Posts Tagged ‘Pune’

Scoop – Yamaha testing 50-135cc scooters in India

Japanese two-wheeler manufacturer Yamaha, who is riding the success wave with the FZ series and R15 motorcycle, has put three scooters (50 cc Neo, 115 cc Fino and 135 cc Spark) on test in India. Yamaha has also put these models on display across select dealerships in India.

This is nothing new considering they have been they have already spoken about it before and in a Pune dealership, some scooters have found fans already.

Scoop -

Our sources close to Yamaha tell us a scooter with a capacity of close to 125cc (either Fino or Spark) will be positioned as the market leader Honda Activa alternative. It will be about Rs 2,000 cheaper than the Activa with three or four extra features. The scooter could be launched during the time of Diwali.

The Honda Activa enjoys a 55 percent market share and it would take more than just price undercutting to displace it from the top.

The Indian scooter market is vastly populated with gearless scooters in the 100-125 cc range. Close to 12 lakh units of these easy-operation vehicles were sold in our country last year.

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Entry posted on September 29th, 2009 and filed under Yamaha

VW Polo prices to start at 4.25 lakh rupees; Two petrols and a diesel variant

VW_Polo_India

The chiseled Volkswagen Polo with its Scirocco inspired styling will debut at the Delhi Auto Expo next year in both petrol and diesel options. The company’s new facility in Pune will manufacture the hatchback and follow it up with a sedan and possibly a MPV and station wagon in the future.

The India-spec Polo in addition to the manual transmission, will be supplemented with an automatic transmission. Production of the Polo is set to begin early next year.

The sedan variant of the Polo, as we reported earlier, will be longer and wider to offer more legroom and comfort to rear passengers. This particular variant could compete with the likes of the Dzire, Indigo and Fiesta when it comes out next year.

Right from the beginning, VW is targeting a localization level of fifty percent for the hatchback. The Chakan plant in Pune, in full flow, will have an annual capacity of 1.1 lakh cars which it says will take 4 to 6 years to reach.

The company is eyeing a 8-10 percent market share by this period. After the Polo, the company is also planning on introducing a whole crate of other VW models from hatchbacks to imports.

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Entry posted on September 18th, 2009 and filed under Volkswagen

Naz Narrates – Ninja to bust some moves?

Bajaj_Kawasaki_Ninja_250RBajaj_Kawasaki_Ninja_250R_2

Another ray of hope for true bike lovers in India, one of the most awaited bikes, the Kawasaki Ninja 250R, was on display at Bajaj’s pro biking showroom at Pune recently. This means the wait for this monster is about to come to an end and a confirmation would be out in the near future.

The bike was parked at the showroom only for a limited period and it was only for Bajaj and Kawasaki officials to see the amount of space the bike would take and also to decide the ways and means to display to the customers. Like banners nearby or on raised platform, decorations, so on and so forth.

The bike will brought in as completely knocked down units and assembled here at Bajaj’s plant. This bike has two versions, carbureted and fuel injected. In India we will get the FI version which is the similar to the one sold in Europe.

The Ninja develops 33ps of power at 10,500 rpm and a torque of 22Nm at 9500 rpm. It has 6-speed gear box and a top speed of around 160 kmph. The bike will be available in two colors which are black and the trademark green.

The only noticeable change so far is the front number plate and the exhaust. The bike has an analog console which is a little bit of a disappointment to me. Although not confirmed, the bike is expected to cost somewhere between 2 to 2.5 lakh.

IAB Comment – start saving!

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Entry posted on September 4th, 2009 and filed under Bajaj

Spied – VW Polo in India

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Note – we had earlier carried a VW Polo spy video here

Someone who knows his VWs captured this Polo while it was testing in an unknown location. The newest iteration of the immensely famous Polo is going to be manufactured right here in India in its newly constructed facility in Pune. The Skoda Fabia is presently manufactured there and later on, several VW cars including the Up! and the Polo sedan will roll out from there.

The VW Polo will be officially launched in India at the upcoming Auto Expo (2010).

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Entry posted on September 2nd, 2009 and filed under Volkswagen

Renderings – Volkswagen Up!

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The Indian production plans of the VW Up! were discussed not once, but twice here before. With its two petrol and two diesel engine, this car is programmed to cave into the market of the ultra-light, ultra-small city cars that sip fuel and park in tight gaps.

Very soon, the Fiat Topolino is also said to join the pack the Toyota iQ and the Smart Fortwo are already serving right now elsewhere in the world. VW will utlize its facility in Pune to manufacture this car for select regions in partnership with the plant in Bratislava.

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Entry posted on August 27th, 2009 and filed under Renderings, Volkswagen

Kawasaki Ninja 250R spotted at Pune probiking showroom

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Has the little Ninja finally made it to India? I think so.

The Kawasaki Ninja 250R was snapped when on display at a Bajaj Probiking showroom in Pune. In the recent past, Bajaj had displayed the unreleased Pulsar variants in a similar manner, to collect feedback from its customers.

