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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.

  • Ford Finds Buyer For Brazil Plant, But New Owner Could Cut 1,300 Jobs

    Ford Finds Buyer For Brazil Plant, But New Owner Could Cut 1,300 Jobs

    Brazilian automaker CAOA reached an initial agreement to buy Ford Motor Co’s plant in Sao Bernardo do Campo, the companies said on Tuesday, but CAOA could slash 1,300 jobs, according to the union representing the plant’s workers.

    Ford announced in February that it would shut down the plant, its oldest in Brazil, which employs some 3,000 workers, as part of a global restructuring and a push to exit the heavy truck business.

    CAOA and Ford have been negotiating the purchase since late February, Reuters reported at the time, when Sao Paulo state Governor Joao Doria rushed to find a buyer for the plant in a push to keep jobs in the city.

    Wagner Santana, president of the union that represents Ford’s workers, told reporters that in conversations with CAOA, the Brazilian automaker said it would initially retain only some 800 workers and that 1,300 would be let go, with the remainder being kept by Ford.

    Doria has defended Sao Paulo as a manufacturing hub at a time when the auto industry turned to other Brazilian states that were offering aggressive tax incentives. He has introduced a tax incentive of his own.

    At the news conference, Doria said a decision on how many jobs will be kept can only be made once Ford and CAOA close the sale, which is set to go through a 45-day due diligence process.

    “Preserve all jobs, that’s the fundamental condition for a contribution from the state,” Doria said, in reference to potential tax benefits.

    Santana said CAOA plans to pay those it hires up to 80% of their current Ford salaries, noting that is still much more than salaries paid in other states.

    A CAOA spokesperson declined to comment.

    “The objective is to make the factory profitable and productive, so it generates employment and riches,” said Carlos Alberto Oliveira Andrade, CAOA’s president and founder, whose initials make up the company name.

    Brazil’s large domestic market and protectionist economy has long attracted the world’s biggest automakers to set up shop here, and CAOA is the rare carmaker that is actually domestically owned. It has struck deals to make cars for Korea’s Hyundai and co-owns China’s Chery operation in Brazil, whose cars are branded as CAOA Chery.

    Ford opened the plant in 1967, and it is the company’s oldest in the country. It was primarily used to make heavy trucks, as well as the compact Ford Fiesta, a sales laggard. Ford is undergoing a global restructuring and has said it would focus on a much newer plant in the Northeastern state of Bahia.

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  • Lamborghini Sian Revealed Ahead Of The 2019 Frankfurt Motor Show

    Lamborghini Sian Revealed Ahead Of The 2019 Frankfurt Motor Show

    Lamborghini has already revealed the details of what will be there at the upcoming 2019 Frankfurt Motor Show. It’s the all-new Lamborghini Sian which will be the first hybrid supercar that the brand has ever done. The SVJ sourced 6.5-litre, Naturally Aspirated, V12 engine is coupled with a 48-volt mild-hybrid system which adds 33 bhp more taking the total maximum output to a staggering 808 bhp at 8500 rpm, enough to clock triple digit speeds in under 2.8 seconds. It is the most powerful production Lamborghini ever built and can reach a top speed of 350 kmph.

    The Sian is anything but a fancy supercar. It’s been commissioned to perform and not just to impress with all that it packs in. The most interesting of all is the first ever supercapacitor system debuted in the Aventador and Sian has built on it immensely. It’s three times more powerful than a similarly sized battery which also weighs just 34 kg offering an impressive weight-to-power ratio of 1.0 kg / bhp. The braking system also works to completely charge the supercapacitor every time it brakes. The stored energy provides an instant boost up to 130 kmph making it 10 percent faster. The electric motor disconnects past 130 kmph and the powertrain completely takes over. Compared to the Aventador SVJ which currently sits on Lamborghini’s throne, the Sian is 0.2 seconds faster between 30 to 60 kmph and in higher gears, the traction force is increase by up to 20 percent making it 1.2 seconds faster between 70 to 120 kmph.

    Lamborghinis have always been head turners as far as looks are concerned and going by these sketches, the Sian takes inspiration from the Countach and has the bold and sharp design elements intact as well which is typical of a Lamborghini. The air inlets sport the iconic Lamborghini Y shaped curtains and the hood is sculpted with diagonal lines. The lower section of the front integrates a carbon fibre splitter flanked by Y shaped headlights which come together to give a very aggressive stance.

