Hindustan Motors is all set to launch the BS IV compliant Diesel Ambassador.

The 1.5L BS IV Diesel was displayed at HM’s Uttarpara plant today.

Importantly, the BS IV compliant Ambassador can be sold by HM in 17 metropolitan cities again.

The Ambassador was not being sold in these cities as sale of BS III cars had been banned from April 2010.

HM says that the BS IV  Diesel Ambassador will be launched in the market with a new name.

The demand for Diesel cars has seen a revival of the Ambassador's fortunes, outselling much more modern sedans by a handy margin.

The Ambassador sold 500 units in March, outselling Fiat's Linea (120 units) and Ford's new Fiesta (98 units).

The launch of the BS IV  Diesel Ambassador could see sales climb even further for this vintage survivor. 

22,188 Nissan Micra hatchbacks and Sunny sedans have been recalled by Nissan Motor India, the Economic Times, has reported. 

The cars were manufactured at the companies Chennai plant and the recall has been issued to replace a faulty master brake cylinder.

Nissan has already issued a recall for 67,089 Micra and Sunny cars sold in Asia, Africa and Europe for the same issue. 

Nissan has said that the replacement of the faulty master brake cylinder will be performed at no cost to the customer.

Nissan had earlier recalled nearly 250,000 vehicles globally for a fuel rail pressure sensor used on some models having direct injection engines. This included 9,600 units of the Micra that was exported to Europe from Nissan's Oragadam plant n Tamil Nadu. 

Yamaha has launched the “Ray Z” scooter, along with 2 variants of the SZ motorcycle in Goa today.

The Ray Z is targeted at young males in the 16-22 age group.

The Ray Z is essentially a variant of the "Ray" scooter that was released in September last year.

The 113 cc, 4-stroke air-cooled engine with CVT, is the same as that on the Ray.

The Ray Z retails at Rs 48,555 (Ex-showroom Delhi).

What's new on the Ray Z:

• Smoked-finish visor.
• Aluminum wing-shaped rear tandem rider grab-bars.
• Instrument panel with carbon fiber patterned background.
• Carbon fiber patterned seat cover material
• New colouring and graphics.

These pics of a Ford Ecosport with 2.0 badging on it, were sent in by Venky Chinna from Coimbatore.

While the thought of a 2.0L Petrol Ecosport does sound good, the Ecosport 2.0L is NOT meant for India. In all likelihood, this model will be built here for export markets (such as Europe).

The vehicle spotted appears to be Left Hand Drive (one can just see a hint of the steering wheel in the second picture). The 4 cylinder 2.0L Bi-Fuel engine puts out 141 BHP (Petrol) and 147 BHP (Ethanol).

Ford will export the Ecosport to Australia and Europe, according to carsguide.com.au. In Australia, the Ecosport will compete with rivals such as the Opel Mocca, Nissan Juke, Peugeot 2008 and Holden Trax and in 2014, the Renault Captur and Volkswagen Taigun. 

Hyundai Dealers have stopped taking bookings for the Accent Executive sedan as stocks have been exhausted.

This was confirmed by Bangalore Dealership, Trident Hyundai.

The Accent Executive is no longer on Trident Hyundai's website as well. However, the Accent Executive has still not been removed from Hyundai's country website. 

Sales for the Accent Executive fell to 87 units last month, while sales for January, February and March of this year stood at 157, 250 and 295 units respectively.

In a bid to revive flagging sales for the ageing sedan, Hyundai had introduced an Accent 2011 edition in that year, priced at Rs 501,900 (ex-showroom, New Delhi).

However, competition from newer sedans such as the Maruti's Swift Dzire, Tata's Indigo+Manza, Toyota Etios, etc  (all 3 are available in Diesel variants), sounded the death knell for the Petrol only Accent Executive. 

The Accent was launched in 1999 and along with the Santro built Hyundai's 'Value for Money' reputation in the Indian car market.

More pictures of Bajaj's new 375 cc (rumoured) Pulsar have been posted on autocarindia.com.

The pictures reveal a sharp looking motorcycle, that could turn the segment on its head with its features and pricing. 

