Mitsubishi "Heart in Mouth" off-roading experience

HM-Mitsubishi will be organising an off-road driving rally christened "Heart in Mouth" on the 6th of September. The event is being organized by Sportscraft for Pajero owners in and around Mumbai. The Pajero owners along with their family members and friends will get to experience the off-road capabilities of their beloved SUV. A roughly 50kms course comprising of sandy plains, slush filled streches, dirt roads and water crossings has been chalked out for the participants.

According to Mr.Pritam Saikia, Head of Marketing, HM-Mitsubishi Motors, the heart in the mouth experience provides the customer the real capabilities of the Pajero's 4x4 prowess. He also said that it aims to prove to the customer that whatever terrain he or she may be in, with a Pajero it becomes a paved road.

HM-Mitsubishi has been organising such events lately (Chandigarh) to promote the off-roading capabilities of the Pajero to its owners. The manufacturer intends to continue hosting such events to promote the appeal of off-road driving as a form of adventure sports.

For participation contact Sportscraft at: sportscraft@gmail.com
Office telephone no: 022-23677631

'Yamaha Performance Kit' Prices Announced!

The Yamaha performance parts that have been creating so much buzz have finally been valued! The prices are as follows:

The ex- showroom price of Muffler Kit (For FZ16 and R15) is Rs. 16,000 /- .

This kit includes

a) Racing Exhaust System
b) Exhaust Pipe
c) Bracket Kit Exhaust

The ex- showroom price of Engine Kit (For R15) is Rs. 31,000 /- . This kit includes
a) ECU
b) Cam Shift
c) Muffler Kit

The ex-showroom price of Body kit (For FZ16 and R15) is Rs. 20,000/- . This kit includes

a) Brake Caliper Bracket
b) Brake Disc
c) Brake Hose Front
d) Brake Hose Rear
e) Front Brake Master Cylinder
f) Step Plate

Incomming: Harley Davidson in two days!

A couple of weeks back we showed you the new 2010 range of Harley Davidson motorcycles that will soon go on sale around the world. Some of the most important models will come too India too! Within the next two days Harley Davidson will be officially unveiling their dealership in India. Matt Levatich, President and Chief Operating, Harley Davidson, will be doing the honours on the 27th of this month. There is no official confirmation with regards to the product line up or the number of dealerships or their location as of now. We are in touch with our sources at Harley Davidson and will update the details as and when they reach us. The American motorcycle marque's official teaser for its India launch is already live. Do have a look at www.harley-davidson.in and keep checking the Motoroids Blog for more info!

Toyota Fortuner 3.0 MT launched at 21.5 lakh Rupees.

The long awaited SUV from the Toyota arsenal has finally been launched in India. August. For starters, the Fortuner has been launched with a 3.0 diesel engine and a 5-speed manual gearbox only. Toyota has surprised the competition with a killer price tag. Compared to soft-roaders like the CR-V, Captiva and the Outlander, the Fortuner is a true-blue SUV with all-wheel drive and a low range gearbox as standard. It is practical too with a usable set of third row seats. Going by Indian publics affinity for big SUV's with equally huge C-R-D-I powerplants the Fortuner looks likely to be headed for a great success story in India as well.

Here's an overveiw of how the Fortuner compares to its rivals(all prices, On-Road, Mumbai).

Toyota Fortuner:

3.0 MT - 21.5 lakhs, 3.0 litre 4-cyl D4-D Diesel, 168 bhp, 343 Nm, 7-seater.

Ford Endeavour (Current):

2.5 XLT 4x2 MT - 17.85 lakhs, 2.5 litre 4-cyl TDCi Diesel, 143 bhp, 330 Nm, 7-seater.

3.0 Thunder+ 4x4 MT- 20.5 lakhs, 3.0 litre 4-cyl TDCi Diesel, 154 bhp, 380 Nm, 7-seater.

Ford Endeavour Facelift (Incumbent):

2.5 XLT 4x2 MT - 18.85 lakhs(estimated), 2.5 litre 4-cyl TDCi Diesel, 143 bhp, 330 Nm, 7-seater.
3.0 Thunder+ 4x4 AT- 21.5 lakhs(estimated), 3.0 litre 4-cyl TDCi Diesel, 154 bhp, 380 Nm, 7-seater.

Honda CRV:

2.0 2WD MT - 25.96 lakhs, 2.0 litre 4-cyl iVTEC Petrol, 142 bhp, 190 Nm, 5-seater.

