Scoop! 2010 Bajaj Pulsar 220 Naked

We told you the brawnier, naked Pulsar 220 was on its way, and viola! we already have the scoop pics of the new streetfighter in flesh! The new bike brings back the styling standard set by the Pulsar 200 and houses within itself the highly acclaimed 32mm venturi carbureted 220cc engine from the 2009 Pulsar 220 DTS-i. To check out the pics and more info on the new Pulsar 220 Naked, check out www.motoroids.com now!

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New Yammies for the festive season

We told you in the September issue of the Motoroids2 e-mag that Yamaha is on the brink of launching the V-Max in India very soon. Well, here's the word from the horse's mouth! The Indian subsidy of Yamaha Motor has indeed put the V-Max up for grabs provided you have Rs. 20-lakh to spare for the torque monster. As for the colours, we are not sure whether its the 2009 or the 2010 liveries that will make their way into the peninsula, but since the engine remains unchanged for the upcoming year, rest assured that you are getting the same bang for the buck as the biking brotherhood outside India.

Also joining the V-Max on the Indian showroom floors are two new limited production colour schemes of the FZ16 and the Fazer. We have already posted pics of the LE FZ16 below this post. Stay tuned for pics of the Fazer LE...
In the meanwhile, feast your eyes on the hi-res wallpapers of the V-Max HERE.

'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

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!

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...

Infiniti M

This is Infiniti's answer to the BMW 5 Series, the Audi A6 and the Mercedes E-Class. Infiniti is Nissan's answer to the German luxury sedans, just like Toyota has Lexus. The M will be launched with a 3.7 litre V6, which will send power exclusively to the rear-wheels. More importantly though, the M will get a 3.0-litre V6 diesel and a hybrid version by end of 2010.

Traditionally, these Japanese rivals have never been able to make a dent on the Germans except for the American market. However with such competent products their popularity is surely on the rise.
Is it coming to India? No, at least not anytime soon. Nissan itself hasn't established itself in India yet and it will take at least a couple of years more till they get the Infinity brand to India.

Devon GTX to attempt the Nurburgring record

Fed up of all the criticism that Yanks don't make a good handling car, the Americans have decided to teach a thing or two to their European brethren by attempting to lay claim to the holy grail of handling, the Nurburgring-Nordschleife lap record in this car.
What you see here is the Devon GTX in its final production spec. It looks like the Ferrari 599 GTB from some angles and the Alfa 8C Competizione from some others. However it might well be one up on both of them in some ways. It is a proper Supercar with a bespoke interior replete with gull-wing doors n all. It borrows the humongous V10 from the Dodge Viper, tuned to develop upwards of 650 horses.

Devon's attempts are not to be taken lightly though, just last week the GTX lapped Laguna Seca in a record breaking 1m35.075s. Currently, 'the king of the 'ring' record is held by the Radical SR8 which did it in 6m55s.

New Lancer on its way!

A few days back we told you about HM's plans to launch the Mitsubishi Lancer Ev0-X in India, early next year. But if you are already disappointed by the speculated Rs.40-lakh price tag, then Hindustan Motors might put the smile back on your face!

Come Auto Expo 2010 and you may see HM-Mitsubishi's new Lancer gracing its exhibit. Designed to reflect the familial connection with the Evo-X, this model, if launched in India will replace the existing Lancer Cedia line-up. Doing duty under the new hood will be the 1.8-litre MIVEC petrol engine. There would be a frugal 2.0-litre diesel powerplant too.

This model is loaded with all the latest safety and dirver aids along with the fun quotient that one can associate with a 'Mitsubishi Lancer', albiet with less than half the horses.

The Yamaha Fazer 250 story - more information

The question that everyone's been asking after reading about the possible launch of the Fazer 250 on Motoroids is when exactly are they going to introduce it. Well, the 10th Auto Expo is just around the corner, and there cannot be a better platform for the Japanese company to launch the big bike. They'll also showcase what they have in store for the coming years for India.