One can expect plenty of parts to be shared across the KTM 390 and the Pulsar 200NS (the instrument panel appears to be similar). 

Related News Item.

Bajaj has got the nod from the Government for its RE60 Quadricycle to be used for commercial purposes only, reports the HT Mint.

This will open the door to safer and more comfortable urban transport.

The company had already invested Rs 550 Crore on the project, with a production capacity of 60,000 units per year.

What differentiates a Quadricycle:

• Can be used for intra-city transport (within municipal limits) only.
• Not for personal use and cannot be driven on the highway.
• Passenger carriers to weigh less than 450 Kg and seat 4 (including driver)
• Goods carriers to weigh less than 550 Kg and seat 2.
• Quadricycles to display a "Q" sign.
• Will not need to meet crash testing norms (as they don't exist in Europe for Quadricycles).
• Emission requirements to be same as that in Europe.
• Any changes regarding rules for Quadricycles in Europe would need to be adopted in India (with a maximum lag of 6 months).

GM has said that prices are being increased as a result of increased logistic and transportation costs (due to higher Diesel prices).

GM's entry level offering presently, is the 1.0 BS3 Chevrolet Spark variant, priced at Rs 3,31,447 (ex showroom Delhi).

The most expensive vehicle offered by GM India is the 2.2 LTZ AWD BS4 Captiva, priced at Rs 24,59,866 (ex showroom Delhi). 

Chevrolet has been battling with sliding sales figures, the Beat and Spark hatchbacks posting Year-on-Year a decline in sales of 56% and 68% respectively (for month of April). 

GM is also offering a 'Loyalty Discount' on its Chevrolet vehicles to the tune of Rs 10,000, till the end of May. The offer can be availed by Chevrolet (and Opel) owners.

A shout out to BHPian Latheesh, who spotted this camouflaged MPV undergoing testing in Bangalore.

The vehicle is the 1st generation Mercedes Vito passenger van which Force Motors will market under its brand name. 

It will use the same 2.2L Diesel engine as the Force One SUV (139 BHP, 321 Nm of Torque), albeit in a different state of tune. 

The company has already hinted that the 8 seater MPV will target the corporate travel and hospitality sector.

The new MPV will likely target existing/new customers for the now dated Tempo Traveller, who are looking at a more upmarket offering. The new MPV is after all basically a cargo van, and unlikely to appeal to the private buyer. 

Force Motors has maintained a strong relationship with Mercedes Benz (MB) and assembles engines and axles for all  C, E, and S Class sedans built in India, as also the M Class SUV. Since 1999, the company has assembled more than 28,000 engines for MB. 

Skoda's Rapid has been spotted in Pune with the companies new logo, as per images posted by auto website oncars.in.

The new logo does not feature the words "Skoda Auto" inside the logo. The winged arrow symbol is now in "Skoda Green" instead of the earlier "Natural Green". 

Skoda will be hoping the new logo will change its fortunes which are on the decline here.

Skoda's only real hit was the Octavia and even the competent Rapid has been unable to rake in the numbers for Skoda.

The Rapid has been outsold by the costlier Vento, between January to April of this year, VW sold 8767 units of the Vento, compared to 6001 units of the Rapid sold in the same period.

Earlier this week, Skoda pulled the plug on its Fabia hatchback due to poor sales.

Related News Item.

Pictures of Volkswagen's Polo wearing GT and TDI badging, confirming a Diesel hot hatch have been posted on auto website oncars.in.

The badging and "Estrada” 15" alloy wheels (as seen on the Petrol GT TSI), indicate that this Polo comes with a Diesel engine. The car was spotted with a Vento and a Rapid.

The Polo GT TDI is likely to come with the 1.6L Diesel from the Vento and Rapid. The Polo GT TDI will be quick too, since it is 90 Kg lighter than the Vento. The rest of the kit for the interiors and exteriors are likely to remain the same. 

VW ran its Polo R Cup with a 1.6L Diesel that made 129 BHP (104 BHP in stock form) for 2 seasons in 2010 and 2012.

