Today's Auto news

AUTO NEWS OF THE DAY- Friday, 10th March, 2017

KTM Philippines production in full swing.

Yamaha NMax 155 launched in Japan. Scooter uses R15v3.0 derived engine.

Bajaj dominar ABS version outselling non abs variant.

Bajaj Pulsar AS200 to make a comeback soon. Was discontinued in favour of 200 NS.

Suzuki to launch 4 new models next fiscal year. Ciaz facelift to be 1st.

Mitsubishi pajero and Nissan patrol to share same platform.

Renault kwid climber launched at Rs. 4.3 lakh. Most expensive variant of kwid.

Hyundai sonata facelift launched in South Korea. Global launch in mid-2017.

Carlos Ghosn: Tata nano inspired kwid. Open to kwid based Mitsubishi model in India.

Mahindra developing electric SUV and performance car. Mahindra electric working on 380V electric powertrain. Design for performance car to come from pininfarina.

Toyota corolla Altis Facelift to Launch soon. Bookings open.

Tata RaceMo to be India's 1st kit car. MOFlex system's use of fewer modules will allow the car to be assembled at workshop spaces across the country.

Skoda electric car concept set for Shanghai reveal. To go on sale in 2020-21.

Learnt about Volkswagen scandal from media: Germany's chancellor, Angela Merkel.

Hyperloop released 1st images of its 1st test track, called DevLoop in Nevada. Aims at full scale testing by June 2017.

Geneva excerpts:
Skoda Octavia RS245 showcased along with Octavia scout.

Audi RS 5 coupé unveiled. Powered by 2.9L TFSI v6 bi-turbo petrol engine.

Lamborghini Huracan Performante revealed. 640 HP, mid-mounted 5.2L V10 is the most powerful engine ever produced by Lamborghini.

Mercedes Benz E class cabriolet and E class coupé showcased.

Hyundai FE hydrogen fuel cell concept unveiled in Geneva. Previews future SUV. Uses 4th gen hydrogen fuel cell technology.

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AUTO NEWS OF THE DAY- Friday, 3rd March, 2017

Bajaj to launch in Malaysia.

India-made Hyundai creta launched in South Africa.

Hyundai creta crosses 1.5 lakh units sales in less than 2 years. On average 7,177 units sold a month.

Renault captur with glass roof to debut in Geneva.

Maruti Vitara Brezza crosses 1,000,000 unit sales in India.

Mahindra confirms Vitara Brezza and ecosport rivaling compact SUV. Codenamed S201, will be based on Tivoli design.

Mahindra-Ssangyong ties deepen for new engine, platforms and electric cars.

SAIC's British subsidiary MG motors to enter India 1st. Model roll out expected in 2019.

Range Rover velar officially unveiled. Reintroduction of 1970 Brand name.

Land Rover discovery sport 2.0 diesel ready for launch. To come in 2 states of tune- 150 HP and 180 HP.

Renault launches its 1st design academy in India. Will start operations from April 3, functions out of Renault design studio in chennai.

Honda WR-V to launch on march 16. Bookings open.

Mercedes Benz E class cabriolet unveiled.

Mercedes CEO: making business case for E class LWB tough. Has potential to drive volumes.

Porsche Panamera Sport Turismo revealed ahead of Geneva debut. 1st Porsche to offer 3 seats in rear.

New McLaren supercar to have rotating display on dashboard. Drivers can select larger screen for driving while folded screen meant for racing.

Germany urges public to avoid cars for 40 days during Lent. Discount on public transportation including trains have been proposed. Stuttgart to ban diesel cars.

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AUTO NEWS OF THE DAY- Thursday, 2nd March, 2017

Bigger displacement KTM bikes not to come to India.

Honda monkey 50th anniversary edition launched in Japan.

Honda Activa 4G launched at Rs. 50,730. Gets combined braking system with equaliser, mobile charging, BS 4 compliance.

Honda WR-V spec revealed. Shares engine with jazz. Auto tranny not offered. Dual airbags, ABS standard.

Benelli tornado 302 to launch in India in April.

Range Rover velar to be unveiled today.

Next gen maruti Suzuki swift to continue with current engine options. Launch in mid-2017.

Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza certified for front offset crash test. Country's 1st vehicle certified for both front offset and side impact tests.

Maruti Suzuki recalls 151 units of grand Vitara. To check possible fault in manual transmission. Vehicles manufactured between June 2008-may 2013.

Volkswagen Tiguan launching in April in India. Passat to launch in July.