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Entry posted on August 20th, 2009 and filed under Bajaj, Bikes, Spy pictures

Spied – Tata Xenon single cab pickup in Pune expressway

Tata_Xenon_single_cab

Our reader Koushal Ghokle, who earlier tipped us on the E350’s whereabouts in Pune, now sends us proof of Tata testing the single cab Xenon on the very same roads. Spotted on the Pune bypass road, this car was doing speeds in excess of 100kph with its loading area filled with cans.

At present, Tata Motors sells the Xenon XT in India, which is the dual cab version. Tata had displayed the single cab version at the Delhi Expo last year.

Hit the jump to view that image

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Entry posted on August 19th, 2009 and filed under Spy pictures, Tata

Rendering – Skoda’s budget car based on Up!

Skoda’s new city car would be based on the parent company VW’s Up! platform. The new car might be named “Popular.”

The Popular is aimed at developing parts of the world where there is an ever lasting demand for small and economical cars. The city-runabout would make its first appearance in 2012, and we’ve dug up evidence proposing its Indian connection a while ago.

Skoda is looking to establish itself as a compact car maker. It does have SUVs and grand sedans in the line-up, but its plans going into the future insists there will be more budget than frills and flair. There’s the bigger hatchback that will slot inbetween the Fabia and the Octavia and plans to make a low-cost Octavia for India and other Asian countries.

click through to read the rest

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Entry posted on July 16th, 2009 and filed under Skoda

Case study- VW Up! will be built in a place called Bratislava; Will it be built in India as well?

With a lot of difficulty, I have read the translated version of teknikensvarld, a Swedish car magazine and this is how the story goes

What is the VW Up!?

The VW Up! is a concept which was shown to crowds at the Frankfurt Motor Show back in 2007. Similar to the Tata Nano, the VW Up! has its engine driving the rear axle and is placed under the rear seat.

Why did it spark our interest?

Simple. VW announced it will build the Up! in India back in 2007. A target price of around $7,500 was announced and it would compete with the smaller hatchbacks, such as the Hyundai Santro, Maruti Alto and the Chevrolet Spark in India. It was also rumored back then that VW would team up with Bajaj to see the concept through to an Indian production line.

What’s the latest information on the VW Up!?

An official announcement has arrived from VW that it will use Bratislava as a production centre for its Up! family of city cars from 2011 onwards. Bratislava is in the country of Slovak, the former borders Austria and Hungary.

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Entry posted on April 25th, 2009 and filed under Small cars, Volkswagen

VW Plant in Pune opens; Will manufacture the new Polo; Images and Press Release

VW Plant in Pune opens; Will manufacture the new Polo; Images and Press Release

The 2010 VW Polo was revealed at the Geneva Motor Show last month. It was one of the highly anticipated cars of 2009 given its long standing tradition of serving families with comfort, frugality and reliability.

Indians are new to the VW brand as they recently set shop in India and sell limited cars namely the Toureg, Jetta and Passat. We are rather fond of Skoda and recognize them for their Octavia and Laura, which have found heaps of buyers.

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Entry posted on April 2nd, 2009 and filed under Volkswagen

Rendering- Redesigned VW Polo which will roll out of Chakan in 2010

Rendering- Redesigned VW Polo which will roll out of Chakan in 2010

A renewed VW Polo hatchback and a sedan based on the Polo will roll out of VW’s Chakan Plant in Pune in 2010. VW’s Chakan plant will start functioning in April, producing sister compan Skoda’s Fabia, a year before original intentions. The underlying structures of the Skoda Fabia will be used to make the Polo and Polo sedan.

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Entry posted on January 29th, 2009 and filed under Facelift, Renderings, Volkswagen

IAB’s Exclusive coverage of Baja SAE India 2009 begins today

IAB’s Exclusive coverage of Baja SAE India 2009 begins today

The 2nd edition of BAJA SAE INDIA will be held from Jan 30th to Feb 2nd at NATRAX (National Automobile Test Tracks) facility of NATRIP (National Automotive Testing R&D infrastructure project) in Peethampur, Indore. There is a dedicated facility and a separate dirt Motocross track where the ultimate Endurance Race takes place. (Very similar to Le-Mans with 58 buggies but lasts only 4 hours!).

The best part is that, IAB will feature all the teams taking part in the competition and the main event itself.

“Baja SAE India consists of competitions that simulate real-world engineering challenges. Students as a team are tasked to design, build, test, promote and race an off-road vehicle that will survive the severe punishment of rough terrain.

The vehicle must be safe, easily transported, easily maintained and fun to drive. The objective of the competition is to provide SAE student members with a challenge that mirrors the steps involved in introducing a new product into the Marketplace”.

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Entry posted on January 2nd, 2009 and filed under Baja SAE India 2009

Tata Nano Bookings to open from March-April 2009

Tata Nano Bookings to open from March-April 2009

Head of Tata Motors’ engineering department, Nagbhushan, said that Tata Motors has sent ‘Release Candidate Test Mules’ of its one-lakh car – The Nano from its Pantnagar plant to three cities DehraDun, Almora and Ranikhet in the state of Uttarakhand, where its test run would be conducted for a day or two – in order to check the cars road ability and to implement vital updates to the cars dynamics.

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Entry posted on January 1st, 2009 and filed under Tata
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