda launches new civic sport

Honda today launched a new variant of civic called civic sport. The new Civic sport is powered by the same 1.8 litre petrol engine as in the existing model but sports few exiciting features.

The new features are

* Honda new Civic sport gets underspoilers at the front and the sides

* Honda new civic sport gets trunkspoiler at the rear and rear under

* White alloy wheels to give a sporty look for the Honda civic sport

* Interiors of the new civic sport come with auto climate control option AC and integrated 2-DIN, 6 CD changer

* It also features a sport serial number plate.

The civic sports is launch to mark the Honda’s achievement of selling 3lakh cars in India. Honda entered the Indian car market in 1997. “We have crossed three lakh units since inception in India. To commemorate this achievement, we are launching a sports variant of sedan Civic,” an HSCI official said.The civic sports is priced Rs12.36(ex-showroom Delhi). The civic sports is a limited edition one

Mahindra Renault Logan Edge – Pictorial Review

“A good product not necessarily would go well with customers”, Logan proves that. The journey of Mahindra Renault in India has not been great. To be frank, sales of Logan is much below the expectation of Mahindra Renault and infact it is one of the factor for Mahindra pulling out the tripartite venture. However Renault has to fiddle with logan till its Chennai plant starts rolling out its first car. It has come out with a limited edition logan called logan edge with a new tag “the answer is here”

1) Mahindra Renault new Logan: comes in a special sophisticated Mystique purple shade and stylish body graphics. Also new is the body coloured door handles and body coloured beading. The chrome lipped grille also gets a blue cover. However there is no badge on the panels to tell this is a limited edition.

2) Mahindra Renault new Logan: Get inside the logan you would forget the boring boxy exteriors, the plush leather upholsteries with red lining and wood-finish centre console gives a luxurious feel. Adding to this are chrome ringed vents and large strip on the upper glove box. The chrome strip carries a limited edition badge.

3) Mahindra Renault new Logan: The wood-finished centre console sports a high-end Kenwood music system with remote control and USB / iPod connectivity. The usability of leather nomad arm rest at the rear is yet to be seen

4) Mahindra Renault new Logan: However the most usable addition is the Antilock Braking system with Electronic Brake Distribution (ABS with EBD) which is sure to protect you in the monsoon season.

5) Mahindra Renault new Logan: A chrome muffler cutter is added to increase the visual appeal of the car but take a closer look you would notice the parking sensor which will help you in parking this 4250mm sedan. Logan Edge is priced between Rs 5 Lakh and Rs 7.15 Lakh (ex-showroom New Delhi).

P.S:Our sincere thanks to Jayakumar (9940631108), GMS, Guindy, Chennai

Maruti 800 Uniq – Pictorial Review

Maruti has upgraded / facelifted its decade old work horse 800 and named it as 800 uniq. Some see this as preparation of Maruti to suit the upcoming Tata’s Nano (will be out in september or october).  Others believe this move by Maruti as a bid to extend the life of the 800 till the mandatory crash norms comes in. Anyway, India’s long-running hatchback is getting refreshed with few new features and cosmetic upgrades.

1) Maruti 800 Uniq: On the exterior gets stylish graphics on body panels and doors and a ‘uniq’ badge at the rear. There are also ‘Uniq’ on the body panels to tell that your 800 is a new one. The 800 uniq is available only in two exclusive colours to distinguish it.

2) Maruti 800 Uniq: Open the door you will be surprised. Even the hotselling swift is devoid beige upholsteries but the new 800 uniq gets it. Door trims also get a fabric touch. The all grey interiors is finally over and we wish Maruti to introduce this in other hatchbacks as well.

3) Maruti 800 Uniq: The practical additions in the new 800 uniq are lower console box and a rear parcel tray.

4) Maruti 800 Uniq: comes only in two colours – wine red and silver. Maruti’s new 800 is priced Rs
Rs2,16,000 (Rs5200 premium over the regular model).

P.S:Our sincere thanks to Jayakannan, ABT Maruti (massales@abtlimited.com), Guindy, Chennai (9994404350).

Hot news on Honda city 2008

Honda’s most secret project the Honda city 2008 was out with the latest spy photos. Now more information has come out on the Honda city 2008. The features list of the Honda city 2008 is out. It is interesting to see that the new Honda city 2008 comes with ABS,airbags, G-CON body contruction and i-Vtec engine. Honda has earlier said that all its future products would come with above features. However the most exciting feature of the Honda city 2008 would be the paddle shift gears.

