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Category: Automotive

Retail News Asia is committed to providing both local and global retailers with the latest Auto and Car news throughout the Asian market. This on a daily base.

  • Honda Active Has Crossed The 2 Crore Sales Milestone

    Honda Active Has Crossed The 2 Crore Sales Milestone

    Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India (HMSI) has announced that the company’s top-selling two-wheeler, the Honda Activa, has recently breached the 2 crore sales mark in India. Evidently, the popular Honda Active is now the first scooter in the country to cross this huge sales milestone. Interestingly enough, it took the Honda 15 years to breach first one crore sales mark, while the next one crore units were sold in just 3 years, which is four times faster than the time taken to acquire the first 1 crore customers.

    Minoru Kato, President & CEO, Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India Pvt. Ltd. today announced this feat and expressed his gratitude to the 2 crore happy Indian customers, and said “Over 18 years and 5 generations, Honda 2Wheelers India continuously added value to exceed Customers expectations & making Activa the most preferred choice of Indian 2wheeler buyers. We are delighted that Activa partnered over 2 crore Indian families on the move in realizing their dreams. As India’s Love for Activa grows, we remain committed to take on new challenges and bring joy to our customers.”

    2018 Honda Activa 5G was launched at the Auto Expo

    The Honda Active was first launched in the year 2001, and since then we have seen five generations of the scooter in India. The fifth-gen model, the Honda Activa 5G, was launched this year in February, at the 2018 Auto Expo. The Activa was truly a ground-breaking product from the Japanese two-wheeler manufacturer and it has been the country’s top-selling two-wheeler for quite some time now. In fact, in 2017 the Activa becomes not just India’s, but the World’s largest selling two-wheeler.

    The current-generation model – Honda Activa 5G, is powered by a 109 cc, single-cylinder engine which puts out 8 bhp at 7,500 rpm and 9 Nm of peak torque at 5,500 rpm. No other scooter on sale in India has been able to come close to the Activa’s sales success in its segment. In addition to features like Honda’s Combi-break system and HSE technology, the new Activa also comes with a semi-digital instrument cluster with the display showing information like additional service due indicator and ECO options. The scooter also gets a 4-in-1 hook with the seat opener switch like the Grazia and a retractable rear hook.

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  • New Hyundai Santro Bookings Cross 14,000 Units

    New Hyundai Santro Bookings Cross 14,000 Units

    The Hyundai Santro is back with a bang. And as if to proclaim that this nameplate still commands the kind of strength it used to, the small car has already garnered over 14,000 bookings. Sources have shared with carandbike that the small car has notched up 14,208 bookings within the first 9 days of pre-bookings having been opened for a token of ₹ 11,000, on October 10 2018. This is even though the variants and prices are not known, and customers have shown a preference for the top spec (Asta) manual variant followed by the top spec (Sportz) AMT version.

    These are pan-India bookings, but sources have shared with carandbike that a large chunk of the bookings are from the southern states, with Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telengana, Karnataka and Kerala accounting for just under half the total bookings so far. The above figure does not include bookings taken on Dussehra (celebrated on October 18 in Western India, October 19 in North India), and so the overall number is expected to shoot up with Dussehra bookings and then more so over this weekend too. Bookings are only open online, and not at dealerships since there is no car in showrooms as yet that people can see. But a number of dealers have shared with carandbike that many potential customers have been visiting their showrooms, and then making the bookings online with their help.

    The Hyundai Santro has bagged over 14,000 bookings in just 9 days

    Hyundai had opened online pre-bookings for the Santro the day after it unveiled the car to media at its Chennai plant. At the time, the Hyundai India MD, YK Koo had also announced a price protection for the first 50,000 customers. and had pretty much guaranteed that the prices announced at launch will be hiked soon after. At that preview we had the chance to see and drive the car, and have told you plenty about it. What we have been unable to do is share our pictures and videos. And while that remains embargoed until launch day – i.e. October 23 2018 – a lot of leaked pictures have already emerged that show the car’s exterior and interior in fairly good detail.