    Lamborghini is planning to make just 63 units of the Sian in honour of the foundation year of Lamborghini and it will be showcased at the upcoming Frankfurt Motor Show.

  • Maruti Suzuki Expands Its Arena Retail Channel To 450 Showrooms Across India

    Maruti Suzuki Expands Its Arena Retail Channel To 450 Showrooms Across India

    Maruti Suzuki started transforming its dealerships to a more modern and digitally integrated Arena Experience Centres back in 2017. Within two years the company has expanded to a total of 450 Arena showrooms across 323 cities in India. Maruti decided to go premium with separate Nexa dealerships for models like the Baleno, S-Cross, Ignis and the Ciaz, which helped it position the brand as an upmarket carmaker, but there was a concern that required to be addressed. Following the digitalization trend and upgrading its showrooms to suit the liking of new-age customers, the rationale behind Arena was also to make sure that its existing and small car customers don’t feel left out.

    Speaking on the new milestone, Shashank Srivastava, Executive Director (Marketing & Sales), Maruti Suzuki India said, “We launched Maruti Suzuki Arena with a strategy to transform our network and meet the expectations of offering an evolved car buying experience to the young, dynamic and contemporary Indian customers. The two-year milestone is a marquee statement to showcase our commitment towards customer satisfaction. We are delighted to celebrate over 450 Arena showrooms and we look forward to offering experiences with revolutionary design and innovative technology that are at par with global benchmarks.”

    Arena showrooms are equipped with touchscreens to give every detail to the customers before they approach towards the car to get hands on experience. Specifications, features, color options, EMI options, Accessories, etc information are available on the touchscreen panel and customers even get the option of online and offline purchase. Maruti Suzuki is also integrating iCreate configurator in Arena dealerships to offer a 360-degree view of the car. Maruti Suzuki claims that users are also active on the Arena website and it has around 4.74 million visitors every month.

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  • Suzuki Two-Wheeler Sales Grow Amidst Auto Industry Slowdown In India

    Suzuki Two-Wheeler Sales Grow Amidst Auto Industry Slowdown In India

    Suzuki Motorcycle India Private Limited (SMIPL) registered monthly sales of 71,631 units in August 2019, with a year-on-year growth of 2.2 percent. The positive growth, even though marginal, is despite the current sales slowdown in India’s automobile industry. For the period of April to August 2019, Suzuki reported cumulative sales of 3,46,018 units, as against 2,98,989 units in the same, period a year ago, registering a growth of 15.72 percent in the mentioned period. Suzuki’s overall sales volumes in the Indian two-wheeler market are modest, but the brand has been able to rake in consistent growth, despite the overall negative sentiment in the market.

    “SMIPL continues the growth momentum, despite the significant short-term impact of floods in the strong Suzuki markets such as Kerala and Maharashtra, and the ongoing industry decline for the 10th month in succession. Weak consumer sentiments have been one of the key reasons for the downward trend in the auto industry. Even under these challenging times, SMIPL has been able to prove its mettle,” said Devashish Handa, Vice President, Suzuki Motorcycle India Private Limited.

    According to Suzuki, the key reason for the growth of the brand is due to a well-rounded product portfolio and continuous effort to reach out to prospective customers. Suzuki’s most popular two-wheeler is the Suzuki Access 125, which is also the leader in the 125 cc scooter segment. In August 2019, Suzuki introduced a new variant of the Access 125 with drum brakes and alloy wheels. Suzuki also launched a MotoGP edition of the Suzuki Gixxer SF 250 in August 2019.

    The Indian auto industry is in the midst of a crisis after a prolonged slowdown in sales for several months in a row now. Sales growth of Suzuki two-wheelers were flat in August 2019 and monthly volumes sales volumes are far less than the market leaders in the two-wheeler segment. Despite the adverse market sentiment, Suzuki has managed to post positive growth, and that’s a silver lining in the middle of a gloomy market sentiment.

  • Harley-Davidson Working On New Pushrod Engine

    Harley-Davidson Working On New Pushrod Engine

    Harley-Davidson’s latest powertrain, after the eight-valve Milwaukee-Eight engine, will be yet another pushrod engine. The American motorcycle brand’s future line-up of motorcycles, including the Harley-Davidson Pan America, and new Streetfighter, may be powered by double-overhead-cam (DOHC), liquid-cooled engines, but Harley-Davidson may not have decided to do away with pushrod technology, at least for now. A new patent reveals Harley-Davidson’s plans for a new v-twin engine with an overhead valve system that claims higher engine speeds than the current Milwaukee-Eight.

