CB 300R patented in India

It seems the 300 - 400 cc segment in India is getting hotter and attractive. Just after news of Kawasaki developing a naked version of Ninja 400, Honda has got its naked motorcycle CB 300R patented in India. This does not confirm whether it will be launched in India or not but chances are bright that it will see the light of the day here. More so as its 250 cc product i.e. CBR 250R has failed to get the people back to Honda showrooms.

CB 300R has a single cylinder engine with 286 cc volume, generating 31 horse power and 27.5 newton meter of torque.

If launched here, it will face competition from Yamaha FZ 25, BMW 310R and Duke 250.

BMW and Audi fights on Twitter

It all started with a twitter post by BMW to advertise its car M4 -

Hope you noticed something that Audi definitely noticed. So, it responded -

The Rings, Audi's rings. What else.. 

But then BMW gave a witty comment to the whole ring episode.

Thoroughly enjoyable.

Kawasaki bringing Z 400 soon

After Ninja 400, it is the naked version of this machine that will create flutter in motorcycle world. Kawasaki has started preparing for the unveiling of this machine and soon it is likely to be shown to the world in the EICMA Auto Show in Italy in November this year.

The naked version will be called Z 400 and will be having a sharper shape than the outgoing Z 300. It will run on the same 49 horse power engine having two cylinders. This, coupled with 38 Newton Meter of torque, will make the Z 400 a superior machine to its competitor like MT 03 and Duke 390.

The only issue that needs to see is the pricing in a market like India. We expect it to be priced somewhere near Z 300 elsewhere in the world, but it is entirely different story in India. Recently launched Ninja 400 is priced here as high as the blue sky and that drops the hint that Z 400 will be no different in terms of pricing.

If that happens, Z 400 will be seen more in showrooms than on roads. What a pity.

But will Z 400 be launched here in India?

Of course yes. Just wait.

Top 10 Best Selling Cars in India - July 2018

Given below is the list of 10 best selling cars in India during July 2018 along with no. of units sold (figure rounded off to nearest 100).

1. Suzuki Dzire- 25600
2. Suzuki Alto - 23400

3. Suzuki Swift - 20000

4. Suzuki Baleno - 18000
5. Suzuki Wagon R - 14300

6. Suzuki Brezza - 14200
7. Hyundai Elite i20 -  10800
8. Hyundai Grand i10 - 10800
9. Hyundai Creta - 10400
10. Honda Amaze - 10200

As can be seen, the list is dominated by Suzuki products with 6 of its products getting the first 6 places in top 10. Overall also, Suzuki maintained its undisputed, unchallenged position in the Indian car market with a market share of around 53 per cent. It sold 152,400 cars during the month. 

Honda managed to get one of its product be included in the top 10 list. This is new Amaze, a compact sedan which has attracted significant amount of customers. Honda has also stepped up to number 3 position, after Suzuki and Hyundai. 4th and 5th positions were taken by Mahindra and Tata.

Last 3 positions were held by usual suspects i.e Mitsubishi (nil), Fiat (29 units) and Nissan (553 units). Nissan's cousin Renault sold (6217 units) more than 10 times of cars sold by Nissan.

There is nothing to mention about Volkswagen, Skoda, Datsun, Jeep etc. whose market share was not even one per cent for each.

Toyota and Suzuki: Working Together

Toyota and Suzuki have decided to work together in India to produce and sell cars. Toyota has high capacity plant in India which was unable to be fully used due to not so high demand of Toyota products except Fortuner and Innova. On the other hand, Suzuki is still the number one car company in India and is unable to meet the demand for some of its products like Baleno, Swift, Brezza and Dzire.

Suzuki will get these products manufactured at Toyota plant. These products will also be sold through Toyota dealerships.

Besides these arrangements, Toyota and Suzuki will develop jointly an ultra high fuel efficient engine.

Top 10 Best Selling Cars in India - June 2017

Given below is the list of 10 best selling cars in India during June 2017 along with no. of units sold.