    The 2018 Hyundai Santro will get a 6.5-inch touchscreen infotainment system

    We know there will be a base version – most likely the Era variant, followed by the Magna variant, the fairly well-loaded Sportz trim and the top spec Asta. All variants will sport a driver-side airbag and ABS (anti-lock braking) as standard equipment. The Asta will have dual airbags standard. The Sportz will also get the 7-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, MirrorLink and Voice Commands. The car’s cabin will be finished in a dual-tone palette of beige and black. On the outside, buyers will have 7 colours to choose from, though only the green will get a special interior package in its Asta trim.

    Under the hood, the new Hyundai Santro features a 1.1-litre four-cylinder petrol engine that comes from the company’s Epsilon engine family. The motor is capable of churning out a maximum of 68 bhp and develop a peak torque of 99 Nm, and Hyundai says that it’s already BS-VI ready. Additionally, the 2018 Santro will also come with a factory fitted CNG kit, which can hold up to 8 kg of gas, and offer a reduced power output of 58 bhp, while developing the same 99 Nm of peak torque. Transmission duties are taken care of by a 5-speed manual gearbox in both the versions, however, the petrol trim also gets an optional 5-speed automated manual transmission (AMT) unit. The AMT unit is developed by Hyundai in-house and uses an electric actuator instead of a hydraulic, which is controlled by a separate electric unit. The petrol engine offers a mileage of 20.3 kmpl, while the fuel efficiency of the CNG version is yet to be revealed.

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  • Porsche Expects To Repeat Record Vehicle Sales

    Porsche Expects To Repeat Record Vehicle Sales

    Volkswagen’s Porsche sports car brand is confident it can repeat last year’s record sales in 2018, the division’s chief executive told. Porsche sold 196,562 vehicles during the first nine months of the year, with Europe showing a 9 percent increase and China, the world’s largest car market, growing by 4 percent.

    “In light of these good numbers we expect that we can reach last year’s record again,” Oliver Blume said in e-mailed comments on Thursday.

    Porsche delivered 246,375 vehicles in 2017.

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  • Skoda names new compact the Scala

    Skoda names new compact the Scala

    Skoda says it will rename its Rapid compact hatchback the Scala when the new model goes on sale next year. The car’s name comes from the Latin word for “ladder,” Skoda said in a statement.

    The Scala was previewed as the Vision RS concept that was unveiled at the Paris auto show this month.

    The name change signifies the step up Volkswagen Group’s Czech subsidiary has made with the new car, Skoda CEO Bernhard Maier explained in the statement. “This is a completely new development that sets standards in terms of technology, safety and design in this class,” he said.

    The Scala will be pitched further upmarket compared with the current budget Rapid to create a more credible rival for cars such as the Ford Focus.

    “I think the problem of the current Rapid is maybe it’s too low-market. Maybe we went too far toward value for money,” Bjorn Kroll, Skoda’s head of product marketing and the brand’s commercial leader on electric cars, said at a preview of the concept ahead of the Paris show. “With this one, we tried to balance it out.”

    Skoda said the car would offer innovative features that “have only been seen in higher segments,” without being specific about those features.

    The Scala will be engineered for Europe on the VW Group’s small-car MQB A0 platform. The current model uses a version of the low-cost PQ platform.

    The name change also signifies a break with the Rapid sold in China and Russia. A future replacement for the Rapid in those markets is expected to use an updated version of the PQ platform to keep costs down.

    Instead of a badge, the Scala will feature the word Skoda affixed to the tailgate — the first Skoda to feature this, the brand said.

    The range is expected to include an RS high-performance version using the same plug-in hybrid drivetrain previewed by the Vision RS concept. It combines a 150-hp, 1.5-liter gasoline turbo engine with a 102-hp electric motor to accelerate the car from 0 to 100 kph (62 mph) in 7.1 seconds. The 13-kWh battery provides a range of 70 km (43 miles), compared with 50 km (31 miles) in the discontinued VW Golf GTE plug-in hybrid.

    Skoda sold 35,206 units of the Rapid notchback and Spaceback hatchback in the first half of this year across Europe, down 2.7 percent compared with the year before, figures from JATO Dynamics show. The notchback will be discontinued in Europe, Skoda said.