    The primary difference is that the pushrods have been positioned on either side of the cylinders instead of together on one side on Harley’s existing engines. Current Harley engines use the pushrods to move a pair of rocket arm shafts, one to open the two intake valves and the other opening the two exhaust valves. The engine in the patent images also has four valves per cylinder, but instead of rocker arm shafts, the pushrods each open a single rocker arm. The single rocker arms will press down on a valve bridge when actuated by the pushrod. For the valve bridges to operate properly, they must remain in alignment. To keep the valve bridges from rotating out of line, Harley plans to stabilize the mechanism with a fastener, allowing the valves to move in unison at higher engine speeds.

    According to the patent, bridge-type valve trains allow engine speeds of maximum 4,000 rpm, but Harley-Davidson claims the new design allows for a maximum engine speed of between 6,800 to 7,000 rpm. Harley-Davidson’s Milwaukee-Eight engine redlines at around 5,500 rpm. While the American brand is getting ready to introduce the liquid-cooled DOHC platform, some future models will possibly have the high-revving pushrod engine, and will likely appease a lot of Harley-Davidson purists, offering better performance, but yet sticking to signature pushrod architecture.

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  • Trump Prods General Motors Over Its Auto Plants In China

    Trump Prods General Motors Over Its Auto Plants In China

    U.S. President Donald Trump, who is engaged in a trade war with Beijing, said on Friday that the largest U.S. automaker, General Motors Co, should begin moving its operations back to the United States.

    “General Motors, which was once the Giant of Detroit, is now one of the smallest auto manufacturers there. They moved major plants to China, BEFORE I CAME INTO OFFICE. This was done despite the saving help given them by the USA. Now they should start moving back to America again?” Trump said in a post on Twitter.

    Trump appeared to be referring to a Bloomberg News story that reported GM’s hourly workforce of 46,000 U.S. workers has fallen behind that of Fiat Chrysler as the smallest of the Detroit Three automakers. Over the past four decades, GM has dramatically cut the size of its overall U.S. workforce, which numbered nearly 620,000 in 1979.

    GM did not directly comment on Trump’s tweet.

    “GM’s China operations are not a threat to U.S. jobs,” the company said in a fact sheet, noting that its joint ventures have sent $16 billion in equity income to GM since 2010 and that it has invested $23 billion in U.S. operations since 2009.

    GM’s U.S. hourly workforce has fallen by about 4,000 jobs since the end of 2018 to about where it was a decade ago.

    Trump’s ire with GM comes as contract talks with the United Auto Workers union with the Detroit Three automakers intensify ahead of a Sept. 14 deadline. Trump has previously attacked GM for building vehicles in Mexico and for ending production at plants in Michigan, Ohio and Maryland and threatened to cut GM subsidies in retaliation.

    GM’s decision to close four plants in the United States is a central issue in the contract talks.

    Trump has made boosting auto jobs a key priority and has often attacked automakers on Twitter for not doing enough to boost U.S. employment. His 2020 re-election bid will hinge on holding key industrial battleground states like Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Michigan that narrowly voted for him in 2016.

    China is the world’s largest auto market, and government policy favors automakers assembling vehicles there, and not importing them from overseas.

    In response to Trump’s latest tariffs, China said last week it will reinstitute 25% tariffs on U.S.-made vehicles. The U.S. is imposing 15% tariffs on more than $125 billion in Chinese goods starting Sunday.

    GM sold 3.6 million vehicles in China last year accounting for 43% of its worldwide sales. GM booked $2 billion in equity income from its China operations last year.

    GM imports a small number of vehicles from China. In June, the Trump administration rejected a request from GM to exempt its Chinese-made Buick Envision from a 25% U.S. tariff on sport utility vehicle models.

    The midsize SUV has become a target for U.S. critics of Chinese-made goods, including leaders of the UAW members in key political swing states such as Michigan and Ohio.

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  • General Motors Cuts Some 350 Jobs In Thailand Operations

    General Motors Cuts Some 350 Jobs In Thailand Operations

    General Motors has cut about 350 jobs from its Thai subsidiary’s operations, a labor representative said on Friday, slashing more than 15% of the workforce for the U.S. automaker that has two factories in Thailand.

