New colors for Yamaha FZ16

Yamaha once again seems to please its customers by launching new vibrant color variants which the enthusiasts had been asking for a very long period of time.

4 new colors available for FZ are – Purple, Yellow, Blue and the Special edition Carbon Fiber imported White

The white one was a special edition with Carbon Fiber(imported from Yamaha) inserts above the headlight, on the fuel tank and on the tail section of the bike. It also had an imported handle bar which was much thicker than the stock. Now comes the worse part, this version costs around Rs 94000/- on road. The price list is as follows:

FZ16: Rs 75000/-
White color: Rs 5000/-
Carbon fiber on headlight assembly, tail section, fuel tank: Rs 10000/-
Handle bar: Rs 4000/-
Net total: Rs 94000/-

While the new added carbon fiber white FZ sports the add-ons for weight reduction and sporty feel, the other new color variants remained unchanged of any hands on upgrade.

Wheels Guru View –

The new variants are pleasing and very innovative (especially the carbon fiber aided cluster) first in India, the actual worth comes down for an Indian buyer who can actually think of the carbon assisted valuables as nota means to improve the bike on the performance front.

The FZ always felt a bit underpowered for its huge looks and feel and lacks a bigger mill, nevertheless its a very positive approach from Yamaha Indiain strenghtening its sports orinted image and widening their customer base and we might as well see some really good products from Yamaha base in the near future as they have promised recently.





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Suzuki Motorcycle India to invest Rs. 150 Cr in 3 years

Suzuki Motorcycle said on Wednesday that it will invest Rs, 150 crore in expanding its manufacturing capacity by 2012.

Rakesh Kumar, Zonal Head (north and east) of Suzuki Motorcycle India, told that at present, the existing plant at Gurgaon has manufacturing capacity of 175,000 bikes annually and have plans to invest Rs 150 crore in phases to increase the manufacturing capacity to 450,000 bikes annually by 2012.

Wheels Guru View –

What Suzuki is lacking at this point of time is a focus towards its target audience and reaching out to the masses. Suzuki’s performance oriented bikes, during the 2 stroke era, were a biker’s dream for the rush of adrenaline it used to produce. The products are good but they need to be properly placed in the exact audience so that they can take the decision of giving it a shot.

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Honda to introduce beefed-up Accord in March ’09

Honda Car India will be launching its top-of-the-line Honda Accord with the 3.5 Litre V6 engine in the last week of March 2009 in India. The V6 Accord also has the distinction of having of the biggest and one of the most powerful engines on a front wheel drive car.

The powerful i-VTEC motor develops a very healthy 270 bhp which will be detuned for the Indian fuel to around 250 bhp which is still more than enough for some breath-taking performance numbers. It’s unclear whether the engine will feature the Variable Cylinder Management technology(VCM) or not, which switches off 2 or even 3 cylinders on the V6 motor under part throttle or consistent cruise mode to save on fuel, in which case the ‘ECO’ lights up on the instrument panel.

Though there will be no manual option as the engine will be mated to a 5-Speed Automatic Transmission. The V6 model will also feature 17 inch wheels and thicker anti-roll bars to rein in all the extra power.

The V6 version will cost around 1.5 Lakhs more than the 4 Cylinder variant.

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SBI’s stratigic move to freeze loan rates.

State Bank of India on Friday said that it will freeze the interest rates on new car loans at 10 per cent for a year. The bank said that the new rates will be applicable to all customers availing loans between February 23, 2009 and May 31, 2009. After the freeze-period, the rates will be reset at the applicable card rate contracted as on the date of sanction under the respective schemes, the bank said.

Another important thing to remember is that SBI will be the sole booking agent for Tata Nano.