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  • Softbank, Toyota form JV for mobility services in Japan

    Softbank, Toyota form JV for mobility services in Japan

    Japan’s Softbank and automaker Toyota announced plans to form a joint venture by April 2019 to provide launch Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) in the country. The company, called Monet Technologies, will combine Toyota’s mobility services platform and information infrastructure for connected vehicles with Softbank’s Internet of Things platform, the companies said in a joint statement.

    Initially, Monet plans to roll out just-in-time vehicle dispatch services for Japanese public agencies and private companies to meet user demand. Those services include on-demand transportation service and corporate shuttles.

    By the second half of the 2020s, Monet intends to launch an autono-MaaS (autonomous mobility as a service) businesses, using Toyota’s e-Palette battery electric vehicles.

    These vehicles will deliver meals with food prepared in the vehicles, provide hospital shuttles where onboard medical examinations can be carried out onboard.  These vehicles can also serve as mobile offices, Softbank said.

    Softbank said Monet will roll out its mobility services in Japan before focusing on future expansion to the global market.

    The joint venture will have initial capital of 2 billion yen ($17.49 million), and this will be increased to 10 billion yen in future.

    Softbank will own 50.25% of the JV and Toyota take the remaining 49.75%.

    SoftBank Corp representative director and CTO Junichi Miyakawa will be president and CEO of the new joint venture.

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  • Bosch to launch IoT software services in China

    Bosch to launch IoT software services in China

    Bosch and Huawei have struck a partnership to accelerate the development of the Internet of Things (IoT) in China. The collaboration will see the pair makes Bosch’s IoT Suite software services available in China on Huawei Cloud. The software platform of Bosch connects web-enabled objects to facilitate data sharing across a multitude of digital services and business models. The first service made available to Chinese consumers via Huawei Cloud will be the Bosch IoT Remote Manager – a service for managing and controlling gateways, sensors, and devices. Additional services from the Bosch IoT Suite will follow in 2019.

    The pair also said a Chinese automotive manufacturer has chosen to deploy the Bosch IoT Suite on Huawei Cloud for updating its vehicles’ firmware over the air (FOTA). The service is expected to be rolled out to millions of connected cars in China over the coming years.

    “The demand for IoT solutions in China is rising. The partnership between Bosch and Huawei Cloud marks a decisive step for Bosch in one of the fastest growing IoT markets in Asia,” said Dr. Stefan Ferber, CEO of Bosch Software Innovations, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Bosch.

    Bosch Software Innovations has been active in China since 2012 and has implemented IoT projects ranging from Industry 4.0 to connected transportation. The company expects China’s market for IoT platforms to grow by close to 70% over the coming years, Ferber said.

    Bosch and Huawei also intend to develop an integrated end-to-end IoT offering as a result of the partnership.

    Huawei is developing IoT hardware gateways that will be pre-configured with Bosch IoT Gateway Software and managed through the Bosch IoT Remote Manager to run on Huawei Cloud.

    This close integration will provide customers with a more complete IoT solution that is easier to deploy and manage, the companies said.

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  • Samsung Launches New Chipsets To Make Cars Smarter

    Samsung Launches New Chipsets To Make Cars Smarter

    Samsung Electronics, a part of the Samsung Group, has announced the introduction of two new chipsets or processors for the automotive segment for connected cars technology. Christened the Samsung Exynos Auto and Samsung ISOCELL Auto, the new chipsets claim to offer cutting-edge application processor and image sensor technology solutions to the road.  While the former Exynos will help manufacturers develop in-car apps for infotainment, advanced driving assistance systems, and telematics, the ISOCELL Auto is targeted at developing in-vehicle infotainment systems and telematics solutions.

    Talking about the two new chipsets, Kenny Han, vice president of Samsung’s Device Solutions Division said, “Samsung’s new automotive brand solutions, Exynos Auto and ISOCELL Auto, bring Samsung’s market-proven technologies to automotive applications with enhanced features and durability required by the market. With fast telecommunication, accurate sensing and powerful processing capabilities, Samsung’s Auto-branded solutions will enable new driving experiences to next-generation smart vehicles.”