    Thailand is a major manufacturing hub in the competitive Southeast Asian auto market.

    Boonyeun Sookmai, coordinator for Labor Relations Group for Eastern Thailand, told Reuters more than 350 employees and contractors at General Motors (Thailand) were affected by the cuts, which employees and contractors were told about this week.

    GM did not confirm the number of layoffs but said in a statement it was “necessary to right-size” its operations.

    “We are taking every measure to support employees whose roles are impacted,” the statement said.

    It added: “There is no change to our ongoing business in Thailand – we continue to build and sell world-class trucks, SUVs and engines for Thailand and the world.”

    The company has about 1,900 employees in Thailand, according to the Bangkok Post, in operations that include a vehicle assembly plant that produces 180,000 units per year.

    Thailand is a regional vehicle production and export base for the world’s top vehicle manufacturers, including Toyota, Honda and Harley-Davidson.

    The auto industry accounts for about 10% of the Thai economy and has been one of a few growth drivers at a time of falling exports.

    Previously booming domestic auto sales have cooled in Thailand with finance firms using stricter lending criteria. Thai domestic car sales contracted in July for a second straight month, down 1.1% from a year earlier.

    GM has two plants in Rayong, a province on Thailand’s eastern seaboard, for vehicle assembly and another for powertrain and engines. Its vehicle assembly plant began operations in 2000 and the latter in 2011.

    The plants in Thailand produces vehicles for the domestic market and export under the Chevrolet and Holden nameplates.

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  • Ather Energy Launches New Compact Home Charger Ather Dot

    Ather Energy Launches New Compact Home Charger Ather Dot

    Electric scooter start-up Ather Energy has announced the launch of a new home charging point – Ather Dot, for its Ather 450 customers in Chennai & Bengaluru. The new charger has been designed specifically for the Ather 450 electric scooter and company says that it took a lot of feedback from its existing customers to make this charging point smaller, lighter and easy to install. The new Ather Dot comes with surge protection and authenticated power transfer so that it’s safe and works only with an Ather scooter. The new Ather Dot also comes with several safety measures like auto cut-off function and it also gets app integration, which means owners can also monitor the charging levels through their mobile app.

    In its official launch announcement, Ather Energy said, “Ather has been working with its customers in the past year to make improvements and changes to its intelligent scooter, the Ather 450. One of those was to take the charger off-board. Taking it off helps in improving weight distribution and also improves vehicle dynamics. All this without a drastic change in the charging performance.”

    The new Ather Dot comes with surge protection and authenticated power transfer so that it’s safe and works only with an Ather scooter

    The new Ather Dot unit weighs just 3.5 kg and comes with a 2-metre long output cable and 1.2-meter long input cable. The charging unit delivers a 60 V, 12 A DC supply, which is capable of offering 0 to 80 percent charge in just 4 hours and 30 minutes, while 0 to 100 percent takes 5 hours and 15 minutes. Ather says that the charging patterns data show that most Bengaluru owners charge either overnight or during the day at their workplace. So, the slight spike in the charging time will not affect the charging behavior and usage of the owners. Furthermore, the charging time at the Ather Grid, the company’s fast chargers placed across the city, remains the same.

    Customers can get their new Ather Dot installed by the company for ₹ 1800, which includes standard installation, consumables, labour charges and even GST. However, Ather says that the installation of Ather Dot is a simple process, and for customers who might want to get the unit installed by their local electricians, the company will provide an installation manual as well.

    The new Ather Dot charging point will be shipped to them post completing the payment for the Ather 450 and prior its delivery. While the unit will be delivered to all Chennai customers along with scooter, in Bengaluru, all the customers taking delivery after October 2019 will get the Ather 450 with the new charging point.

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  • Maruti Suzuki Expands Its Arena Retail Channel To 450 Showrooms Across India

    Maruti Suzuki Expands Its Arena Retail Channel To 450 Showrooms Across India

    Maruti Suzuki started transforming its dealerships to a more modern and digitally integrated Arena Experience Centres back in 2017. Within two years the company has expanded to a total of 450 Arena showrooms across 323 cities in India. Maruti decided to go premium with separate Nexa dealerships for models like the Baleno, S-Cross, Ignis and the Ciaz, which helped it position the brand as an upmarket carmaker, but there was a concern that required to be addressed. Following the digitalization trend and upgrading its showrooms to suit the liking of new-age customers, the rationale behind Arena was also to make sure that its existing and small car customers don’t feel left out.