It will be interesting to see how Volkswagen prices the Polo GT TDI. The Polo 1.2L GT TSI is already stratospherically priced approaching almost Rs 10 Lakh (OTR) in cities like Bangalore. 

Related Thread (Volkswagen Polo 1.2L GT TSI : Official Review).

A big shout out to BHPian sandeep_vgl for catching these snaps of what appears to be Range Rover's Evoque XL on test in India.

The Evoque XL is an extended wheelbase version of the Range Rover's hot selling SUV and was spotted in Trivandrum, Kerala .

The vehicle sported similar license plates as that seen on Evoque XL's caught testing in Europe. 

The new variant of the Evoque, will pit it against the BMW's X5 and Audi's Q7. The extended wheel base will offer increased cabin space and an option of a 7 seater is likely to be made available.

The Evoque XL will be offered as a more practical alternative to the Evoque and will slot in under the Range Rover Sport. 

The Evoque has been a hot seller for Land Rover since its launch in 2011, registering sales of 1,13,000 units in FY 13 (compared to 52,000 units in FY 12). 

Harley-Davidson has launched its Roadside Assistance Program in India.

The roadside assistance program has been launched in association with INDIA ASSISTANCE, a 100% subsidiary of leading international assistance company MAPFRE ASSISTANCE.

The Roadside Assistance Program will provide on-road assistance and support to registered Harley-Davidson owners spread across nine dealerships across India. 

What is on offer as part of Harley Davidson Roadside Assistance Program:

• Geographic scope of the Roadside Assistance Services provided by INDIA ASSISTANCE will be within 150 Km radius from the nearest Harley-Davidson India dealership in the Republic of India (excluding islands).
• Beyond 150 km, assistance available charged at Rs 40/Km (towing charges) and Rs 25/Km (petrol delivery charges), for every Km above 150 Km.
• Fuel Delivery - INDIA ASSISTANCE shall deliver up to 5 litres of petrol (to be paid for on the spot). 
• Transfer in case of breakdown / accident / flat tire support - In case of punctured (or burst tire), INDIA ASSISTANCE will tow/transfer the vehicle to the nearest Harley-Davidson dealership. 
• Medical co-ordination - In case of any medical problem (arising due to a breakdown or accident), INDIA ASSISTANCE will provide contact details of nearby professionals. INDIA ASSISTANCE will only provide contact details. 
• Coverage extension to the next owner - Any Harley-Davidson® motorcycle is entitled to the same benefits even after a change of ownership, (provided INDIA ASSISTANCE is provided with details of the new owner in advance). The new owner can avail of the services provided till the end of the annual subscription.
• Dedicated helpline - Round-the-clock assistance via toll free helpline as well as a landline number. Toll Free No: 1800 209 9899, Backup landline number for H-D:022 4090 1548.
• Provision of local taxi - In the event of the transfer of a Harley-Davidson® motorcycle, INDIA ASSISTANCE will coordinate to provide contact details of local taxi providers. 
• Relay of urgent messages - INDIA ASSISTANCE will take charge of relaying unlimited urgent messages to the Service Receiver’s parties, relating to any of the events covered by any services under this Scheme.

Events not covered under the program:

• Non-functional horn.
• Vehicle headlights not functional during daytime.
• Broken rear-view mirror but not obstructing rider’s view or motorcycle operation.

Click here to go to the website.

Another Chinese model that may be destined for the Indian market, the Great Wall Haval H3 has been seen testing near Pune.

The pictures were posted on indianautosblog.com. The badges had been covered up on the test vehicle.

The response to Chinese offerings in the Indian market hasn't been the best for offerings such as those from Force Motor's and Premier Automobiles. 

The beefy looking SUV comes with Petrol and Diesel engines. The Diesel is a turbocharged 2.5L, 4 cylinder, 16 valve motor, putting out 107 BHP.

Typical of Chinese offerings the H3 comes stuffed to the gills with features like, sunroof, leather seats, automatic headlights and wipers, 17" alloy wheels, all wheel discs, ABS, EBD, dual front airbags etc. The interiors look fairly basic if well equipped and seat only 5.