    Processors from Exynos Auto range come in three sub-categories: Exynos Auto V series for advanced in-vehicle infotainment (IVI) systems, Exynos Auto A series for ADAS, and Exynos Auto T series for telematics solutions. On the other hand, Samsung’s ISOCELL image sensors are built on the company’s innovative pixel isolation technology, which provides greater visibility of the road and surroundings even in low-light environments, while enabling more precise identification of objects. The sensors also allow vehicles to perceive road conditions or potential hazards even when driving through tunnels or other high-contrast environments.

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  • BMW India To Launch 12 New Models In 2019

    BMW India To Launch 12 New Models In 2019

    BMW plans the largest ever product offensive from any manufacturer in India in the coming year. 2019 will see the introduction of a slew of new products that BMW expects will really fire up the market and help strengthen its position in the premium car space. The plan is to bring twelve model launches to India next calendar year from the BMW brand, and two additional new models also from MINI. The motorcycle side of the business will also see two all-new models being added in.

    This will be further supplemented by new variants or updates on existing products, Speaking at the inauguration of BMW India’s brand new headquarters in Gurgaon, Hildegard Wortmann, Senior Vice President – Region Asia Pacific, BMW Group said the new car strategy is planned across the region, with India playing a strong part in it. “On a worldwide scale, it (will be) the biggest product segments that we have done at BMW. So we are really going full blast here into the product segments and I can full-heartedly say, the future is really bright. Fantastic cars coming, strong design aspects, strong performance, and you can feel the joy of BMW in every instance now!”, she added.

    Spearheading that charge will be the most awaited new generation of the BMW 3 Series sedan. The 7th generation G20 just made its public debut at the recently concluded Paris Motor Show and it will get to India next year. There are big expectations from the new sedan, which includes its performance on the road, as well as on the sales charts. Speaking about the 3 series and also another significant upcoming model, Ms Wortmann says, “Clearly if you look at it, the core of BMW business around the 3 series is a very very important part of our business. And having the new 3 series coming is obviously a milestone again. I think I am not exaggerating if I see the 3 series as an icon in the automotive industry, not just in India, but everywhere in the world. So having that model coming next year is very exciting. Personally I think the big news will be the X7, where again we created something very special, very new, and I think that one will have very big impact.” So the other big plan then is a huge offensive of the X range of cars. Currently the X portfolio comprises four models, but in 2019 that will go to seven with the addition of the X7 flagship SUV, as well as the X2 and X4 crossovers. BMW sees much potential for the large and very luxurious X7 in the Asia Pacific region as a whole, but particularly so in India.

    BMW India had its most successful year in India in 2017, with total car sales at 9800 units, which was a 25 per cent growth over the previous year. And it expects 2018 to end even bigger, with the first nine months already showing an 11 per cent year-on-year growth at 7915 units. But next year will clearly be another one for the record books, and also one where it might be able to eye the number one slot again – held by Mercedes-Benz for 3 years straight. “I think we’ve shown over the 11 years that we have to find the right strategy, the right way of approaching the market, and really making sure we grasp what customers desire here, I think last year was a really good jump and I am highly satisfied to seeing the development here. And 2018 as a strong year now, with the major launches – you’ve seen the 6 GT coming and again a new segment that we created. And obviously the future is very bright as I look forward to the next year. 12 launches! So it will definitely keep the team here, spending long evenings in these offices!” says Ms Wortmann.

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  • 2018 Porsche Cayenne India Revealed

    2018 Porsche Cayenne India Revealed

    We’d told you a long time back that the 2018 Porsche Cayenne is all set to land on Indian soil this year. Though the launch has been delayed to the festive season, the company was planning to launch the car in the middle of the year. However, the third generation of the SUV is all set to grace our shores today. Bookings for the new Porsche Cayenne Turbo had already started in September and the first batch of cars will be delivered this year. The all-new model boasts of a new and more agile platform, more powerful engines and for the first time, the option of a hybrid powertrain as well.

    The 2018 Porsche Cayenne SUV gets a host of upgrades over its predecessor including a revised chassis, and a separated link design for the front axle and a multi-link rear axle. The latter though is offered as optional, but further improves the agility on the car. Visually too, the Cayenne has evolved and gets a sharper looking appearance while keeping the appearance similar. The SUV now comes with the Porsche Dynamic Light System (PLDS) or LED Matrix Beam headlights, which also include PDLS.

