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.
A day after we reported that GM is planning to launch new variants of Chevrolet Spark, GM has launched a special Edition of Chevrolet Spark, named as Spark Muzic.
As the name suggests, the Spark Muzic is launched to attract the young generation who are tight on budget and want a funky car with all the bells and whistles.
We’ll be thrilled to see what Chevrolet has to say when they see this one (we’ve sent this article as an email to them) This is what happens when you have a small car with big aspirations but a faulty instruction manual.
OK, so Chevrolet replaced the 800 cc engine on the Matiz with a 1,000cc motor and renamed it the Spark. The power intensified by a few horsepower and everyone was happy. Not everyone, apparently.
General Motors is en route to launch LPG & CNG cars in India in the next few months. This announcement was made after the American company is trying to strengthen the SUV segment by launching the Automatic transmission variant of it’s best selling Captiva, priced at Rs. 20.3 Lakh.
Karl Slym General Motors India President (GMI) and Managing Director confirmed that their strategy for this year is to bring in more fuel efficient cars and introduce vehicles powered by (other) fuels like CNG and LPG, besides having different power-trains and different displacements. The company will be launching a LPG-driven car in the first half of this year.
We speculate it’s the 800 cc version of the Spark which has been in GM’s pipeline for a long while now. The Aveo, which underwent a minor cosmetic surgery last year, will also be blessed with the LPG heart along with a 1.4-liter diesel engine by the end of 2009. A thoughtful move given the slash in LPG prices by the Indian government. No info on the Cruze or the Beat launch dates yet, until then stay tuned to IAB for more information.
A very swift spy photographer has had a shot of heavily camouflaged Chevrolet Beat prototype lounging around at New York’s Rochester Institute of Technology. The camouflaged runabout was spotted in a parking lot on the university’s grounds.
As you may recall, the Chevy Beat was the most popular of a trio of concepts (Beat,Groove & Trax) that Chevy showed to the world at last years New York Auto Show. Based on General Motors’ new global mini-car platform, the Beat was originally designed to be the sportiest of the triplets with only two doors and a 1.2L 16-valve DOHC inline-four cylinder,turbocharged petrol engine mated to either a manual or automatic gearbox.
Speculation has it, that the Chevrolet Beat will be launched in the Korean markets first, as a four door version and without a turbocharger. The production is set to take place there in mid-2009, but with GM struggling to make its ends meet even after receiving the bail-out package, delays should be inevitable.
The latest edition of AutoBild magazine has a rendering of the Chevrolet Beat, along with 24 other cars. Grab a copy- it’s an exciting read full of eye candy.