1. Suzuki Alto- 14856
2. Hyundai i10 Grand - 12317
3. Suzuki Dzire - 12049
4. Suzuki Wagon R - 10668
5. Hyundai Elite i20 -  10609
6. Suzuki Swift - 9902
7. Suzuki Baleno - 9057
8. Suzuki Brezza - 8293
9. Hyundai Creta - 6436
10. Suzuki Celerio - 6375

As can be seen, the list is dominated by Suzuki products. Companies like Honda and Mahindra whose products used to get one or two places in the list, have been brutally thrown out of the window. Suzuki has continued to be no. 1 in the total sales also with more than 93,000 units sold during the month which converts to 47.7 per cent market share. 

In the second position is Hyundai, with 37,562 units. Mahindra, Honda and Tata are at no. 3, 4 and 5. Toyota, which used to roam around at 3rd or 4th position, has slipped to 10th for reasons best known to them. It managed to sell less than 2,000 units.

Last positions were held by usual suspects i.e Mitsubishi (nil), Fiat (210 units) and surprisingly Chevrolet (642 units). Surprisingly, as Chevy had announced its exit plan from India. Seems that lucrative discounts offered by dealers were too much lucrative. Dear Chevy customer, who is going to service and repair your new car? 

There is nothing to mention about Skoda, Datsun, Nissan etc whose market share was not more than 2 per cent for each. Probably, one day....in top 10....sweet dreams.

Kawasaki Ninja 1000 and Z 900 launched in India

While other companies are increasing the number of their products in India slowly, Kawasaki is making aggressive moves and brining new motorcycles every now and then. After introducing the new Ninja 650, Z650 and the Z900 in the market a few months back, the Japanese auto giant has now launched the 2017 Ninja 1000 along with a stripped-down version of the Z900.  

Ninja 1000
Priced at Rs 9.98 lakh (ex-showroom), the Kawasaki Ninja 1000 is not all-new but gets a facelift update in India. The high-performance sport tourer retains the same chassis along with the same powertrain from the outgoing model.

Though it looks much similar to its predecessor, there are lots of changes in design which are further complimented with a revised colour scheme. The front fairing is wider and the windshield is taller (15mm) which is also adjustable up to three levels without any tool.  

The bike also gets improved LED headlamp units which are said to provide better low and high beam projection, using 50 per cent less power.

The Ninja ZX-10R derived 1,043cc, inline-four motor in the Kawasaki Ninja 1000 delivers 142PS at 10,000rpm and 111Nm of torque at 7,300rpm. The engine comes mated to a six-speed gearbox using a slipper clutch arrangement for flawless shifting.

Other key features of the bike include fully adjustable suspension, KIBS (Kawasaki Intelligent anti-lock Brake System), KCMF (Kawasaki Cornering Management Function) and three-mode KTRC (Kawasaki Traction Control).

While it will be assembled locally to retail in India, the company has allowed just 20 units of the Ninja 1000 for the market.  

Kawasaki Z900

It is the same Kawasaki Z900 which is already on sale in India but with some cost cutting. For that, the company has reduced some accessories which were earlier available standard with the bike.

The eliminated package includes a flyscreen, a gel tank pad, premium seat cover, pillion seat cowl with rider back support, 12V charging socket on the handlebar, crash bobbins for the front forks, engine guards, engine casing covers and a radiator guard.

The Z900 which was priced at Rs 9 lakh, will be available in the cost-cut version for just Rs 7.68 lakh (ex-showroom). Now, this is enough to give sleepless nights to the competitors, which are Ducati Monster 797 and Triumph Street Triple S. 

Honda discontinues Mobilio

Honda has removed Mobilio from its official website in India indicating that it is going to stop the production of this van. No official announcement regarding its removal or reasons thereof have been made yet by Honda.

The Mobilio was launched in July 2014. It was meant to compete with likes of Maruti Suzuki Ertiga. However, it was built on the Brio platform and Honda did some apparent cost cutting that spoilt the MPV's overall package. It was a product looking poor from every angle, from a famous company like Honda. The dashboard was a copy of one in Brio hatchback. As a result, it never managed to find a dedicated target audience in the Indian market. Monthly sales were poor, near the 100 unit mark, which wasn't enough to have a separate product in the portfolio.

Moreover, when Honda launched BR-V crossover in India, Mobilio became a redundant offering. The BR-V came at a similar price tag, was built on the same platform, but didn't suffer from any significant cost cutting issues. Moreover, thanks to its SUV-like face, the BR-V looked visually more appealing than the Mobilio. It also came with an updated dashboard. This further hit the Mobilio's sales and Honda appears to have finally got rid of the slow-selling MPV in India.