    In terms of power, the new generation Porsche Cayenne will be offered in a range of engine options including V6 and V8. The standard version will use a 3.0-litre single-turbo V6 with 335 bhp and 450 Nm of peak torque, while the Cayenne S will draw power from the 2.9-litre twin-turbo V6 that produces 433 bhp and 550 Nm of peak torque. The 2018 Cayenne Turbo packs in 542 bhp and 770 Nm of peak torque from a 4.0-litre bi-turbo V8 engine, and is capable of hitting a top speed of 286 kmph.

  • TomTom loses Volvo contract

    TomTom loses Volvo contract

    Dutch navigation firm TomTom said on Tuesday it had lost a contract with automaker Volvo. The company said the contract to provide location and navigation services to Volvo, which was announced in 2016, had been ended before it was due to go into force in 2019. That fed into concerns of critics who said a deal Google made last month with Renault, another TomTom customer, meant the company risked being relegated to third place in its main market, with lower margins.

    Volvo could not immediately be reached for comment on the contract. ING analysts said in a trading note that they believe the Swedish automaker had switched to Google, rather than the current leading player in the navigation market, HERE.

    “Now that Google is making inroads, the mapping business has become a three-player market with TomTom, HERE and Google, which is clearly less attractive for TomTom than the two-player market it was before,” they said.

    TomTom shares lost a quarter of their value in one day on Sept. 18 after Google announced a far-reaching supply deal with a group of automakers including Renault, Nissan and Mitsubishi.

    Though the Volvo news knocked shares lower, TomTom reported better than expected third-quarter results on Tuesday, with core earnings rising to €62.4 million euro ($72.2 million) from $41.1 million a year earlier.

    Group sales were slightly higher at $254 million euros, from $253 million in the third quarter of 2017.

    While sales of the company’s traditional satellite navigation devices continued to fall, that was offset by sales to automakers and map licensing to customers Apple and Uber. The company also raised its full-year revenue outlook to $984 million from $955 million.

    TomTom this month announced plans to sell its fleet management business, saying it would instead focus its energy on making digital maps used in highly automated driving — the business on which it has pinned its future.

    It said it has seen “strong interest” for the fleet subsidiary, valued at roughly $810 million.

    Harold Goddijn, CEO and co-founder, said recent new deals with PSA Group and BMW showed the viability of the company’s products.

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  • Porsche to price Taycan electric sports car between Cayenne, Panamera

    Porsche to price Taycan electric sports car between Cayenne, Panamera

    Porsche will position the Taycan below the brand’s Panamera sedan when the electric four-door sports car reaches markets next year, with a likely starting price above 80,000 euros (about $92,500).

    “We’re expecting a price somewhere between a Cayenne and a Panamera,” said Robert Meier, the complete vehicle model line director for the Taycan.

    Including taxes, that would place the vehicle between 74,828 euros and 90,655 euros for its base version of the car in Germany.

    However, Porsche Chief Financial Officer Lutz Meschke told reporters that he wants to offer higher-performance versions that could be priced as much as 200,000 euros, such as a Taycan Turbo S.

    The Taycan’s two permanently excited synchronous electric motors, supplied by Italy’s Magneti Marelli, will produce more than 600 hp and accelerate the vehicle from 0 to 100 kph (62 mph) in less than 3.5 seconds. The Taycan aims to be the fastest series production electric car around Germany’s Nordschleife racetrack, with a lap time of less than 8 minutes.

    “Asynchronous e-motors are clearly more affordable, but they have one very important disadvantage: You can only overload the motor once when you want high dynamic acceleration before it quickly reaches its limits the second or third time,” Meier said. “That’s fine for most electric cars but not for a high-performance Porsche.”

    The 800-volt lithium-ion battery, built by Draexlmaier Group outside Stuttgart, is composed of “pouch” cells sourced from LG Chem of Korea in a specific power-to-energy ratio that balances the needs of range with those of performance.