The following are the features of upcoming thailand’s Honda city 2008. Thailand’s Honda city 2008 would come in three variants – S model, V Model and SV model. The Indian city 2008 would have slightly different set of features and would be available around Diwali.  Thailand would get the Honda City 2008 by September. Honda might launch the new city in  phillipines and malayasian by 2009.

Honda city 2008 S model:

* beige tone interior
* Remote Control Key with Immobilizer
* 3rd rear brake indicator
* 15 inch wheel with wheels cover
* Sterio 2 din mp3 playing enable
* Front Dual speaker

Honda City 2008 V model

* beige tone interior
* Remote Control Key with Immobilizer
* 3rd rear brake indicator
* 15 inch Alloy wheel
* Advanced Audio system Sterio 2 din mp3 playing enable
* Dual speaker of front and rear
* chromium door handle
* Driver seat low-high adjustment enable
* Luggage under of rear passenger seat
* ABS,EBD,BA
* Dual airbag SRS (V AS only)

Honda City 2008 SV model

* Black sporty looking tone interior
* Remote Control Key with Immobilizer
* 3rd rear brake indicator
* 16 inch Alloy wheel
* Fox lamp in the front and rear bumper
* chromium exhaust pipe
* Turn light indicator of side mirror
* Switch steering
* Paddle Shift
* Rear seater can be folded 60:40 enable
* Incline forward rear back seat
* Front armrest
* Map lighting
* Advanced Audio system Sterio 2 din mp3 playing enable
* Dual speaker of front and rear
* chromium door handle
* Driver seat low-high adjustment enable
* Luggage under of rear passenger seat
* ABS,EBD,BA
* Dual airbag SRS (V AS only)

Skoda Fabia recalled

Skoda has recalled the two petrol variants of its popular hatchback – Fabia 1.2l and Fabia 1.4L to rectify a technical glitch. The problem in the two variants is affecting the fuel efficiency and performance of the car. Several customers had experienced problems with the car and some even complained that the brake pedal became hard, while driving at a high speed.

Skoda has confirmed that it had recalled the car, but blamed “inconsistent fuel quality” behind the step. Due to inconsistent fuel quality in India, Skoda India has done minor change in the software to attain better fuel economy and driving performance, the company said. Skoda officials said they would rectify the problem free of cost. “We are not charging anything for this and customers would just need to spend about 20-30 minutes at the dealerships,” a company spokesperson said. All manufacturers do constant upgradations of their products so that the customer always enjoys the best quality and service, the company further said.

Source: Times of India

Bajaj to develop trike,car and scooter with KTM

Bajaj Auto is jointly developing a trike, a budget car and a scooter with its Austrian partner KTM. Bajaj Auto holds 21% stake in KTM.  All of the models will be marketed in developing countries and will have petrol, diesel and electric variants. This will be the Bajaj’s second car after the ULC it is currently producing with Renault – Nissan.
KTM, which has recently launched its X-Bow four-wheeled racer, is working on a project called New Haflinger, said to be a cross between a trial-bike and an SUV. Like the original Haflinger, it will be compact and lightweight, and it will be offered in open- and hard-top body styles. The off roader will be ready for the 2010 Dakar Endurance rally.  KTM is also working  on ‘innovative urban transportation concept ” through which it will offer smart urban vehicles. To produce these it has joined hands with Bajaj auto. The series includes a four-seat city car, a three-wheeled tuk-tuk type utility vehicle, plus a super-cheap scooter

The KTM-Bajaj car will be a four-seater city car with strong details in the area of styling .  The scooter will be cheap and will be developed in India. The trike – a three wheeled motrcycle (similar to a tuk-tuk or  auto rickshaw) will be a load carrier. These vehicles will be offered in petrol,diesel and electric variants.

Bajaj to launch three 125cc bikes

Bajaj Auto today said that it will launch three new bikes in the 125cc + segment as part of its strategy to move away customers from 100cc segment. Bajaj, which trails leader Hero Honda Motors Ltd, will now launch three more bikes on the XCD platform, that will “further accelerate the decline of the 100 cc segment”, Bajaj said.

Bajaj also said that the XCD has become India’s largest selling 125cc motorcycle. XCD which launched in September 2007 With average sales of 27,000 units per month in Quarter 1 of 2008-09,has overtaken all established 125cc brands. XCD 125 alone contributes 13% of the 125 cc + segment, a feat not achieved by other 125cc products after years of existence.