2.4 AWD MT - 27.63 lakhs, 2.4 litre 4-cyl iVTEC Petrol, 160 bhp, 218 Nm, 5-seater.

2.4 AWD MT - 28.48 lakhs, 2.4 litre 4-cyl iVTEC Petrol, 160 bhp, 218 Nm, 5-seater.

Chevrolet Captiva:

2.0 LT MT - 23.86 lakhs, 2 litre 4-cyl VCDi Diesel, 148 bhp, 320 Nm, 7-seater.

2.0 LTZ AT - 25.66 lakhs, 2 litre 4-cyl VCDiDiesel, 148 bhp, 320 Nm, 7-seater.

Mitsubishi Outlander:

2.4 MIVEC - 23.16lakhs, 2.4 litre 4-cyl MIVEC Petrol, 170 bhp, 225 Nm, 5-seater.

Mitsubishi Pajero:

SFX - 23.65 lakhs, 2.8 litre 4-cyl TDCi Diesel, 118 bhp, 290 Nm, 7-seater.

Scoop! VW Polo caught testing in India!

What you can see in the video below is the Volkswagen Polo on test in India. Volkswagen is in its final testing procedures for the Polo before it will be unveiled at the 2010 Auto Expo. To be manufactured at VW's new state-of-the-art Chakan plant, the Polo will set new benchmarks in terms of quality, fit and finish and refined engineering.

The Polo for India will come with three choices of engines - 3-cylinder 1.2-litre/70PS and 4-cylinder 1.4-litre/84PS petrol mills and a frugal 1.4-litre TDI diesel engine. While many would speculate these to be similar to the HTP and PD engines doing duty in the Polo's familial sibling, the Skoda Fabia, take our word for it, the Polo will house completely new engines. In fact, the Fabia in turn will have its powerplants replaced with the Polo's engines once the VW goes on sale.

The hatch is one of the most awaited small cars for India, primarily owing to its competitive target pricing. If our sources are to be believed, then VW is all set to price the Polo in the Rs. 4.25 to 6 lakh price bracket which will pitch this potent hatch against market leaders like the Swift/Ritz and other hot hatches like Grande Punto, Indica Vista and the i20. Expect the car to go on sale instantly after its unveiling at the Expo in January 2010.

Special thanks to Motoroids' eagle eyed reader Satyajeet Bhaskare for the video capture!

Mahindra's Scooter-ing Ambitions

Mahindra has been taking steps to develop its brand value in the Indian two-wheeler segment ever since it took over Kinetic Motors. With the Flyte relaunched, the company is now looking forward to expanding its product portfolio with three more products. Mahindra will be achieve this by (re)launching the now defunct Kinectic Blaze and the Kinetic 4S with a cosmetic makeover similar to the new Flyte. It is likely that there would be no technical changes on these scooters, apart from a few tweaks for the new emission norms. The first two scooter launches would be to merely establish its presence in the scooter market, while the thrid will be the a completely new product to highlight Mahindra's foray into the two wheeler market. The Blaze and the 4S will be see the light of the day in about a months time. The company's third scooter however, which will be an entirely new offering from yesteryear Kinetic's SYM range, is likely to be available in showrooms in around six months time.

The company is reportedly looking at acquisitions to enter the Chinese, Taiwan and European scooter markets as well. Mahindra is reportedly trying to acquire Italy-based two-wheeler manufacturer Malaguti - which will help Mahindra enter the higher end scooter segments in other two-wheeler markets as well.

Scoop! Hyundai i40 for India

What you can see here are pictures of the new mid-size sedan from Hyundai which will go on sale early next year. This model is set to replace the current Sonata line-up, with an aggressive design which is now defining all the latest Hyundai's. And you guessed it right, the 'Sonata' badge might be dropped as well, to follow the Korean carmaker's new 'i' naming conventions.
This sedan will most likely be conferred with the 'i40' tag when it takes on the mid-size luxury sedan segment. The car will grace Hyundai's exhibit at the upcoming Auto Expo and is expected to go on sale in India by Q2 2010 at a price bracket ranging from Rs. 14-lakh to Rs. 19-lakh for the petrol and diesel variants. We speculate the India model to be powered by the same range of Theta-2 engines that do duty under the current model. As the photos show, the interiors will sport an upmarket feel as compared to the current model, and Hyundai are to be believed, will also sport high quality materials similar to the ones we have already witnessed in the i10/i20. At the price bracket mentioned above, we feel this car will be one helluva value offering and has the fire-power to break the jinx that has been plaguing the India Sonata all this while!

Stay tuned for more news and scoops...