    Together, the roughly 400 battery cells have a gravimetric energy density equivalent to 270 watt-hours per kilogram, roughly comparable to the latest technology on the market today.

    The Taycan will be able to drive more than 500 km (310 miles) miles on a single charge under the New European Driving Cycle. Once drained, the battery needs only about 4 minutes to add a further 100 km in range when using a 350-kW fast-charging station. By comparison, Porsche estimates a Tesla requires two and a half times that duration. Porsche expects it will build 20,000 units of the Taycan a year on two shifts, but production boss Albrecht Reimold said a third shift could be added if more capacity is needed.

  • KYMCO, Twenty Two Motors Join Hands To Make Electric Scooters

    KYMCO, Twenty Two Motors Join Hands To Make Electric Scooters

    Electric scooter manufacturer Twenty Two Motors has joined hands with KYMCO, a Taiwanese scooter manufacturer and leading two-wheeler and powersports global brand, to form a new venture to manufacture, market and sell electric two-wheelers in India. Although no details about the partnership have been announced, a joint statement by the two companies state that both brands will share knowledge, technology and expertise to create “premium electric mobility architectures” in the country. The statement adds that Twenty Two Motors and KYMCO are “all set to revolutionise the two-wheeler sector in India by establishing a favourable ecosystem for EVs”

    “Twenty-Two Motors was founded with the sole aim to change the commutation landscape in India by providing powerful smart vehicles to generation next. Electric mobility is the future of the world – a near future, not distant. We envisioned facilitating Indian customers with smart EV vehicles and a proper infrastructure with charging stations and efficient battery and our partnership with KYMCO is the next step in this direction. This unique partnership will prove to be a revolution for fundamentals of Indian auto sector which no one expected so far as we shall be creating a complete new ecosystem for premium EV mobility in India,” said Parveen Kharb, CEO and Co-Founder, Twenty Two Motors.

    Under the new partnership, called Twenty Two KYMCO, the two companies will strive to make electric mobility a practical reality for everyone. KYMCO will introduce its unique battery swapping solutions, called Ionex and Ionex Commercial in India. The Ionex smart battery weighs only 5 kg and is designed to be user friendly in every application. The ecosystem offers various charging solutions including standard charging, fast charging, battery swaps, or any combination. The Ionex Commercial further provides a range of customisable electric scooters along with engineering services to convert existing fleets of two-wheelers to work with the Ionex Commercial platform.

    “KYMCO is on a social mission to change the modern transportation and India is one of most important markets from that point of view. We found a natural partner in Twenty Two Motors as we have synergies in terms of vision, technological innovation and outlook. Together we aim to change the landscape of urban mobility in India. ”

    “While Ionex enables consumers to go electric without compromise, businesses and governments need to have reliable solutions for charging stations, removable batteries and related IT support systems before they opt for EVs. And therefore, Ionex Commercial is here to provide a total package to empower and enable all businesses and governments to adopt premium electric mobility”, said Allen Ko, Chairman, KYMCO.

    The Flow, the first smart electric scooter developed by Twenty Two Motors, will be equipped with the advanced Ionex technology developed by KYMCO. The new removable Ionex battery will be lighter in weight, easy to swap, waterproof and can be fully charged in less than an hour. The Flow was launched at the Auto Expo 2018 at a price of ₹ 74,740 (ex-showroom Delhi). In addition to the Ionex battery, the updated Flow will also have a fixed reserve battery on board which is kept constantly charged by the removable battery. Riders can use the scooter for 20 km when the Ionex battery is removed for charging. The updated Flow and other models from Twenty Two Motors KYMCO will be available at Twenty Two KYMCO Experience stores in New Delhi, followed by Gurgaon, Jaipur, Hyderabad, Pune and Bengaluru.

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  • Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 and Continental GT 650 India Launching

    Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 and Continental GT 650 India Launching

    Carandbike has learnt that Royal Enfield will be launching the Continental GT 650 and the Interceptor 650 in India sometime on the 13th , 14th or the 15th of November, 2018. Most probably, the company will club the launch of the 650 Twins with its annual event, the ‘Royal Enfield Rider Mania’. The Royal Enfield 650 twins have been in coming for the longest time now and we have already ridden them in California and were quite impressed by what the bikes offer as an overall package. The bikes were first officially showcased at last year’s EICMA show and Royal Enfield has taken its time to launch the motorcycles in India. The company wants the two motorcycles to be flawless in each and every manner and hence, the delay in the launch.

