Innova Facelift for India

The Toyota Innova has been doing well as a competant people carrier in India. With good styling and features to match, the Innova hasn't been written off as 'just another commercial vehicle'. But it high time the Innova got atleast a facelift, if not a replacement - thats thats exactly what Toyota's done. Changes include a new front/rear bumpers, grille, headlight and tail light. The interiors get new colors and twin-blower assisted A/C vents for all three rows. 

Check the pics..

2009 Honda Sports bikes uncovered!

(well Kawasaki, this is how greens are made!)

Honda has finally taken the wraps off the 2009 series of CBR Sports machines. As was told earlier, both the 600RR and the 1000RR now come with a CBS(Combined Braking System) variant and a variety of new kick-ass paint schemes. The CBR600RR now gets a new shape for turn indicators and added fairing panels that completely cover the engine - whether for cosmetic purpose or functionality, we'll find out soon. And whats more? The Repsol 1000RR is back!!

Click on the thumbnails for larger views:

CBR600RR:

CBR1000RR:

Yamaha's sledge-hammer on Indian Motorsport

The  Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (FMSCI), the National Sports Federation recognized by the Government of India and the International Federation viz. Federation Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM), has today announced that the Yamaha YZF-R15 has been homologated for motorsport purposes in India. The Technical Data Form has been approved and this gives racers to the permission to use the R15 the National Championship Motorsport events. With the R15 already proving its mettle has a potent track tool, this motorsport homologation comes in as a great threat for competitiors of the 150cc segment category.

It finally looks like Indian Motorsport is now heading in a positive direction - all we need are more race tracks... 

Toyota launches the Altis

Toyota launched the highly anticipated Corolla Altis today. All set to go head-on against the Civic and the Jetta, the Altis promises a lot of space and practicality. To know whether it really delivers, pick up you favorite automobile magazine for October...

FIAT aims at Jaguar/Land Rover

FIAT has been selling more engines than cars, atleast in India - thanks to its OE applications like the Swift diesel and the Indica Vista. However, in a move to improve relations with the latter's manufacturer - TATA, FIAT has proposed an agrrement to produce engines and drivetrains for the Jaguar and Land Rover vehicles, once they the contract of both these brands with Ford is over. Fiat global CEO Sergio Marchionne said that Fiat wants to extend its alliance with TATA for architecture, design, platform and powertrain collaboration for Jaguar-Land Rover as well. TATA it seems though, hasn't commented on this proposal yet. 

More info as news flows in...

Civic Facelift: Again

Last month we told our readers about the Honda's plans to bring the Civic facelift to India, following a facelift treatment to the Civic in US.

Later we showed you a couple of photos of the changes you could expect for the Indian version in THIS thread.

Well, here are a couple more - should give an idea of how the new Civic will look. Click on the picture above or below for a larger view.

Vote Now...

We have added a new feature on the blog - The Poll!

Every week we'll put up a pole that is in some way related to the automobile world. Take some time out and vote your pick from the options....

So whatcha waiting for, the first one is on the right hand side menu!

R15 Championship

Yamaha India has gone all out with its R15. As is visible, Yamaha is heading back to its image of being a performance brand and its latest offerings have highlighted the fact. To emphasize further, Yam have announced the commencement of the 'R15 Championship' which allows owners of the permium bike to experiecne the power and handling on the place where it belongs - the race track. With the first race starting this weekend (6-7th September), Yamaha plans to organise similar events every month. The championship winner will get prizes worth 1 lakh INR apart from the thrill and excitement of the racetrack. The first event will be held at Irungattukottai Race Track at Chennai.

External Links:

Madras Motorsport Association

Yamaha India Website

Honda CB1300SF

Riding on the success of their 'Super Four' series of street bikes, Honda has recently launched a commercial for the CB1300. Here it goes:

More FZ16 details

100 Octane brings you more info on the soon to be launched FZ16.

Here they are:

Engine:

Engine: 153.7 CC four-stroke, air-cooled, single-cylinder, 2 valves, SOHC

ESTIMATED Power: 15PS @ 8,400 RPM

Gearbox: 5-speed

Fuel System: 26mm CV Carb

Wheels, Tyres and Brakes:

Wheels (F/R): 5-spoke 17" die-cast alloys

Tyres(F/R): 100/60-R17, 140-60-R17

Brakes(F/R): 267mm single cross-drilled ventilated rotor with 2-pot calipers / 130mm drum

Suspension:

Front: 41mm Telescopic Forks

Rear: Monocross type

Electricals:

Headlight: 12V 35W Halogen with Multifocal Reflector

Exhaust System:

Mid Ship type, side mounted

Tank:

Construction: 3-piece

Capacity: 13 litres

Additional info:

1. Fully digital console with digital readout for RPM, Speed, Trip and Odo.

2. YTPS: Yamaha Throttle Position Sensor, for better throttle response and fuel efficiency

Expected price:

Rs. 70,000 ex-showroom

Indian Motorsport: Rohit Giri

Rohit Giri is a rising star for hte Indian Motorsport. With remarkable performance within a few races of the 600cc Novice Category of the Malaysian Super Series, he is definitely the racer to watch out for in the future. Here's a small promotional presentation on the racer (popularly known as Valentino Rohit).

Related Links:

Rohit Giri's Orkut link

Rohit Giri's Community on Orkut

VDO: Drifiting with elegance...

Agreed, 5-crore cars are the epitome of luxury. But they are not only about luxury, especially when the car is a rear-wheel drive with a 550 horsepower V12!



Source: iMotor

VDO:Knitted Ferrari

A student of art from UK knitted the ultimate car cover for any petrol enthusiast. Check the video out:

@ Yahoo! Video

New Hyundais: Some launched, some coming

Hyundai India, which has been marketing its 'Santro' as the 'ideal first car' for the Indian buyer, has in a way gone head on against the Maruti 800 which advertised on similar lines with their 'mera sapna meri maruti' campaign.

Now, in the run to make the Maruti 800 feel the heat, the Koreans are developing a 800cc engine for an entry level car which would be positioned below the Santro. To keep things competitive, the car will be priced below 2-lakh (on-road) for the the base model, with topper variants bridging the gap to the Santro. The car will follow the 'i' naming convention and will go on sale by early 2010.

The i20, which has been the talk of the town already, is set for a Paris Motor Show debut. Sales will commence in December.

Other launches for 2008 have been made this week in the form of the Santro LPG, a tweaked Accent GLE (now re-christened as the Accent Executive) and limited edition of version of the Verna 1.6 (with new interiors).

VIDEO: To Crash or not to Crash

http://view.break.com/505730 - Watch more free videos