A photograph of Bajaj's biggest Pulsar yet has appeared on autocarindia.com. This will be an all new Pulsar. 

The launch is scheduled for later this year. The images shows a mature looking design that will come with a sub 390 cc engine. 

Bajaj is at present getting ready for the launch of the KTM 390 Duke.

Expect the new bike to be priced competitively for the performance on offer. This is something that Bajaj has shown it is capable of doing time and time again. 

As per the report, the new Pulsar would feature the following:

• The new motorcycle will share its engine with the KTM 390 (engine capacity would be different though).
• Liquid cooled motor to put out around 45 BHP.
• Close ratio 6 speed gearbox.
• Top speed in excess of 150 KMPH.
• Beefy telescopic front shocks.
• Single front and rear disc brakes and ABS optional (likely).
• LED Indicators and Pilot lights.

A detailed look at the next generation i10 has been posted by Italian auto website omniauto.it.

The new i10 will be unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September 2013. 

Highlights on the next generation i10:

• Keyless Entry with push button start
• More upmarket interiors with dual-tone finish
• Multi-Function steering wheel. Also comes with a heated option (unlikely to make it to India)
• Cruise control and switchable ESP
• Disc brakes all round
• Uses same platform as the Kia Picanto (wider track and slightly longer wheelbase will liberate more room)
• Hyundai has benchmarked European brands, instead of Japanese ones, for the new i10
• The new i10 will NOT be made in South Korea
• To know more about the new i10, click here.

Skoda will withdraw its slow selling Fabia hatchback from the market, reports autocarindia.com.

The Fabia will remain in the market till the existing stock is sold out.

The end of the Fabia will mean that Skoda will not have an offering in the hatchback segment. Its India plans for the next generation Fabia (codenamed SK 260) are unclear as of now. 

Reasons for withdrawing the Fabia from the market, as mentioned in the report:

• Skoda has incurred huge losses on the Fabia (losing up to Rs 1.5 Lakh per car)
• Repeated price cuts and discounts have failed to generate any increase in sales.
• Margins reduced as a result of 40 % reduction in its price compared to 2008 launch.
• High level of foreign content in the Fabia makes it expensive to produce.

Mahindra has announced that it will launch the Verito Vibe hatchback on 5th June, 2013.

More detailed snaps were posted on auto blog indianautosblog.com.

The new images show that the Vibe has a rear hatch that opens from the bottom of the rear windscreen and not hinged at the top, like a regular hatchback.

Click here for related news item.

The Vibe will come with the proven Renault K9K 1.5 L Diesel. 

Today, Mercedes-Benz along with the tennis legend Boris Becker have launched the GL-Class (GL 350 CDI) in India priced at Rs. 77.50 lakhs ex-showroom Delhi.

High Points:

• The 2987cc engine coupled with 7G-TRONIC Plus Automatic transmission
• Can do the 0-100kph sprint in 7.9 seconds
• Power: 258 bhp @ 3600 rpm (34 bhp more than outgoing model).
• Torque: 619 Nm @ 1600-2400 rpm (109 Nm more than outgoing model).
• Segment innovations: 360° camera, Cross-Wind Stabilization, Open pore trim, Active Park Assist, Sunroof for all three rows.
• India will be the second market after USA to locally produce the GL-Class, starting Q3 of 2013.
• The GL-Class was first introduced in India in 2010.
• Big on space: 630-1252-2300 liter boot capacity
• The new GL-Class is equipped with DSR, ESP, 4ETS, 4MATIC, AIRMATIC, etc.
• Length of 5120 mm (+32 mm longer), width of 1934 mm (+4 mm) and height of 1840 mm (+10mm) make new GL longer, wider and taller than its predecessor.
• The debut of the new GL will be as the “Launch Edition”. This limited edition variant will be offered as fully imported car and will have additional features like AMG body styling comprising front and rear apron painted in body colors, 21-inch AMG 5 twin-spoke light-alloy, aluminium finish running boards with LED illumination, flared wheel arches and more.

Indian Motorcycle, America's oldest motorcycle brand will be coming to India.