    The Royal Enfield 650 Twins could be best described as modern classic motorcycles. They are the most powerful motorcycles from Royal Enfield till date. Both the Interceptor 650 and the Continental GT 650 share the same engine, chassis, 18-inch wheels and brakes, but motorcycle wears a completely different character and personality. There is no liquid-cooling, ride-by-wire or electronics apart from the dual-channel ABS which is standard. This is probably because it will help Royal Enfield to price the Interceptor 650 and the Continental GT 650 competitively.

    Both motorcycles will be available in three variants, which are standard, custom and chrome. We expect all variants of the motorcycles to be launched in India and we are kind of looking forward to ride the ‘Chrome’ variant especially. We expect the prices of the 650 Twins to start at ₹ 3 lakh mark. Royal Enfield said that the prices will be disruptive. The intent of the interceptor 650 is to be a natural upgrade to the 350s and the 500s and therefore, it will be a motorcycle meant for high volumes and if we read it right, Royal Enfield believes the same and we could see the Interceptor being priced even below ₹ 3 lakh. At that price point, it will be going up against the single-cylinder performance naked motorcycles such as the KTM 390 Duke and the BMW G 310 R. We will update you as soon as we have confirmation on the final date.

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  • Kodiaq GT SUV to be Skoda’s flagship in China

    Kodiaq GT SUV to be Skoda’s flagship in China

    Skoda has said its new, coupe-styled Kodiaq GT SUV will become its flagship model in China. The midsize SUV, shown in pictures for the first time, will increase Skoda’s SUV range in China to four when it goes on sale later this year. The new model reshapes the design of the Kodiaq seven-seat SUV to give it more of a coupe profile to the rear and make it look more sporty and dynamic, the brand said.

    The new model reshapes the design of the Kodiaq seven-seat SUV to give it more of a coupe profile to the rear of the car. Skoda said the Kodiaq GT will be its flagship model.

    “It will be a key driver of the brand’s image,” Skoda said in a statement.

    China is Skoda’s biggest market, accounting for about a quarter of the brand’s global sales, the Czech automaker says. This year Skoda launched the China-only Kamiq small SUV to sit below the Karoq. The Kamiq sits on the low-cost PQ platform and is priced to rival Chinese offerings outside the country’s biggest cities.

    Skoda has said it wants to double its Chinese sales to 600,000 a year by 2020, largely through its SUV launches. A fifth SUV is to be added in 2019, CEO Bernhard Maier said in March without providing details.

    Skoda’s vehicle sales in China rose 2.5 percent last year to 325,009, according to company data. That puts that country ahead of the automaker’s No. 2 market of Germany at 173,300 and the Czech Republic in third at 95,000.

    Skoda has said the Kodiaq GT would not be sold in Europe. “I would love to do so,” Maier said in March, “but we do not have any production capacity.”

    Technology available in the Kodiaq GT includes the VW Group’s Virtual Cockpit with its customizable digital dials, as well as wifi connection, adaptive cruise control, and blind spot detection.

    The car will be sold with a 2.0-liter turbo gasoline engine with either 186 hp or 220 hp. The higher power model comes with all-wheel drive and a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission as standard.

    The Kodiaq GT will be revealed at the Guangzhou auto show next month.

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  • Audi To Pay 800 Million Euros Fine Over Dieselgate Scandal

    Audi To Pay 800 Million Euros Fine Over Dieselgate Scandal

    Volkswagen said on Tuesday that its subsidiary Audi would not contest an 800-million-euro (USD 927 million) fine issued by German prosecutors over “deviations from regulatory requirements” in diesel engines.
    “Audi AG has accepted the fine” investigators levied for “deviations from regulatory requirements in certain V6 and V8 diesel aggregates and diesel vehicles”, the group said in a statement, adding that “the fine will directly affectVolkswagen AG’s financial earnings” for 2018
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