SAIC to be 1st Chinese maker to enter India. Already registered in India, company hiring executives. Close to finalising deal to takeover GM's Gujarat plant.

Mercedes Benz C class long wheelbase to skip India.

New Mitsubishi eclipse cross SUV revealed. Powered by 1.5L turbo petrol, 2.2L diesel engine.

Mahindra confirms next gen Thar. Could get design inputs from Ssangyong and pininfarina.

Most automakers post double digit growth in February.

F1: Bottas quickest. Vettel and Ferrari star again in Barcelona testing.

Maini brothers to drive for Jenzer Motorsport. Arjun will continue driving in GP 3, Kush will switch over to FIA Italian F4 championship.

Uber owns patent for tech involved in lawsuit with Google. Patent owned by tech startup tyto which is owned by Otto which in turn is owned by uber.

New Volvo automatically steers and brakes to avoid accidents. Installed in its upcoming SUV xc 60, software to work between 60-140 kph.

Female engineer's harassment claim unsubstantiated, says Tesla. Claims employee moved into successive engineering roles despite not having engineering degree.

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AUTO NEWS OF THE DAY- Monday, 20th February, 2017

Yamaha R25 facelift may get slipper clutch and upside down forks.

1,155 units of Yamaha R3 recalled in India. Same model was recalled earlier last week in USA due to faulty fuel tank fitting bracket and main power switch.

Yamaha's India-made bike for emerging markets, crux Rev, introduced in Africa and central America.

Suzuki gixxer range gets AHO and BS 4 compliance. Suzuki access scooter also gets BS 4 compliant engine.

2018 Mercedes Benz A class to feature dual screen digital display.

Fully electric Mercedes AMG models a possibility. Early electrification will be through 48V mild hybrid system.

New Mercedes Benz E class to launch on Feb 28.

India-made Renault kwid has 2 month waiting period in south Africa. Launched in November last year.

Nissan kicks SUV seen in China. China launch expected this year. India launch next year.

Ford's Craiova plant in Romania to put 190 new robots to work for ecosport. Production to start in September.

Ford denies Bloomberg Report that its testers are falling asleep while testing self-driving cars. Apparently, Ford's autonomous car project aims at eliminating brake, acceleration pedals and steering wheel.

Base version of India-bound ford ecosport facelift spotted in China.

India spec Jeep compass to come with petrol and diesel engines at launch. Launch in august.

Ferrari 812 superfast unveiled. To replace F12 berlinetta. To be fastest Ferrari ever with 789 BHP output.

2018 Skoda yeti spied as a Chinese model. Will launch after Kodiaq.

Audi dealers in China demand Rs.27,000 crores cover for losses over 3 years. Dealers blamed company for adding too many distributors which worsened an already declining sales.

Pininfarina Fittipaldi EF7 to have a small production run. The track car to come with 600 HP V8 engine.

Trump will make America great to invest, says Anand Mahindra. Poets' imaginations and not technology will save the world in future, he added.

No amnesty for BS 3 vehicles after April 1, says Bajaj auto. 1st 2 wheeler maker to fully meet BS 4 norms before deadline.

KTM Duke range to launch on Feb 23. Gets cosmetic changes, BS 4 engines. 390 to get ride by wire tech.

Lynk and co wants to change the way people buy cars. No model year designations for its cars. Ownership will be subscription based with no down payment. 1st model in April.

Toyota sold only 1 Prius in last 6 months of 2016 in China. Had sold 75 cars in 1st half of year.

London to levy daily fine of £10 on polluting cars. Toxicity charge will be levied primarily on vehicles registered before 2006.

Ambassador was sold due to lack of innovation, says MSME minister, giriraj Singh.

World's 1st driverless car circuit race ends with accident. One of the 2 driverless cars crashed into statue. Hosted by Buenos Aires formula E grand Prix.

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AUTO NEWS OF THE DAY-Saturday, 11th February, 2017

Ducati India to launch 5 new bikes this year. Say no plans to build small capacity bikes in India.

Harley Davidson roadking special launched at $21,999. Powered by new Milwaukee 8 engine.

Hyundai Verna to be showcased in Canada auto expo on Feb 16.

MapMyIndia launched nation-wide digital address system called eLoc.

Maruti Ciaz RS likely to be discontinued. No official announcement yet. Variant not available in updated price list.

South Korea finds Nissan guilty of using emissions cheating devices in its Renault built 1.6L diesel engines. Carmaker denies any wrongdoing.