    Speaking on the new milestone, Shashank Srivastava, Executive Director (Marketing & Sales), Maruti Suzuki India said, “We launched Maruti Suzuki Arena with a strategy to transform our network and meet the expectations of offering an evolved car buying experience to the young, dynamic and contemporary Indian customers. The two-year milestone is a marquee statement to showcase our commitment towards customer satisfaction. We are delighted to celebrate over 450 Arena showrooms and we look forward to offering experiences with revolutionary design and innovative technology that are at par with global benchmarks.”

    Arena showrooms are equipped with touchscreens to give every detail to the customers before they approach towards the car to get hands on experience. Specifications, features, color options, EMI options, Accessories, etc information are available on the touchscreen panel and customers even get the option of online and offline purchase. Maruti Suzuki is also integrating iCreate configurator in Arena dealerships to offer a 360-degree view of the car. Maruti Suzuki claims that users are also active on the Arena website and it has around 4.74 million visitors every month.

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  • More Jobs In Auto Lost, Toyota And Hyundai Cut Production

    More Jobs In Auto Lost, Toyota And Hyundai Cut Production

    With India’s auto sales declining for the ninth straight month in July, more automotive manufacturers are laying off workers and temporarily halting production to keep costs in check, according to sources and documents seen by Reuters.

    Japanese carmaker Toyota Motor and South Korea’s Hyundai Motor are the latest in a string of companies to briefly halt some parts of production at plants to combat slumping sales, according to company memos to employees, reviewed by Reuters.Passenger vehicle sales in July fell at the fastest pace in nearly two decades.

    The sales declines have triggered major job cuts in India’s auto sector, with many companies forced to shut down factories for days and axe shifts.

    Sources have told Reuters that even more companies have now begun to lay off temporary workers as the slowdown worsens.

    Denso Corp’s India unit, which makes powertrain and air-conditioning systems for cars, has cut some temporary workers at its Manesar plant in north India, four sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.

    A spokeswoman for Denso said the information was incorrect and declined to elaborate further.

    In a separate email, another company official disputed that the firm employed temporary workers at its Manesar plant.

    Bellsonica, which is part-owned by India’s biggest carmaker Maruti Suzuki and makes auto framework parts, has also let more than 350 workers go in Manesar, two sources said.In an email, Bellsonica said the workers that had been let go were temporary workers, and most had been let go earlier in the year.Reuters earlier this month reported automakers, component manufacturers and dealers had already cut 350,000 jobs

    In a meeting with India’s finance ministry on Aug 7, industry executives asked for tax cuts, and easier access to finance for dealers and buyers, in an effort to revive sales.Toyota, in a notice dated Aug 13, told its workers the company would halt production at its plants in Bengaluru in southern India on Aug 16 and 17 “due to low market demand of vehicles” and high stock of about 7,000 vehicles. N Raja, deputy managing director, at Toyota’s India unit, told Reuters that while the company had a flexible production system it had to resort to five no-production days in August to prevent the build up of stock.”The industry is deeply concerned with the reality of poor customer sentiment faced by the sector,” said Raja, adding he hoped the government would step in to support the industry

    Hyundai, in a memo on Aug 9, also said it would halt production for several days in August across various departments including the body shop and paint shop as well as its engine and transmission plants. A Hyundai Motor India spokesman said the company expected sales to pick up in the festive season starting next month and added that the company had not laid off any workers.

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  • Tesla Raises Prices For Some Vehicles In China

    Tesla Raises Prices For Some Vehicles In China

    U.S. electric vehicles maker Tesla Inc said on Friday it had raised prices for some vehicles in China, a decision that comes as the Chinese yuan trades at its weakest levels in more than 10 years.

    The starting price for the Model X sport utility vehicle (SUV) was now 809,900 yuan ($114,186) compared with 790,900 yuan previously, Tesla said on its China website. Its long-range dual-motor variants of mass-market Model 3 vehicles were now priced at 439,900 yuan, up from 429,900 yuan previously.

    People familiar with the matter told Reuters earlier this week that Tesla would hike prices on Friday and could do so again in December should Chinese tariffs on U.S.-made cars take effect.

