The leading Japanese bike maker Yamaha announced on Saturday that it is mulling over the option of rolling-out an electric bike in the Indian market to provide an alternative transportation mode. The Indian subsidiary of the Yamaha Motors is developing an India specific scooter that will hit the Indian roads in near future.

In a statement given to PTI, India Yamaha Motor Director (Sales and Marketing) Jun Nakata said, "For rising fuel prices, electric bike is a good option. Currently we are selling electric bikes in Japan and Europe. There is a possibility for the Indian market for introducing these products." However, the company is yet to disclose the specification and pricing details of this prospective electric bike in the country.

The company had announced last year that it would focus more on Indian market with more investment. The company is aiming to have 10 per cent of its total global sales from India in coming 3 to 4 years.

While answering a query regarding the scooter segment, Mr. Nakata said, "We are preparing to enter the scooter market. The product is under development in Japan and it will be an India-specific product."

Via: cartradeindia.com

Following a bonanza for the electric and hybrid cars manufactured in India, General Motors (GM) is all set to showcase an electric version of its small car Chevrolet Beat next month. In the coming future, the car may become the second electric car after Reva to be launched in the country, provided the government follows up with more incentives for alternate fuel vehicles, GM said.

“We are glad that the government has woken up to the need to encourage alternate fuel and electric vehicles,” said Karl Slym, president and managing director, GM India. “We will showcase an electric version of our mini car next month. Though we have not decided whether to launch it here or not, if the government follows up the budget with more incentives, it will only help us decide.”

The government announced full exemption from customs duty, special additional duty and countervailing duty on some specified parts of hybrid vehicles such as battery pack and chargers as also for spare battery packs for electric vehicles.

Further, excise duty has been halved for hybrid kits and their parts.

In the past, GM had tied up with Reva electric car company to develop an electric version of its other small car Spark.

The project met with an untimely death after Reva was acquired by utility vehicle major Mahindra & Mahindra and the two companies went their separate ways.

GM sold 88,568 units in April-January 2010-11, up 37% over the previous year. It has 235 dealers in the country.

Currently, India has only one hybrid vehicle the Toyota Prius.

Via: hindustantimes.com

Toyota’s much-anticipated Etios Liva hatchback’s launch has been pushed from April to June 2011. The step was announced to channelize the existing capacity towards production of the recently launched Etios sedan, which has been plagued with waiting periods that run as long as 7 months!

Aside from delaying the Liva’s launch, Toyota is also initiating a second shift at its plant, faster production time per vehicle and production enhancement in order to speed up the Etios’ deliveries. The second shift production will help the company dish out a total of 5,000 units a month from the current 2,500 units at its Bangalore plant. The plant has an annual production capacity of 70,000 cars.

Toyota Kirloskar Motors (TKM) Managing Director Hiroshi Nakagawa said that Toyota is thankful for the positive consumer responses to the Etios and for the resulting demand. He added that Toyota’s consumer-first philosophy has meant that they put the customers’ needs ahead of everything else. Further, the consumer-first philosophy has helped Toyota manufacture quality products and maximize customer satisfaction, said Nakagawa.

TKM’s Deputy MD Sandeep Singh was apologetic about the Liva’s postponement saying, “We would like to sincerely apologize to people eagerly awaiting the hatchback – Etios Liva, for the postponement of the launch. We will do everything we can to limit the inconvenience caused to our customers.”

Toyota Etios Liva launch, price and competition

Toyota Etios Liva, which will now be launched in June 2011, is the hatchback version of Etios, and will be powered by a 1.2-litre petrol engine. Price around Rs. 4.5 lakh, the Liva will be the cheapest Toyota in the country and will take on Maruti Swift and Ritz, Hyundai i10 and i20, Tata Indica Vista, Ford Figo, Volkswagen Polo, Nissan Micra and Fiat Punto. But Toyota will have a mammoth task ensuring deliveries of the Liva are met promptly. Also read: Toyota Etios Liva vs Honda Brio vs Suzuki Swift and the rest

Toyota Etios launch, price, demand and waiting period

The Toyota Etios, launched on December 1st 2010, is the cheapest compact sedan in India starting at a competitive price of Rs. 4.96 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi) that’s slam bang in the Swift Dzire and Tata Manza price bracket. Toyota has received bookings for more than 26,500 cars, which has led to waiting periods stretching as much as 7 months!