Volkswagen considering legal action against its former chairman, Ferdinand Piech. Ousted boss allegedly told senior VW figures of the emissions scandal months before it became public.

Production of Skoda Octavia facelift commences in Czech republic. Gets new front and rear sections and more connectivity options. Expected to launch in India later this year.

Volvo V90 cross country to launch in India by mid-2017. Rugged estate version of S90 sedan will have increased ground clearance and AWD.
Mahindra bets big on innova-rivaling MPV. Invests Rs. 1500 crores in 2 of its Maharashtra plants.

Delhi man seeks NGT nod to ply 20 year old rolls Royce on Delhi roads. Earlier NGT had banned vehicles more than 15 years old from plying on Delhi roads.

Ford makes car parts using tomatoes and coca cola bottles. Part of its biomaterials research, bamboo, wheat, rice hulls and coconut skin also used.

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AUTO NEWS OF THE DAY-Wednesday, 8th February, 2017

Honda CB shine reaches 50 lakh sales milestone. 2017 Honda shine SP teased.

Honda's new scooter likely to be Activa bs 4.

Benelli working on 150cc step through. To increase its product portfolio in smaller capacity market segment.

Mahindra owned Korean manufacturer Ssangyong working on industry-first touch operated Windows.

Maruti Suzuki discontinues Delta and zeta trims of 1.6L DDiS maruti S Cross.

Über launched uberHire, time based cab hailing service in India. Now 1 can book an uber for 12 hours.

Endeavour's automatic headlamp leveller motor being replaced. Not official recall. Replaced in cars coming in for service.

Lexus brand to launch in India on March 24. RX 450h, LX450d, es 300h to be the models to launch 1st. Bookings already opened.

Aprilia SR 150 race edition spotted. To launch today.

Toyota etios liva launched with new dual tone shades. Available only with V and VX trims.

Maruti Baleno RS 1.0 Alpha ready for launch. Power from 1L turbojet engine detuned to 102 HP.

Porsche Cayenne S Platinum edition launched at Rs.1.27 crores. Previously available as standard Cayenne, Platinum Edition expanded to more powerful s model.

Tesla beats its own record for fastest acceleration. Records 2.275s for 0-100 kph acceleration.

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AUTO NEWS OF THE DAY-Tuesday, 7th February, 2017

Honda to launch new scooter with BS 4 and AHO soon.

Bs 4 Bajaj Pulsar 200 NS and RS 200 launched at Rs. 96,453 & Rs.1,21,881 respectively. RS 200 to have top speed of 141 kph.

Mahindra xuv 500 sportz limited edition launched at Rs.16.5 lakhs. Based on top W10 trim.

Honda expects city and etc WR-V to play key roles in sales turnaround. City to launch next week.

Hyundai Grand i10 facelift launched at Rs.4.58 Lakhs. Gets new 1.2L 3 cylinder diesel engine.

Opel insignia sport tourer revealed. Europe launch on Feb 17.

Tamo futuro to produce 180+ bhp from 1.2L turbo petrol engine. To go on sale next year.

Production of next gen Renault duster to begin in October in Romania.

Renault captur testing mules seen up in ooty. Inching towards 2017 Q3 launch.

Toyota, Suzuki partnership to work on green cars & safety. Partnership was announced in October last year.

Chennai- Bangalore-Mumbai Hyperloop in the pipeline. High speed capsules can transport ppl in near sonic speeds.

Gautam Sen's book on Italian designer Marcello gandini wins global award. Book by the Indian automotive journalist is an account of the cars designed by gandini.

Renault India shelves plans for kwid based sedan. Stagnating compact sedan sales and impending GST reasons behind decision.

BMW G310R to be launched this year.

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AUTO NEWS OF THE DAY-Tuesday, 31st January, 2017

Royal Enfield classic 350 Redditch showcased in Surat auto expo along with Himalayan with accessories.

TVS akula 310 gets new vertically stacked LCD instrumentation.

Over 50% bookings of Tata Hexa for the AT variant.

Tata Q501 premium SUV suspected to be tested on land rover Discovery's body.

VW Vento Highline Plus Starts reaching dealerships.

MapMyIndia launches GPS tracker for bikes. Called rover bike, device has inbuilt GPS and internet connectivity.

Maruti discontinues lower variants of 1.6L S Cross.

Mahindra kuv100 anniversary edition launched at Rs. 6.37 lakhs. Available only in top end k8 variant.

Audi A4 diesel to launch in February. Will be powered by new 190 HP EA288, 2L engine. Will rival BMW 320d and Mercedes C220d.