The Fazer is selling well for Yamaha India with a waiting period of well over 30 days. If a well-styled 150, priced so optimistically can sell so well, we don't think the blokes at Yamaha will have much problem introducing a bigger engine in the same bike for a higher price. And a well styled half-faired bike, with a fuel injected 250cc torquey single, priced in the region of Rs 1 lakh sounds like the perfect offering for someone who wants an all-rounder. FI would mean that the bike won't go breathless, be it while scaling the altitudes of the Himalayas, or while cruising through the highways at sea level - a virtue that's perfect for touring. The well-sorted dynamics and wide rubber on the Fazer would mean that it'll be a great corner carver for the weekends as well.

Yamaha are also planning to increase sales in the 100cc segment as nothing below the Gladiator is moving out of the showrooms. Yamaha are looking very keenly at the scooter segment as well. We have a fair idea of what exactly they want to do in those two segments. Stay tuned for the updates..

Click here for the first part of the Yamaha story about the Fazer 250

Click here to read about Yamaha India's scooter strategy for India.

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

Super Scoop! India-spec Ninja 250's production pics revealed

Tired of waiting for the Ninja? Done reading the speculations about the naked/street/modified versions of the Kawasaki pocket rocket? Well, here's the real deal! Motoroids have the latest pictures of the production ready, India-spec Ninja 250.

Seen here for the first time in India, are the pics of Bajaj's production ready version of the Kawasaki quarter litre motorcycle! And as you can see, the Indian authorities have once again managed to degrade the beauty of this Japanese machine by forcing the loud front number plate in the most ungainly position ever. Yet to come is the all-so-important saree guard which will deteriotate its sporty stance further.

The headlights of the new bike won't probably be as functional as the superb projection-beam headlamp of the Pulsar 220, but do the job of endowing the front with oodles of style rather well. The blinker lamps as well as some other body panels will be locally manufactured, making sure you don't have to pay through your nose if ever you drop this Kwacker. We love the angular, chiselled styling of the RVMs and the big wave rotors up front add a lot of oomph to the visuals apart from promising great stopping power for the Ninja. From whatever little we can decipher from these low-res images, the fit and finish of the bike seems to be top notch. Bajaj have done the right thing by not tinkering with the styling of this machine, and it'll be one of the sportiest and the most well-proportioned machines on Indian streets when it makes its debut.

Motoroids have many more pictures and much more dope on the Ninja 250. Stay tuned for more more insights on probably the most awaited bike in India. We'll be back as soon as we are done analysing the pictures and have found out where those high-performance components are coming from.

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

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.

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: 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

India Bound: Toyota Yaris

The Toyota Yaris is heading to the Indian subcontinent by Q1 2009. The hatch when launched, will take the battle straight to the Skoda Fabia and Suzuki Swift's throat with diesel and petrol variants ranging across a broad market segment. Are they laying a battleground for the Honda Jazz to enter?

Hyundai-Kia becomes 5th largest carmaker

Korean manufacturer Hyundai-Kia Automotive Group, became the world's fifth largest carmaker, overtaking giants Honda. Is a Korean threat coming?

CLICK HERE for the PRESS RELEASE

Indian Army's Dare Devil team graces the World Records

(* This image is copyright of the Guinness Book of World Records)

The Indian Army's 'Dare Devil' motorcycle team who have been known for their various 2 wheeler related feats have bettered their record of carrying the maximum number of people on a particular number of bikes. The team secured a name in the Guinness Book of World Records once again by managing to carry 251 people on 11 Enfield Bullets over a distance of 240 meters.

Congratulations guys!

Their past records for a similar feat are as follows:

40 men on 7 bikes for 400 meters (Gwalior, 1991)

81 men on 9 bikes for 200 meters (Pune 1993)

140 men on 11 bikes for 100 meters (Pune, 1996)

201 men on 10 bikes for 100 meters (Jaipur, 2001)

A new Honda is coming...

Honda is about to unveil its CBF entry-level motorcycle by the end of June. The bike is speculated to be a cheap yet sporty option as compared to the newly launched R15. I'm however sure, the performance wont be even close to Yam's new mile muncher.

For more info on the CBF, visit http://hmsicbf.blogspot.com