Toyota delivered 1,651 units and 2,686 units of Etios sedans during January and February 2011 respectively. The number of cars to be delivered in the following months will increase gradually once the second shift at Toyota’s plant begins. Related: Toyota Etios vs Maruti Suzuki Swift Dzire

The Etios is powered by a 1,496 cc, 16-valve, DOHC, 4-cylinder engine that churns out 90 PS of power at 5,600 rpm and 132 Nm of torque at 3,000 rpm. It’s mated to a 5-speed manual transmission that doesn’t need frequent shifts.

During the Toyota Etios road test, we found the sedan to be a practical, budget saloon that’s easy to drive, great on interior space with enough leg room at the rear (550 litres boot space, too). Powered by a peppy engine that offer’s quick acceleration, the Etios returns a mileage of 17.6 kmpl (as per ARAI).

Toyota Etios Price of Different Variants: (ex-showroom, Delhi)

Model Colors Interiors Price

Etios J White, Silver Black Rs. 4.96 lakh

Etios G All six Black Rs. 5.46 lakh

Etios G + ABS, EBD All six Black Rs. 5.96 lakh

Etios V + ABS, EBD All six Black & grey Rs. 6.41 lakh

Etios VX + ABS, EBD All six Black & red Rs. 6.86 lakh

Via: dancewithshadows.com

Maruti Kizashi Features & Specifications in India is given below:

Six Speed manual Transmission

5 Seater Car with Four doors

3 spokes power steerting

Leather covered steering wheel

Tilt and telescopic adjustable Steering

Audio system, 7 Speakers

Instrument panel

AC vents

Storage boxes

Armrests and Cup holders

Split Folding Rear Seat

Macpherson strut suspension

Multi link frond and rear coil springs

17 inche alloy wheels

8 airbags (front, rear and curtain)

Pushbutton keyless start

Power steering

Windows and mirrors

Dual-zone climate control

EPS Stability control and ABS

Projector beam headlamps

Front vented Disk brakes

Rear Solid Disk brakes

Force limiter and height adjusters

LATCH Child seat tether anchorages x3

ISOFIX child seat anchorages

Child safety locks

Daytime Running Lights

Front wheel Drive

optional all wheel drive

Headlight cluster with headlamp

Turn indicators

Rain sensing automatic wiper

LED brake light cluster

CD/MP3 player

Energy-absorbing trim on pillars

Roof-side rails

Side impact rear door beams

Front seats

3-point ELR (Emergency Locking Retractor)

Seatbelts with pretensioner

Integrated bluetooth

Audio streaming

Wireless mobile phone integration

USB/iPod input port

Electronic stability program with TCS

Intelligent vehicle stability program

Anti-lock Braking System with EBD

Brake assist function

Vehicle security system Alarm

Dual-zone automatic climate control

Height adjustable driver’s seat

Adjustable rear heater vents

Power windows

Mirrors and door locks

Maruti Kizashi Engine Specification in India is given below:

- 2.4 litre petrol Engine

- 4 cylinder, 16 valves DOHC.

- Power – 185 hp @ 6,500 rpm

- Maximum torque – 170 Nm @ 4,000 rpm

Maruti Kizashi Mileage & Fuel Capacity in India is given below:

- City Mileage – 9 kmpl

- Highway Mileage – 12 kmpl

- Fuel Tank Capacity – 63 liter

Different Variants or Models of Maruti Kizashi Price in India in different cities of India is given below:

Ex Showroom Delhi Price: Rs 16,50,000* - Rs 17,50,000*

Ex Showroom Ahmedabad Price: Rs 16,62,858* - Rs 17,63,988*

Ex Showroom Bangalore Price: Rs 16,77,600* - Rs 17,78,300*

Ex Showroom Chennai Price: Rs 16,66,834* - Rs 17,66,647*

Ex Showroom Kolkata Price: Rs 16,89,680* - Rs 17,90,347*

Ex Showroom Mumbai Price: Rs 17,12,000* - Rs 18,15,900*

Mahindra has confirmed the launch of Mojo 300cc bike around Diwali this year. The motorcycle was introduced last year along with Mahindra Stallio 110cc. According to the original plan, Mahindra Mojo was to be launch in the first quarter of 2011, but, after Stallio face some technical problem, the company is not taking any chance with this one and wanted to assured that all sides of the Mojo were completely tested before launching the bike.