Budget 2017-18: automakers hope for sops to revive demand. Industry calls for further incentives to boost electric, hybrid demand and rollback of infrastructure cess.

Suzuki's gujarat plant to start production from Feb 1. Trial production started, has capacity of 2.5 lakh cars per annum.

Dutch university wins musk's pod building competition. Delft university's pod reached a speed of 94 kph in its final run.

Paris bans diesel cars made before 2000. Diesel cars with level 5 sticker will not be allowed in the city on weekdays. Move to curb rising pollution levels.

Volvo to launch 3 cars in India this year. All will be CBUs, likely from China.

Alta motors unveils electric Street tracker motorcycle. Silicon valley based company backed by Tesla founders, Marc Tarpenning, Martin Eberhard.

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AUTO NEWS OF THE DAY-Monday, 30th January, 2017

Hero maestro edge gains retuned engine.

Mahindra Thar daybreak showcased in Surat international auto expo.

New Toyota Supra to be launched under Gazzo performance brand.

Mercedes aesthetics A sculpture previews next gen compact car design. Also reveals Panamericana Grille treatment adopted by AMG versions of merc compact cars.

New Schumacher rises: Legend Michael Schumacher's son, Mick, wins MRF challenge at Buddh international Circuit, Delhi.

Next gen VW Golf GTI to adopt mild hybrid tech. A powertrain overhaul is set to make the new model most powerful series production golf GTI ever.

Volkswagen group recall 600,000 Audi cars in USA. Reason: faulty airbags and corrosion of inflators.

Tesla CEO Elon musk joins trump's manufacturing council comprising of ford and Dell CEOs.

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AUTO NEWS OF THE DAY- Tuesday, 17th January, 2017

Euro 4 compliant Royal Enfield Himalayan launched with ABS in UK.

Next gen ford bronco SUV to be based on Everest's platform. To launch in 2020.

2018 Audi A1 to grow in size and luxuriousness.

New variants of kuv100 to launch in few weeks. Will come in dual tone interiors like Ignis.

Renault captur on course for India launch in festive season. To be Renault India's flagship SUV since koleos is out.

Fiat X6H, currently under tests in Brazil, to replace punto and bravo. Will launch in May or June this year.

Maruti Suzuki eyes regaining 50% market share with ignis.

Maruti wagon R stingray could merge with the next gen wagon r range as VXi variant.

Renault kwid 'live for more' edition introduced. Price yet to be revealed.

Lexus RC-F showcased in India in a dealer event. Expected to launch later this year.

Delhi: fatal accidents go down marginally in 2016 despite increase in number of vehicles.

USA: judge denies bail to former VW executive Oliver Schmidt.

Ford includes 6 airbags for figo and aspire titanium (o) trim.

Valteri Bottas signs up for Mercedes f1 team. Massa returns from retirement to race for Williams. Announcement ends suspense and driver merry-go-round started after shock retirement of world champion nico Rosberg.

Man and wife stranded after Tesla smart lock refused to open with smartphone. Smart lock refused to open as there was no network in smartphone.

Supreme court summons chief secretaries of 10 states for not filing status report of road safety in the states."Are we running a Panchayat, where states are not serious? Why are you ridiculing the supreme court?", the court asked.

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AUTO NEWS OF THE DAY- Friday, 6th January, 2017

Honda Navi Chrome and adventure variants launched.

Honda India sells nearly 5 million 2 wheelers in 2016.

Renault Samsung motors to develop global SUV. Decision backed by success of new koleos, developed in Renault Samsung technical centre, Yongin, South Korea.

Kia Sportage and soul crossovers spied testing on Indian roads.

Ssangyong korando c compact SUV launched in South Korea.

Next gen Mercedes E class LWB India launch by Feb end or March beginning. Longer than standard sedan by 140mm. Estimated to cost Rs. 55-70 lakhs.

Fiat India cuts prices of punto, linea. Reduced by up to 7-7.3% respectively.

Bentley continental GT supersport to debut today. Set to be most extreme Bentley ever.

Hyundai showcased hyper connected car at CES2017, Las Vegas. Also shown was Ioniq hybrid driverless car. Concept car also acts as air conditioner and power generator for houses.

BMW concept car lets passengers to listen to their own music. Car equipped with tech called sound curtains that allows each passenger to listen to their own music without headphones.

Intel announces 5G modems for phones, smart cars and drones.  To let cars decide faster to keep driver and car safe.

Toyota's concept car alerts other road users of upcoming intersections, u turns.' Concept-i' notifies vehicles behind the car using LED lights. Car integrated with virtual companion 'Yui' which learns driver's behaviours and patterns.