The brand is owned by Polaris Industries which already sells all terrain vehicles in India.

The all-new 2014 Indian Chief will be unveiled at the 73rd annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in South Dakota, USA (August 3-11, 2013).

The 2014 Chief will be powered by a V-Twin which the company calls the Thunder Stroke 111.

The 111 cubic-inch (1,819 cc) Thunder Stroke motor is a deliberate dig at rival Harley-Davidson. Harley's biggest factory engine option is the 110 cubic-inch Twin Cam. 

The massive Thunder Stroke 111 has been in development for 2 years. The air cooled twin has three camshafts, pushrods and two valves per cylinder. The engine comes with hydraulic self-adjusting lifters and a forged crankshaft.

BHP figures have not been quoted yet, torque stands at a tree-stump pulling 156 Nm. Fuel is delivered via electronic sequential port fuel injection. A 6 speed manual transmission helps deliver the power, coupled with a multi-plate wet clutch. 

Click Here to go to the website.

Maruti Suzuki will roll out a brand new LCV (codenamed Y9T) from its Gujarat plant which will become operational in 2016, reports the Economic Times.

This was communicated to its vendors in Malaysia last week.

The new LCV will also come with a new 2 cylinder 800 cc Diesel engine, now in an advanced stage of development.

Offering an LCV option will help Maruti target the lucrative (and profitable) commercial sector that is dominated by Tata and Mahindra. The LCV is a ground up design that is being developed entirely in India.

Of particular importance is the new diesel engine being developed by Maruti Suzuki.

The LCV will feature a naturally-aspirated version of the 800cc 2 cylinder Diesel, while a turbocharged variant will be offered on Maruti's budget hatchbacks.

Hero MotoCorp Ltd (HMCL), has launched its ‘Hero’ two-wheeler range in Guatemala City, El Salvador and Honduras.

The two wheeler maker has partnered with Indy Motos Group of Guatemala who will be the authorized distributor for Hero two wheelers.

The Hero MotoCorp products that will be available here are, Hunk, Karizma, Glamour, HF Dawn, Splendor NXG, Super Splendor and Achiever motorcycles. 

The launch is significant for Hero, as this is the first of the new international markets that it is starting operations in. The Central and Latin American markets are expected to play a major role in Hero's global expansion plans.

HMCL has stated that it is targeting 10 % of total sales volumes from Latin & Central America and Africa over the next 4 to 5 years. At present exports are limited to a few countries, including Colombia, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Nepal.

Entering and succeeding in foreign markets will be important for Hero MotoCorp as sales have been declining in the domestic market. HMCL has seen sales come down (along with Bajaj) for FY 13 to 53,62,730 units compared to 56,28,513 units in 2011-2012.

Pictures of Volkswagen's CrossPolo undergoing testing on the Mumbai-Gujarat highway have appeared on autocarindia.com.

The CrossPolo is essentially a higher riding version of the Polo with some styling tweaks.

The CrossPolo comes with its ground clearance increased by 15 mm, redesigned front and rear bumpers, roof rails that can take a load of up to 75 Kgs, and folding rear seats.

Interior appointments could be similar to that being offered on the Polo 1.2 GT TSI.

The alloys design spotted on the test CrossPolo looked the same, though the CrossPolo comes with 17" alloy wheels.

Suzuki's Inazuma 250, which will go on sale here later this year was spotted during a commercial shoot in Goa.

The pictures being uploaded on the Facebook page of GEARS.

The Inazuma is a 250 cc parallel twin that is made in China. The bike is said to be the spiritual successor to Suzuki's old GS500 twin. 

Despite being made in China, quality and finish is up to Suzuki's usual standards as borne out by the images.

While the official India spec figures are not out yet, power output is expected to hover around the 24 BHP mark.

The long stroke motor is torquey and coupled with a 6 speed gearbox, should see the motorcycle at home in the city and on the highway (ABS not available though). 