It is also worth noting that Honda has already introduced a mid-life facelift of the Mobilio in Indonesia. However, the updated model is unlikely to make it to India, owing to the low popularity of the Mobilio in our market.

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.

Top 10 Best Selling Cars in India - August 2015

The car sales figures in India for the month of August 2015 are out and again Suzuki has remained undisputed number 1. It seems that there is literally no competition for this company. Out of the top 10 cars, not one or two but seven positions, including first four positions are held by Suzuki. The gap between Suzuki and other competitors is just awesome. Every second car sold in this country belongs to Suzuki. Graph below shows the top 10 cars sold in India in August 2015:

Hyundai at No. 2 is having 18 per cent market share against 48 per cent share of Suzuki. Among other car makers, Honda is at No. 3 position leaving behind Mahindra at No. 4. Tata and Toyota are at No. 5 and 6 respectively. 

Chevrolet Trailblazer: Coming this October

Chevrolet has announced that the Trailblazer SUV will be launched in our market sometime in October this year. This body-on-frame SUV will take on the likes of the popular Toyota Fortuner, Mitsubishi Pajero Sport and Ford Endeavour.

Although its rivals come with the option of various trims that offer 2WD, 4WD and manual as well as automatic gearbox combinations, Chevrolet will initially bring the Trailblazer SUV in only one guise – the 2WD model mated to an automatic gearbox.  

While customers would’ve expected Chevrolet’s mighty Trailblazer to come with 4X4 tech, sources in the company say that the carmaker is currently focussing on buyers who mostly use the SUV on tarmac. What the India-bound Trailblazer SUV will get is tech like Hill Start Assist, Hill-Descent Control and it'll also have the capability to wade through 800mm of water. Under the hood will be a 2.8-litre Duramax DOHC turbodiesel engine good for 197bhp and a massive 50.99kgm of torque.

Creature comforts will include a touchscreen infotainment system with CD/USB/aux/Bluetooth compatibility, cruise control and leather seats, among others.

We expect the Chevrolet Trailblazer 2WD auto to be priced at around Rs 29 lakh (ex-showroom).

Source: Autocar India

Top Ten Best Selling Cars in India - July 2015

The car sales figures in India for the month of July 2015 are out and again Suzuki has remained undisputed number 1. Out of the top 10 cars, first four positions are held by Suzuki. A total of six cars in this top 10 list are from Suzuki. The gap between Suzuki and other competitors is still massive. Hyundai at No. 2 is having just 16.67 per cent market share against 50.43 per cent share of Suzuki. Among other car makers, Honda has continued at No. 3 position leaving behind Mahindra at No. 4 with a good margin. Toyota and Tata are at No. 5 and 6 respectively. Graph below shows the top 10 cars sold in India in July 2015:

With the launch of Jazz, Honda has one more product in its store to fight with Hyundai. Jazz is pitted against i20 who is in great demand along with its smaller sibling i10.

In spite of all the efforts by Hyundai and other car manufacturers, Suzuki has only strengthened its position in the market and its share has now crossed 50 per cent. With the launch of its S-Cross, it is only expected to make the gap bigger. 

For others like Fiat, Renault, Nissan; they seem to be here only to show that they exist.

Top Ten Cars in India - June 2015

The car sales figures in India for the month of June 2015 are out and again Suzuki has remained undisputed number 1. Out of the top 10 cars, first four positions are held by Suzuki. The gap between Suzuki and other competitors is still massive. Hyundai at No. 2 is having just 17 per cent market share against 48 per cent share of Suzuki. Among other car makers, Honda has once again jumped to No. 3 position leaving behind Mahindra at No. 4. Toyota and Tata are at No. 5 and 6 respectively. Graph below shows the top 10 cars sold in India in June 2015:

With the launch of Jazz, Honda has one more product in its store to fight with Hyundai. Jazz is pitted against i20 who is in great demand along with its smaller sibling i10.

In spite of all the efforts by Hyundai and other car manufacturers, Suzuki has only strengthened its position in the market. With the upcoming launches of its S-Cross and premium hatchback YRA, it is only expected to make the gap bigger. Hyundai is brining its small SUV Creta, but that is not expected to create enough volumes.

