VDO: Ken Block and Travis Pastrana on the sal flats

This time around, the duo go around doing their thang on the salt flats

Aprilia RSV4 Tuono - latest spy pictures

Motorcyclismo.it have spotted the Aprilia RSV4 Tuono on the Misano race track. In its most clear snaps, the Tuono reveals its intricate detailing. The bike in the pictures doesn't have Ohlins suspension and Brembo monobloc radial calipers which were seen on the bike which was spotted by another website earlier. This bike uses a cheaper set of underpinnings, which suggests that a cheaper variant of the bike will be available.

The Tuono retains the angular low-slung exhaust of the RSV4 superbike. While the test bike doesn;t have much of a paintjob over it, expect the finished product to have exquisite colour coating.

Visit www.motoroids.com to download India's first bike e-magazine. Absolutely free!

VDO: Burnout gone bad

Here's a clip of a long burnout going bad as one of the bikes - a Yamaha Thunderace 1000 EXUP bursts into flames. The other machine, a Gixxer, feels some of the heat too! Kids - DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME OR OUTDOORS OR WHERE EVER!

Apache RTR to get performance kits a la Yamaha R15

TVS Apache RTR is soon to get a performance upgrade on the lines of the Yamaha R15 performance kit introduced recently. The RTR 180 as it is, is a nifty performer and gives the bigger 220s a good run for their money. With the performance upgrade, we expect it to be the outright performance king on the Indian streets. The company was supposed to launch the performance kit some time back, but postponed the launch due to some internal reasons. But our sources tell us that the kits will be out sooner than you think. And we don't even expect them to be half as expensive as the obscenely priced R15 upgrades. The Yamaha has a scare we'd reckon.

The RTR in its stock form produces about 17.5 PS or power. We expect the power to exceed 20PS with the kits. That'll endow the RTR with screaming performance and probably make it the fastest bike on sale in India in a straight line, as well as around a racetrack. We are keeping our finger crossed!

Visit www.motoroids.com to download India's first bike e-magazine. Absolutely free!

BMW to take Japanese bike manufacturers head on

In a recent development, some highly placed BMW Motorrad officials have stated that they are not going to be content in being a niche player anymore, and that they want to take the Japanese Big Four head on in the international superbike arena. BMW is planning to price their S1000RR superbike bang in the price range of the 2010 Yamaha R1 to give the hot selling Japanese bike a good run for its money. The company is also injecting fresh, young blood in its marketing setup to connect better with the new generation. We see an interesting battle of SBKs brewing up. It's going to be fun!

Visit www.motoroids.com to download India's first bike e-magazine. Absolutely free!

Yamaha MotoGP bikes now as powerful as the Ducatis - says Rossi

Valentino Rossi thinks that the performance of his MotoGP YZR-M1 engine is at par with the Ducatis now. The Ducatis have been having a massive advantage over their Japanese rivals in terms of straight line performance ever since the 800cc bikes were introduced in 2007.

While the previous season was a bit of a struggle for Yamaha, this year the Rossi-Lorezo duo of the Japanese firm have managed to win six out of ten races. Rossi says that the Yamaha team has become very strong this season. The key reason for that, according to Rossi was largely down to Yamaha making big improvements to the power delivery and acceleration of this year’s YZR-M1.

The eight-times world champion told UK based MCN "We have improved the engine a lot but we have really made big progress with improving the acceleration. It looks like the Ducati might still be a little bit faster, but we are more or less on the same level. Last year was different, and especially two years ago it was a lot different."

VDO: Tuner car vocals

Ford's Small Car caught testing

This is Ford's new small car that will soon make its way into the market. It is essentially the mk5 generation Fiesta that was face-lifted in 2005. So essentially it will already be close to five years old when it goes on sale in India. The Ikon as we know it also was actually an old Fiesta (the mk4 - face-lift circa 1999) with a boot added to it.

Indians will find it familiar inside-out because of its resemblance to the Ford Fusion. However expect the interior to be partially beiged-up to suit Indian tastes. The fiesta already looks dated compared to rivals like the i20 and will have a tough task ahead of it.