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  • Volvo XC90 To Come In A 3-Seater Excellence Trim In India

    Volvo XC90 To Come In A 3-Seater Excellence Trim In India

    Volvo Auto India is all set to launch the XC90 Excellence variant in India on September 3, 2019. The Excellence option is only on offer in select markets and India gets to be one of them. The regular XC90 Inscription trim cabin is already pretty upscale, but the Excellence adds to that. So there’s a lot more on offer and yes, you’re quite literally in the lap of luxury. To begin with the XC90 Excellence comes with individual seats at the rear and this makes it a 3-seater which means there’s a lot of space for anyone sitting at the rear. The seats can be reclined and adjusted electrically. There’s a lot provided at the rear to pamper the passengers and this includes features like a massage function – which along with the rest of the seat functions (including ventilated cooling and seat heating) can be operated using a pop-up touchscreen that sits between the two seats.

    Volvo also provides tray tables that can be folded out of the central armrest. The armrest also has a storage bin housed below it which contains charging and USB points. Between the seats is the in-car refrigerator where you can store and cool any beverage of your choice. The Excellence comes with its own exclusive set of crystal glasses and special champagne flute holders, that can be housed inside the fridge to keep them cool. Now, that’s taking exclusivity to a whole new level. There is a holder between the seats to stick the specially designed flutes too.

    Now with all these features at your disposal, you certainly want a bit of peace and quiet so what Volvo has done is put a glass partition between the cabin and the cargo area to make sure that the cabin is quiet and of course cooler. The cabin will be finished in two colors – black or beige. All these luxurious features will certainly cost you. Currently, the XC90 lineup starts at around ₹ 80 lakh and goes up to ₹ 1.31 crore, we expect the XC90 Excellence to be priced at ₹ 1.3 crore.

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  • Revolt RV 400 Electric Motorcycle Launched

    Revolt RV 400 Electric Motorcycle Launched

    Revolt Intellicorp has launched the company’s first electric motorcycle, touted as India’s first artificial intelligence-enabled motorcycle, the Revolt RV 400. The Revolt RV 400 e-motorcycle is positioned to compete with conventional 125 cc motorcycles and is the brand’s flagship offering. In addition to the RV 400, the bike maker also introduced the new entry-level RV 300 that remains the most affordable offering from the company. Both bikes are being offered with a payment plan with the RV 300’s prices start at ₹ 2999 per month (for 37 months), while the payment plan for the RV 400 starts at ₹ 3499 for the standard variant, going up to ₹ 3999 (for 37 months) for the premium variant.

    The Revolt RV400 is equipped with an embedded 4G LTE SIM which enables the internet and cloud-connected features of the motorcycle. A dedicated Revolt mobile app offers real-time motorcycle diagnostics, satellite navigation, bike locator, geo-fencing for security, doorstep battery service and access to a battery charging network, called the Battery Switch, as well as online payment gateway.

    The lithium-ion battery of the RV 400 has an ARAI-certified range of 156 km on a single charge, and it will take less than four hours to fully charge the battery. The removable battery can be easily charged either at home or the workplace, with the help of an on-board charger, and re-charged batteries can also be ordered via the app with doorstep delivery options as well. The RV 400 is a quiet, electric motorcycle and the 3kW electric motor offers 175 Nm of instant torque, with a claimed top speed of 85 kmph. The company is also offering an unlimited warranty on the battery of the RV 400.

    The Revolt RV 400 is available for order on Amazon as well as the Revolt Intellicorp official website. The RV 400 also boasts of a choice of synthesized sounds, which can be selected by the rider from the Revolt App. The Revolt RV 400 is now available in Delhi and Pune and soon availability will be extended to other cities, including Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, and Chennai in the next few months.

    The smaller Revolt RV 300 is powered by a 1.5 kW motor that uses a 2.7 kW battery pack that promises a range of 80-150 km on a single charge. The top speed is rated at 65 kmph. The electric motorcycle will come with an 8 years/75,000 km warranty, with a service interval at every 10,000 km. Revolt is also offering a free tire replacement, one set in three years, but only for the premium variant of the RC400. Bookings for the Revolt RV 300 and RV 400 will open from August 29,2019.