Maharashtra govt to launch new taxi service. Shivgramin taxi scheme, to ply in semi urban and rural areas. Uses Tata ace zip.

I don't think driverless cars will come to India, says Google CEO Sundar Pichai. Reiterates über CEO's Statement.

Cars and buses banned in Delhi's Connaught place for next 3 months. Move part of smart city project. 4000 alternative parking space and park and ride services introduced.

China launches its longest bullet train service. Dubbed Shangri-la of the world, runs between Beijing and Kunming, a 2760 km stretch, covered in 13 hours.

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AUTO NEWS OF THE DAY- Tuesday, 3rd January, 2017

Honda Navi Chrome and adventure Variants to launch soon.

Royal Enfield ends sales figures with 35% increase.

CNG kits launched for Automatic scooters. MGL and eco fuel launched it. Launched for Mumbai metropolitan region.

Mahindra mojo to be sold in exclusive dealerships.

Toyota innova crysta ZX to now get 16" rims.

Indian contingent enjoys strong start in Dakar rally. TVS sherco's Juan pedrero leads the pack after being 2nd overall in Moto category.

Govt allows bike taxis to operate in Ghaziabad, noida. 17 conditions set.

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AUTO NEWS OF THE DAY- Friday, 30th December, 2016

Suzuki GSX R150 production started in Indonesia. Has best power to weight ratio in the segment.

Pulsar 160 NS with 15.5 PS and 14.6 Nm of torque unveiled. Less powerful than 150 NS. 200 NS with new body colour showcased in Turkey along with 200 RS.

Low volume, high-end MV Agusta Brutale 1200 Coming soon.

Bs 4 compliant Honda unicorn 160 launched.

Yamaha XSR250, XSR300 cafe racer production to commence soon. To have modern tech in retro styled naked bike.

Royal Enfield Himalayan to launch in Thailand in 2017.

Maruti Suzuki Baleno and S cross to get minor updates. S cross to get new wheels, Baleno to get ISOFIX child seat points.

10,000 units of Baleno to be made in this fiscal year at Gujarat plant. Plant production to start from Feb.

Next gen Suzuki swift and dzire launched in Japan. To go on sale from Jan 4. India launch this year. Thailand launch in 2018. To come with 1.4L boosterjet engine.

Suzuki dzire tour (taxi variant) to be discontinued from march 2017.

Next gen Suzuki Jimmy to get its own platform, ALLGRIP Pro AWD. Expected to arrive in 2018.

Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza wins ICOTY 2017 award.

Tata motors to setup virtual reality showrooms. To attract tech savvy customers.

Thane traffic police sends thank you notes to motorists following rules. In collaboration with NGO 'thank you India'.

New leadership team announced in Mahindra. Business restructured with introduction of agriculture sector. To have presence in 3 sectors now- automotive, farm equipment and agriculture.

Ford ecosport facelift India launch in early 2017.

Tata xenon facelift to be called xenon yodha. Launch on Jan 3.

Indian oil despatches BS 6 grade diesel to automakers. Mathura refinery meets BS6 fuel quality ahead of target. High-speed diesel sent to Honda and Mahindra for testing.

Chinese firms fined for using BMW logo. £350,000 fine imposed by Shanghai court.

Alonso: I miss being in title race. Apart from winning in 2005-06, Alonso went into the final race with an eye on the crown in 2007,10 and 12.

Volvo's high-end 90 series to have Skype in built. Company also experimenting to incorporate Microsoft's Cortana digital assistance in its cars.

Volkswagen buys startup that developed app to help users pay for parking with their phones. Canadian startup PayByPhone testing pilot program in London.

Honda civic most searched car in Google in 2016.

Odd even scheme implemented in Spain for 1st time. To curb rising nitrogen oxides levels.

Bangalore man collects 70 kg of nails in 4 years to save tyres from puncture mafia. Covered 20 km stretch between his home and office.

Tesla's autopilot applies brakes anticipating highway crash in Netherlands. Seconds after Tesla model X braked, SUV crashes into a car ahead.

E-applications of driver's license doubles in Delhi after introduction of online payment of fees.

Panasonic to invest $256 million in Tesla's battery factory.

Haryana CM asks for setting up of caterpillar trains in gurugram. Caterpillar trains proposed by AK updhyay won innovation contest in MIT.

Demonetisation has given a severe blow to us, says Toyota Kirloskar MD. 30-40% downfall in sales.