We would have really loved to see the new Fiesta make its way to our shores not a previous generation car. But that would have been equally or even more costly than the Honda Jazz, and Ford India doesn't have the confidence to sell a hatch that expensive, however, brilliant it may be, atleast not right now.
The Fiesta that's coming to India is not a bad car mind you. It has been a firm favorite in Europe for years, thanks to its class leading dynamics, sensible engine options and bang on pricing. It is the car that kept the Ford of Europe afloat while its American counterpart struggled against bankruptcy. It is known as one of the best handling cars for its price and has charmed petrol-heads the world over with its effervescent character.

I hope that the little Ford gets an equally warm reception in our country, and someday they might be in a position to bring us the latest Fiesta as well as the Focus and the Mondeo that have been long time coming.

Porsche 911 Turbo 2010 - First pictures out!

These are the first pictures of the new Porsche 911 Turbo which is the fastest, sharpest and the most brutal 911 to have seen the light of the day. the Ferraris, Lamborghinis and the GT-Rs of the world have a new scare!

The new car will feature a twin-turbo direct injection 3.8-litre flat six engine. The engine, picked basically from the Carrera S has revised variable-vane twin turbochargers to increase responsiveness and power. The result is a 20bhp boost in power, which is now rated at 493bhp.

According to Porsche sources, the new cars will have a more playful character compared with the outgoing version with power biased more towards the rear wheels. A six-speed manual gearbox is standard and a seven-speed dual-clutch PDK is optional. The gear ratios have been revised and the clutches are larger when compared with the other 911s.

Also, as a first, the 911 gets proper paddle shifters, replacing the flawed button shifters to change gears in PDK models. The paddle shifters come at no extra cost. The new 911 turbo now does a 0-100km/h sprint in a super quick 3.4 seconds, about 0.3 seconds quicker than the older version. The top speed too has increased by 2mph to 194mph.

Stay tuned for more pictures, wallpapers and news on the new 911 Turbo

2010 Maruti Suzuki Swift

The Swift has become a volume player for Suzuki not only in India, but across the entire globe! The Japanese giant has now decided to breath a hint of fresh air into this model by giving it its second facelift. Seen here are the spy shots of the new Swift on test. Expect the car to be a combination of rakish and curvaceous body lines in various sections of the design. The headlights and tailights will retain the same outer shape, however the internal arrangement of the bulbs and refelctor elements will be significantly different and will hint towards a sporty design. The new Swift will be shown in flesh at the upcoming 2010 Auto Expo.

Pics Source: Diablomotor

VDO: Accelerator

If you have a couple of mins. to spare, then check out the video of this upcoming project called the 'Accelerator'. We dont know if its a movie or a tele-series or a spoof, but whatever it is, its just plain stupid!

2010 models coming thru: Yamaha Vmax

The 2010 Vmax has no technical upgrades what so ever. So the only difference comes in the form of a new paint scheme - a combination of Silver and metallic red. Click on the image below for more wallpapers of the 2010 Yamaha Vmax:

VDO: Shaggy's Fly High

Loads of eye candy!!
Check out the music video of Shaggy's new track "Fly High":

Mercedes E-Class Estate 2010 revealed

These are the official pictures of the 2010 Mercedes E-Class Estate. It is the latest addition to the expanding E-Class family. It is evident from the pictures that the front end of the E-Class gets carried over to the Estate variant. The E-Class estate sports the same characteristic grill, geometric quad headlamps and angular day-time running LED’s of the E-Class saloon.
The Mercedes E-Class Estate will come equipped with all the regular E-Class features including ‘Airmatic’ self-levelling suspension, Adaptive Damping, Attention Assist and ‘Pre-safe’ braking. The Estate gets an additional pelvic airbag apart from the seven airbags that are offered on the saloon.
The E-Class estate claims to offer load carrying capacity upto 1950 litres. The estate will offer buyers four engine options to choose from. The diesel mills include the E220 CDI and E250 CDI which produce 170bhp and 204 bhp respectively. The diesel engines also have an efficiency figure of 48.7mpg and CO2 emissions of 150g/km.
The petrol mills include the 200 CGI and the 250 CGI producing 183bhp and 204bhp respectively. The petrol engines have an efficiency figure of 36.7mpg and 35.3mpg while the CO2 emissions are at 179g/km and 191g/km respectively. It is likely that the E350 CGI V6 producing 292 bhp and the 5.5 litre E500 V8 producing 388 bhp may also be included in the engine options.
The Mercedes E-Class is expected in showrooms by early 2010 and is likely to retail for upwards of Rs.26 lakhs approx (UK).