GM Chevrolet epica – Pictorial Preview

GM which aggressively expanding its product portfolio in India will soon come up with a sonata and jetta competetior. Chevrolet epica / tosca which made its debut in 2006 in europe is also marketed as tosca in few countries. Chevrolet has been mulling to introduce the epica sedan and Captiva SUV in India. Last year it launched the Captiva and possibly by the end of this year the epica / tosca would be here.We preview the Chevrolet’s next car for India to tell you, what you can expect from it?

GM Chevrolet Epica: Its typical C-segment sedan with a large front overhang and a protruding boot. However the pulled back headlamps, muscular bumper, solid cross bar carrying the large Chevrolet bow tie in the chrome grille and larger wing mirrots adds muscle to the car. The character line that extends to the front and rear wings enahances the appeal. The larger number plate area dominates the rear bouning it are the two circled tail lamp cluster . The tail lamps resembles the Volkswagen’s passat in some sense. Though made in GM’s korean plant, the styiling of the epica gives a prestigous appeal which the segment buyers will look for.

GM Chevrolet Epica: The success of captiva is because of its diesel mill. Chevrolet will ride on the same strategy to make the epica a runaway success. Epica will be powered by the same mill that runs the optra magnum.The 2.0L, 16V TCDi diesel engine (Turbo Charged Common Rail Direct Injection) producing 120.5PS and a massive 314Nm of torque will power the epica / tosca. The diesel unit which is already earned rave reviews for its frugal might do wonders for the epica / tosca. Since the jetta which is suffering from poor dealer network and outdated sonata embera are the only peers for epica / tosca in this segment. Also it may take time for the corolla to get a diesel heart and GM may ride this advantage to lure buyers.

GM Chevrolet Epica: The cabin design is a dated arhitecture but with contemporary touches. Similar to the optra magnum, Chevrolet uses plenty faux and aluminium to give a upmarket look.But the plain,dark dashboard and the cheap plastics fails cannot be went unnoticed. Unlike the competetiors, epica / tosca may come with steering wheel-mounted controls.All the cars over 10 lakhs must have this feature.

GM Chevrolet Epica: As typical of any Chevrolet car, epica / tosca will also offer plenty of room to all occupants. Epica generous dimensions (length/width/height: 4,805/1,810/1,450 mm) with a wheelbase of 2,700 mm will ensure a comfortable journey. The suspension is through McPherson struts at the front and a multi-link suspension at the rear. Epica’s cavernous (480L) will swallow up plenty of holiday luggage or the weekend shop with space to spare.

GM Chevrolet Epica: The epica / tosca will hit the Indian showrooms before the end of this year or early 2009. Though the epica may not be styled like civic or exudes robustness like a laura. But it would fit somewhere in between and is sure to give its peers a run for the money. Epica / tosca will come with lot of goodies and expected to be priced between Rs13-15 lakhs.

Maruti Suzuki’s new Alto – A-star

Recently we shown you our artisitic impression on Maruti Suzuki A-star but today we have few more special items in our menu. Here are two photos of new A-star which will be launched in India during diwali. But before that Maruti Suzuki’s A-star will be showcased at the upcoming Paris auto show in early October. The A-star will replace the Alto in european markets and in India it will co-exist with Alto and Wagon-R. The new car will be called as alto in europe and A-star in india

Maruti Suzuki A-star: Though the car is not as exciting as the concept car it looks great in the photos. The high bonnet line, vertically stacked headlamp cluster, low slung grille, neatly stacked fog lamps and four spoke alloy wheel adds chracter to the A-star. The high roof line  tells that we can expect a roomy hatch from the alto maker. The upswept shoulder line moves upward near the C-pillar which means lesser glass area for the A-star’s rear passengers. Overall the styling is eye pleasing and will lure fair sex for sure.

Maruti Suzuki A-star: The A-star will be powered by a 1L K-series engine developing 65bhp. The new engine will give Alto or A-star customer more happiness with the much better fuel economy. This family car will feature lively cabin treatment and it will come with lots of comfort features and stylish features. The novel tachometer that first seen on the splash will make into the A-star. The rev counter will sit on top of the dashboard in its own individual housing. A-star will be price between Rs3-4 lakhs and there will be no diesel option atleat till the end of 2009.  Looking for a small car! wait for two more months, the i10 killer is ready!