Features of the Inazuma 250 (source: Suzuki GB)

• 250 CC fuel injected motor that offers 30 KMPL.
• Engine RPM indicator displays NORM mode (normal riding) and ECO mode (economical riding).
• Gear indicator, maintenance reminders, clip-on style handle bars standard.
• Kerb weight of 183 Kg and Fuel tank holds 13.3 Lts.

India OYE (Open Your Eyes) is an effort by the alumni of Tata Institute of Social Sciences, with support from the Mumbai police to reduce instances of harassment and molestation.

At present, a pilot phase of this project is underway in the Mumbai East area,  including Chembur, Deonar, Govandi, Ghatkopar, Vikhroli, Mankhurd, Trombay, RCF, Mulund, Shivajinagar, Kanjurmarg (to name a few regions that fall under Mumbai East).

IndiaOYE seekes to enable citizens to report and contribute towards building a safety map of places they live in and surrounding areas. The safety map would help the Police in highlighting areas that require police attention. 

Here is how it works:

• You Submit the Report via web/ sms/ phone apps/ email/ twitter/ facebook etc.
• The staff verifies the report by contacting you via Mobile No. / email ID (Your mobile no./email ID is only for verification and is kept confidential)
• Your report is uploaded on the India OYE portal as a red spot on a map indicating the exact location of the incident.
• Mumbai Police acknowledges the reports and initiates appropriate action.
• A feedback of the action initiated is updated on the India OYE portal under your report.

BHPian Superutp snapped these pictures of Mahindra's Verito Vibe hatchback while it was out for a promotional video shoot in Bangalore.

Click here for a detailed news item on the Vibe.

Fiat is exploring the possibility of using its Indian operations as an export hub for the Chrysler Group, reports HT Mint. 

Fiat owns a 58% stake in Chrysler. Indications are that parts could be procured for Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge.

Once plans are finalised, India would manufacture 600,000 units for Chrysler, which will be exported to markets in the Asia Pacific region (out of this, 60,000 units are earmarked for India).

Exports could begin as early as 2015. 

The move to setup an export base for Chrysler in India would also help provide the company with greater economies of scale when its Indian operations begin.

Chrysler already has an R&D center in Chennai (the third-largest after Detroit and Turin) with 1,200 engineers.

Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M) will be launching a base spec W4 variant of the XUV500 within the next few months.

The new variant could help M&M arrest sliding sales of the XUV500, which have come down from 3721 units in January to 2253 units last month.

M&M's home grown SUV has also been grappling with quality niggles & irritants. The lower priced W4 variant could help M&M tackle the strong challenge posed by Renault's Duster and Ford's upcoming EcoSport.

For the months of March and April this year, Duster sales stood at 11675 units while in the same period, sales of the Scorpio stood at 9095 units and XUV500 at 5440 units. Rising diesel prices and an increase in excise duty on SUVs has further hit this segment. 

Maruti will export Petrol engines for Mazda'a badge engineered version of the Ertiga MPV, called VX-1 according to report in the Economic Times.

The Mazda VX-1 MPV has just gone on sale in Indonesia. Maruti already exports the Ertiga in completely-knocked down (CKD) kit form to Suzuki Indonesia.

The deal would allow Maruti to better utilise spare engine production capacity at its plants, with demand having been skewed towards Diesel engines. According to the report, Maruti is supplying in excess of 50,000 CKD kits of the Ertiga annually to Suzuki Indonesia.

It is possible that other improvements could be made by Maruti for the VX-1 (If requested for by Mazda). 

Maruti already manufactures its A-Star for Nissan Motors, which sells the little hatchback as the Nissan Pixo in Europe. The Pixo is manufactured at Maruti's Manesar plant and comes with better interiors and keyless engine start (For improved fuel efficiency in urban conditions). The engine that Maruti supplies for the Pixo is also reworked for improved fuel efficiency and reduced CO2 emissions.

Maruti received orders for 10,000 units of the Pixo from Suzuki Motor Corporation last year, to be supplied to Nissan.

Thanks to BHPian Soumyajit9 for posting the video in this post. 

The video is quite a watch. Funny visuals matched to equally hilarious lyrics.

If you wish to jump straight to the Team-BHP reference, start playing from the 2:20 mark.