Ducati: Timeslines for return of discontinued motorcycles

Recently, Ducati India discontinued 5 motorcycles in India as these did not meet current emission norms BS-IV. These were:

1. Diavel
2. Monster 821
3. 1299 Panigale
4. Panigale R and 
5. Scrambler Urban Enduro.

Scrambler Urban Enduro

Now, Ducati has announced the time by which new versions of two of these motorcycles meeting current emission norms will be back in India. Ducati Diavel Diesel and Ducati Diavel will arrive in the months of August and October respectively. Ducati Monster 821 will reach Indian dealerships in October 2017. There has been no word about other motorcycles. 

Ducati has proved itself better than companies like Honda, Yamaha who also withdrew their products like CBR 250R, R3 from Indian market for not meeting emission norms but have not announced when the updated versions will be available or will these be available at all?

Benelli 302 R: Coming in July

DSK's Benelli 302R is all set to enter India in first week of July this year. In the 300-500 cc category, customers do not have much choice as only Kawasaki's Ninja 300, KTM's Duke and RC, Bajaj Dominar, Mahindra Mojo and RE products are on offer. Recently, Yamaha removed its R3 from the product list as it was not in conformity with the emission standards. Nobody knows when it will come back. Even Yamaha does not know that.

DSK dealers have started taking advance bookings for Benelli 302R. The bookings can be made at any of the DSK Benelli showrooms located across the country.

Mr. Shirish Kulkarni, Chairman, DSK Motowheels said, "It is quite overwhelming to see that DSK Benelli 302R is receiving such a positive customer response even before it has entered the market. This signifies the trust and brand salience that DSK Benelli has been able to develop amongst the Indian motorcycle enthusiasts. What's more remarkable about 302R is the fact that the fully faired sports bike is a true manifestation of the Tornado pedigree, whose legacy has enchanted the global superbiking community for about half a century now. Since advance bookings for the premium bike have been initiated, we are foreseeing strong disruptions in the Indian mid-range biking segment."

DSK Benelli 302R has a 300cc, in-line two cylinder, water-cooled, four-stroke engine. The launch of the sports bike is being perceived as DSK Benelli's attempt to capture the massive and growing mid-range biking segment and acquainting more customers with superbiking through an entry-level motorcycle.

Ducati discontinues 5 motorcycles in India

Ducati India has discontinued 5 motorcycles in India as these do not meet current emission norms BS-IV. These are:

1. Diavel
2. Monster 821
3. 1299 Panigale
4. Panigale R and 
5. Scrambler Urban Enduro.

Scrambler Urban Enduro

With this, Ducati has joined companies like Honda, Yamaha who have withdrawn their products like CBR 250R, R3 from Indian market for not meeting emission norms. Surprisingly, the emission norms came into effect from 1 April this year but Ducati decided to withdraw products around two and half months after ban on BS-III vehicles was effected. Ducati has not announced when the updated versions will be available.

Ducati retails these motorcycles in Euro 4 compliant versions in Europe. Interestingly, the Ducati Diavel Diesel, based on the standard Diavel, continues to be on sale in India.Ducati has just launched Monster 797 and Multistrada 950 in India. The Ducati Scrambler Desert Sled, Ducati Scrambler Café Racer, and Ducati SuperSport will be launched later this year.The Ducati Monster 797 is the smallest model in the Monster line and uses the same air-cooled powerplant seen in the Scrambler. The Multistrada 950 is a toned-down version of the Multistrada 1200 Enduro with the engine tracing its origins to the Hypermotard 939.

Koenigsegg Regera: The $1.9 million hypercar is out of stock

When you put a sticker price of $1.9 million on a car, it must be ultra-ordinary car to attract the customers. But if you still sale all of your stock of these super expensive cars, then the car must be beyond the words. Sweden-based Koenigsegg Automotive AB has sold all the 80 units of its Regera which is a hybrid hypercar. Koenigsegg Regera that debuted at Geneva Motor Show in 2015, went into production in 2016, and in just a year the company has achieved this feat.

The Koenigsegg Regera is powered by an electric drive system that consists of three electric motors – one on the crankshaft and one on each of the two rear axles. These electric motors produce a total output of 670PS. Koenigsegg claims that the power-to-weight ratio, which is more than 10PS per kilogram, has never been offered in a road-legal electric car prior to the Regera. This power, along with 1,100PS from the internal combustion engine, is directed to the rear wheels with the help of Koenigsegg Direct Drive system (KDD) instead of a conventional gearbox. This single-speed unit has been designed to save both weight and mechanical losses. All of that tech helps the Koenigsegg Regera attain an acceleration of 0-400kmph in as little as 20 seconds.

Top 10 Best Selling Cars in India - May 2017

The list is out for May 2017 and as usual, Suzuki has again dominated the list. Out of the top 10, first 4 positions are held by Suzuki and in total, there are 7 cars from Suzuki stable that are in top 10. What a consistent performance, or rather what a consistent non-performance from other competitors.

Here goes the list, numbers have been rounded off to nearest 100:

1. Suzuki Alto - 26,800

2. Suzuki Swift - 16,500

3. Suzuki Wagon R - 15,500

4. Suzuki Baleno - 14,600

5. Hyundai i10 Grand - 13,000

6. Suzuki Brezza - 12,400

7. Hyundai i20 - 10,700

8. Suzuki Dzire - 9,400

9. Hyundai Creta - 8,400

10. Suzuki Ertiga - 7,100

Suzuki also holds the biggest market share of cars sold - 52.5 per cent in terms of numbers. That is just huge. It sold 1,30,248 cars in India this May. Second place went to Hyundai that sold 42,000 cars and third was Mahindra with 18,700 units. Honda and Toyota were at 4th and 5th place, very close to each other with around 11,000 units each.

At the bottom was HM-Mitsubishi that managed to sell 24 cars in this month. Second last was Fiat with 340 units sold.