For others like Fiat, Renault, Nissan; they seem to be here only to show that they exist.

The Interesting No. 3

It is very interesting. Suzuki is the undisputed number 1 in India in terms of car sales. For many years, it has been retaining this crown and in the near future, we are not able to see a possibility of anybody else (whether Hyundai or Honda or Mahindra) overtaking Suzuki.

Suzuki is just miles ahead of competition. The gap between it and others are just too wide. The number 2 is Hyundai which is bombarding the market intermittently with new models to be in the race.

Now, the number three comes into the picture. Who is number three? It is regularly switchable between Honda and Mahindra. For a month, Honda is no. 3 and for next month, Mahindra gets this position. 

So, what is interesting? 

Interesting thing is that at no. 3 is Suzuki. 

How it can be? Is not Suzuki no. 1?

Yes, Suzuki is no. 1 as far new cars sold are concerned. At no. 3 is Suzuki's used car business called 'True Value'. 

A report in the Business Standard says:

Maruti Suzuki is not only the country’s largest passenger vehicle company. If you go by volumes of pre-owned cars sold, it occupies the third slot in the passenger vehicle industry. Maruti’s pre-owned or used car business has grown to a record 358,000 units (in 2014-15).

The sheer volume of units sold, makes True Value (Maruti’s pre-owned car business) the third-largest domestic passenger vehicle seller (irrespective of new or old) after Maruti (at 1.17 million) and Hyundai Motor (at 420,000).

If things remain so, one day, probably Suzuki at no. 1 will be staring at itself for competition in the form of its old car business at no. 2.  

Honda BR-V: Coming Soon to India?

Honda has hinted that there is strong possibility of the introduction of its compact SUV BR-V in India next year. The company had released a couple of design sketches and few other details of this SUV a few days ago. It is expected that the crossover will be based on the versatile Brio platform, but media speculations are on rife that the vehicle could also use the Jazz platform. The later platform is more expensive of the two.

Honda officials said that the Honda BR-V is more appropriate to take the base of Jazz. If this statement turns into reality, the BR-V will be the fourth Honda to be based on the premium hatchback platform. Currently, the City, the HR-V or Vezel and the Shuttle use the Jazz platform.

Interestingly, Honda Car India has imported three units of the Brio SUV in India for R&D (Research & Development) purpose. It is expected that the BR-V is the Brio SUV, which is expected to make Indian debut at the 2016 Delhi Motor Show. However, nothing concrete on the same has been revealed by the manufacturer.

In India, Honda is likely to use the Brio platform to price the crossover competitive to the market. The Jazz platform is comparatively more expensive than the Brio; however, Honda Car India manages to achieve over 90 per cent of localisation.

This compact SUV will be a seven-seater car and will be powered by Honda's tried and tested 1.5-litre i-VTEC petrol motor as well as the recently developed 1.5 litre diesel engine. 

Honda CBR 650F coming to India on 4 August

Honda is all set to increase its fleet of big bikes in India. It is going to introduce CBR 650F to India on 4 August this year. Of the more than a dozen motorcycle launches likely to happen this year from Honda, this will be its biggest machine. Other probables are CBR 300R, CBR 500R, 300F, 500F and some scooters.

Honda is at present number 2 in the two wheeler market in India, competing fiercely with Hero Moto, who is sitting on the top. Once upon a time, Hero was the partner of Honda in two wheeler production. While Hero is mass market leader, Honda is good both in simple, commuter two wheelers and bigger motorcycles.

CBR 650F is powered by a four cylinder engine pumping out 86 bhp power and 62 NM of torque. Its main rivals will be Ninja 650 from Kawasaki and TNT 600 from Benelli. Localisation level for CBR650F will be around 10 per cent and hence, price of this machine is not expected to be very competitive. It is expected to be more than Rs. 7,00,000 on road. That kind of price tag will be a negative as Ninja 650 is quite attractive in terms of price.

Honda had announced in October last year that it will start making the CBR 650F in India, which will allow the company to price the bike competitively. However, Honda is yet to finalise the facility where it will manufacture the bike. The bookings for this machine are now officially open with a booking amount of Rs. 50,000. This will be sold initially at 20 dealerships across the country but all the colours will not be available as Honda intends to start with only one colour. Depending on the market reaction, other colours will be introduced.