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  • 2021 Mercedes-Benz GLE Coupe Breaks Cover

    2021 Mercedes-Benz GLE Coupe Breaks Cover

    Mercedes-Benz has revealed the 2021 GLE Coupe and the car will be built in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. The new GLE Coupe is longer, wider and has grown in terms of wheelbase too. The new GLE Coupe is 4939 mm long and 2010 mm wide (39 mm longer and 7 mm wider than its predecessor). The wheelbase has grown by 20 mm compared with the predecessor but remains 60 mm shorter than that of the GLE. The front sees the diamond radiator grille is replaced with the single horizontal louver. The openings in the louver, high-gloss chrome-plated underguard in the front apron all bring out a premium image. With the AMG Line the grille widens downwards in an A shape, and the pins in the diamond radiator grille are portrayed in chrome. The flatter-angled windscreen makes the car look more dynamic and the rear-sloping roofline makes it look elegant.

    Move to the rear of the new Mercedes-Benz GLE Coupe and you can see that beneath the C-pillar there’s a broad muscle which protrudes from the surface of the vehicle side, starting in the rear side door and encompassing the rear lamps. The tail lamps are slim and elongated and look good too.

    The cabin is similar to other premium SUV models from the company’s line-up. The cockpit sees two 12.3-inch screens, one forms the instrument panel while the other acts as the infotainment system. the strikingly shaped instrument panel, horizontally divided by a trim element tier, and seamlessly flowing into the door trim, appear familiar. The upper surface is covered in Artico man-made leather upholstery as standard in the GLE Coupe. The 2021 GLE Coupe gets 655 liters of boot space which can be increased to 1790 liters with the rear seats down.

    Under the hood of the GLE Coupe 350d is a OM 656, 6 cylinder engine which churns out 268 bhp and 600 Nm of torque. There’s also a 400d 4Matic which puts out 326 bhp and 700 Nm. Because all variants of the new GLE Coupe; have a transfer case with an electronically controlled multi-plate clutch as standard behind the 9G-TRONIC automatic transmission. This allows a variable transfer of drive torque from 0-100 percent between the axles. During cornering it can influence the yaw torque in a targeted manner towards over- and understeering of the vehicle and together with the shorter wheelbase it increases the agility of the new GLE Coupe. The AMG gets a 3-liter six-cylinder engine putting out 425 bhp and it comes with 48-volt technology, fully variable AMG Performance 4MATIC+ all-wheel drive, AMG SPEEDSHIFT TCT 9-speed automatic transmission.

    As standard, the new GLE Coupe is given the steel suspension chassis with sportier and tauter tuning. Compared with the preceding generation it benefits from firmer attachment points and improved geometry and offers even more precise wheel location and better shielding from vibrations caused by unevenness in the road surface. The enhanced air suspension system AIRMATIC is available with sporty tuning as an option. Its adaptive adjustable damping uses highly complex sensor systems and algorithms to adapt the damping characteristics to the road condition and the driving situation in real-time. Irrespective of the load the air suspension also keeps the vehicle at the same level and can also adjust the ground clearance – automatically or at the press of a button depending on the driving speed and situation.

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  • Volkswagen Polo & Vento Facelifts To Be Launched Next Month

    Volkswagen Polo & Vento Facelifts To Be Launched Next Month

    Volkswagen India will be introducing the facelifted versions of the Polo and the Vento models on September 4, 2019. VW’s most popular models in the country are set to get subtle cosmetic changes for the new model year along with feature upgrades. The updated cars were spotted testing earlier this year too, and the changes will keep the model fresh, with the next generation Polo and Vento for India still some time away from launch. We recently told you that the new generation Polo for India will be based on the MQB A0 platform, which will also spawn the new Vento.

    Based on what we’ve seen on the previous spy shots, the Volkswagen Polo and Vento facelifts will sport a revised front that includes changes to the grille that takes inspiration from the GTI models, while the front and rear bumper have been tweaked as part of the update. The silhouette on both cars remains unchanged. The updated versions will also get new alloy wheels finished in grey. In addition, the Volkswagen Polo and Vento facelifts will get a number of mandatory features as standard including front seatbelt reminders, rear parking sensors, and speed alert system. Dual airbags and ABS are already standard across all variants. It needs to be seen if the infotainment system gets any changes on the cars.

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    The Volkswagen Polo completed 10 years in India this year and has largely remained the same barring the cosmetic upgrades and feature additions from time to time. The Vento too has gone through a similar process during its life in the country. With Skoda in charge of the VW Group in India, the company’s focus is on bringing the new range of SUVs first as part of the Volkswagen 2.0 plan, which will be followed by the new Polo and Vento that are likely to arrive by 2021. We do expect to hear a few official announcements at the Auto Expo next year.

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