The Mahindra Mojo is powered by a 292cc engine that delivers 25 hp (19.3 kW) @ 8,500 rpm and 24 Nm @ 7000 rpm. The bike features dual exhausts, and has both front and rear disc brakes.

This engine of the bike will be loaded with Electronic Control Unit (ECU) ignition which is latest technology in the bike. The Mahindra Mojo will be available with expected price of Rs. 1.75 lakh which is same as a Honda CBR 250R and almost half of Kawasaki Ninja 250R.

Mahindra Mojo Features:

300cc, Liquid Cooled engine

DOHC technology with 4 valves

Ducati Energia EFI

Inverted shock absorbers

Gas charged Monoshock rear suspensions

Radial calliper breaking technology

Tear drop design

Double barreled exoframe

Twin retro headlamps with pilot LED’s

Dual exhausts

Lightweight alloy wheels

Digital display

India’s largest petal disc brakes

India’s widest rare tyres with tubeless technology

Led tail lamps

Mirror mounted indicators

Source: autoplugged.com

Greetings! Here is a piece of news that will certainly bring some questions on Bajaj because the company is again set to roll out Bajaj Discover 125 next month i.e. in April. According to the news, Bajaj will launch the bike in coming month. One can just say that they are coming up with nothing but variants of Discover.

Bajaj Discover Price in India:

Bajaj Discover 125cc Drum brake version – Rs.44,000

Bajaj Discover 125cc Disc brake version - Rs.47,000

Bajaj Discover 150cc – Rs.48,000!

According to the market conditions, Bajaj doesn’t want people to lose sight of their one of the best selling bikes and thus they are rolling its variants time and again. The company wants to take advantage of Discover’s popularity and one may expect lot more variants from them in future.

Bajaj Discover 125 is going to be launched in two variants i.e. a cheaper drum brake variant and another variant that sports a disk brakes. The cheaper drum brake version is expected to sell around 44,000 INR and the other with discs will be priced around 47,000 INR. Well, as you can see that there is not much of a difference between the two expect the brakes part and thus in my opinion the company might have to rework their pricing system. The pricing policy of the company needs a serious reworking because the Discover 150 sells at 48,000 INR. After these two versions come up, Bajaj will have many variants of the same bike; this will be confusing for people to come to a conclusion.

News has it that, the all new Discover 125 will have a sub brand that will be independent of Bajaj. This re-branding is Bajaj’s long time strategy to set different brand names for Pulsars and Discovers because they are so successful in the market.

Yet another interesting fact associated to the launch is that the company is looking to push Discover sales to 1.65 lakh units by mid 2011-2012. To sum up the whole scenario, Bajaj wants to double its Discover sales and set it as a separate brand and thus they are rolling out Discovers time and again.

Source: bikeadvice.in

India Yamaha is all ready to leap in Indian 250cc bike market with the launching of a 250cc bike in this year. In the same segment, Kawasaki Ninja 250R and Honda CBR 250R have attracted bike lovers; other companies are also working on 250cc bikes in India that include Bajaj Pulsar 250R, TVS Apache 250R and Suzuki GW250. The launch of the Yamaha 250cc bike is expected before end of this year or on Diwali. The new Yamaha 250cc bike is expected with competitor price range of between Rs. 1.75 lakhs to 2.0 lakhs.

Yamaha 250cc bike is expected in Yamaha FZ series and it might be loaded with a single cylinder fuel injected 250 cc engine with liquid cooling. It might be Naked motorcycle as Suzuki GW250. The bike will have general but aerodynamic body design and attractive graphics. This upcoming Yamaha 250cc bike might be loaded with dual disc brake and latest security system ABS as Honda CBR 250R. It would also have 4 valves and an adjustable monoshock at the rear. As other entry-level sports bikes, it is expected with fatter tyres to give it sporty and bold look in the segment.

Yamaha India is doing well in Indian market and having almost all the segment bikes from entry-level to supersports. The company is providing reliable and durable two-wheelers and recently launched Yamaha SZ that is awarded by 'Bike of the Year Award'. In Yamaha's portfolio Yamaha VMAX is the high-end super.

The new 250cc bike from Yamaha might be re-worked Yamaha Fazer or Yamaha FZ that come with 150cc engine, at present.

Source: BikeDekho.com