Mazda Superlight Concept: First official pictures

These are the pictures of the Mazda MX-5 Superlight concept car. The pictures clearly suggest that the concept car is based on the MX-5 Speedster with the lack of a windscreen and different looking, lighter body panels being the distinguishable features. The concept car doesn’t even get to sport door handles! The Superlight concept car will be showcased at the upcoming 2009 Frankfurt motor show.
It is highly probable that the Superlight Concept has been created by Mazda to celebrate the MX-5’s 20 years of existence. The manufacturer claims that the concept car is a self-present for giving birth to the world’s best selling two-seater sports car. Although the official pictures have been released on the internet there are no technical specifications or information available.
It is highly likely that concept car will be powered by either of the MX-5’s current two 1.8 or 2.0 litre petrol engines. The evident weight reduction will definitely affect performance, handling, economy, and CO2 emissions positively. There has been no official announcement with respect to the MX-5 Superlight Concept reaching production stage, although with Mazda you can’t really predict anything.

VDO: BMW Power

BMW's F1 operations might be on hold now, but that hasn't stopped the Bavarian giant from showcasing some of its prowess. Featured here are Nick Heidfeld and Troy Corser swapping their world championship machinery and racing against each other around the Nurburgring circuit. Enjoy!

2010 models coming thru: BMW S1000RR

Its been hardly a few months since the controversial looking BMW S1000RR litre-class bike has made its public appearance. However, the German bike maker has already unveiled its new color scheme for 2010 - the Bavarian white-with-red-and-blue-stripes!

We think it looks stunning as compared to the metallic green that we have seen so far. No technical changes ofcourse, the new paint scheme can be seen in action in the video posted in the earlier blog entry. For more images of the new paint scheme, click on the image below:

2010 models coming thru: Harley Davidson

If you are an avid biker and follow new launches every year, then you must be very well aware that such models are generally unveiled/previewed between the months of October and November, before they go on sale by February of the following year. This year however, the trend seems to be changing, with the first of the 2010 unveiling already under way.

Enter the 2010 model range of the Harley-Davidson motorcycles! For the next calendar year, the American bike maker will have as much as 9 new models on sale to cater to the young generation. All the models will benefit from HD's new 'Midnight Pearl' plating technology which gives a novel finish to all the metal parts like the headlight, clutch and derby covers etc.. Other upgrades include slimmer exhaust pipes, slammed suspension, optional larger front wheel, new tail light assembly and the oh-so-popular flame paint jobs.

The company seems to have blown in a lot of dough in these new models to try and save the sales from depleting further, but we guess it would need much more than that to cope with the Japanese competition. If HD's plans of entering India bear fruit, then these would well be the models you could spend some valuable rupees on.

Click on the image above for HD's 2010 model gallery

Suzuki Kizashi

This is the new Suzuki Kizashi D-Segment sedan that will launched by year-end.
The Kizashi looks looks like a spruced up SX4 when viewed head-on, while the bulbous rear end, roomy though it might be, looks totally unsightly. However a fugly derriere never stopped the Dzire from being a super-hit, did it?
The interiors however are top notch with a de rigueur, dual-tone, floating dash, nice flowing lines and loads of space.
The Kizashi will come with a 2.4 litre petrol engine, equipped with variable valve timing, a six speed manual gearbox and an optional CVT automatic transmission. The Kizashi will also spawn a hybrid and a 4-wheel drive version later, though how much of all this (apart from the manual) will make its way to India remains to be seen.
In terms of features and size, the Kizashi is a direct rival to the Accord and Camry. But Expect Maruti-Suzuki to come up with pricing very close to the Civic, Corolla Altis, Laura and the upcoming Chevy Cruze, hoping to cause a major upheaval in the entry-luxury segment.
Whether the Kizashi will be able to achieve what the Hyundai Sonata never could?
Well, judgding by our nations love for Marutis, the Kizashi might just pull it off.