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Mahindra Xylo head to head with Toyota Innova

Mahindra Xylo vs Toyota Innova Specification Comparison

Vehicle	Mahindra Xylo	Toyota Innova
Variant	E8 8S	GX 8S
Engine
Type	4 Cyl, Turbo diesel, mEagle CRDe	4 Cyl, Turbo diesel
Displacement	2498 CC	2494 CC
Max power	112 bhp @ 3800 RPM	102 bhp @ 3600 RPM
Max Torque	24 kgm @ 1800-3000 RPM	20.4 kgm @ 1400-3400 RPM
Suspension
Front	Independent Coil springs, Double Wishbone Type with Anti-roll bar	Double wishbone with stabilizer
Rear	Multi Link coil springs	Multi Link Coil Springs
Tyres	215/75 R15	205/65 R15
Brakes
Front	Ventilated Disc	Ventilated Disc
Rear	Drum	Drum
Dimensions
Wheelbase	2760 mm	2750 mm
Width	1850 mm	1770 mm
Length	4520 mm	4580 mm
Height	1895 mm	1755 mm
Ground Clearance	186 mm	176 mm
Turning Radius	5.4 m	5.4 m
Fuel Tank Capacity	55 lit	55 lit
Weight
Kerb weight	1830 Kg	1655 Kg
Gross Weight	2475 Kg	2300 Kg
Features
Exterior
Alloy Wheels	Y	N
Front & Rear Wash/Wipe	Y	Y
Front Fog Lamps	Y	N
Rear fog Lamps	Y	N
ORVM	Body coloured/Electric	Body coloured/Electric
Interior
Clock	Y	Y
Multi Info display	Y	N
Door ajar warning	Y	Y
Seat belt warning	Y	Y
Power outlet	1	2
Seat & Interior Trims
Seat Material	Fabric	Fabric
Seat Height Adjustment	Y	Y
Arm rest For Driver/Passenger	Y	N
Arm rest For Driver/Passenger or second & third row	Y	N
Comfort & Convenience
Rear AC vents	Y	Y
Puddle Lamps on doors	Y	N
Tilt steering	Y	Y
Power Steering	Y	Y
Power windows	Y	Y
Audio System	2 DIN	N
Speakers	6 Nos	4 Nos
Audio control on steering	N	Y
Keyless Entry	Y	N
Parking Sensor	Y	N
Illumination Ring	Y	N
Rear Defooger	Y	Y
SAFETY
ABS	N	N
Airbags	N	N
Immobilizer	Y	Y
PRICE	Rs 7,54,200	Rs. 9,42,076

Swift breaks all records

Maruti Swift recently crossed the 300,000 unit cumulative domestic sales mark within just three years and nine months, making it the fastest selling model in its segment. Launched back in May 2005, the Swift managed to achieve this landmark figure in mid-February 2009.

While the petrol version has been available since the time of the launch, the diesel version powered by Fiat’s 1.3-litre Multijet engine was launched in January 2007. According to Maruti, the diesel version contributes to about 60 percent of total sales, with the balance coming from the 1.3-litre petrol version. In the current financial year, the Swift has sold 91,288 units (April 2008 to January 2009), against 71,113 units last year, representing a growth of 28 percent.

Demand for the diesel Swift has consistently outstripped supply and Maruti has taken time to ramp up production of the Multijet engine, as well as increase production of the car itself. The record sales figure relates only to the hatchback version of the Swift and does not include its saloon version, the Dzire, which is based on the same platform and has also been selling very strongly.

Rival models such as the Hyundai Santro, that was launched in Sep 1998, took 4 years and 7 months to touch the 3-lakh landmark. While the Tata Indica that was launched in December 1998, took more than 5 years and 3 months to complete the same sales landmark. Even Maruti’s own Alto model, that was launched in Sept 2000, took more than 4 years and 9 months to sell as many cars.

Source – ACI

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Kwacker in Mogto GP colours

The Kawasaki Ninja 250R will be available in the market from March 2009, with a new colour and special edition graphics. The new livery is a tribute to Kawasaki racing spirit.

The Ninja 250R is a perfect bike as a transition into the world of motorcycling, and the new look is based on a colour play of black, the great Ninja green and white details, with green stripes on the wheels.

The Special Edition Ninja 250 R is offered alongside the current colour options of Lime Green and Metallic Diablo Black.

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Hyundai to come up with a Diesel version of i20 in 2009

Hyundai has reiterated its stand to launch diesel variant of i20 in 2009. Hyundai which currently sells i20 with a 1.2L kappa petrol engine in India may start selling i20 diesel by the end of 2009.

In international markets i20 is offered with 1.4L and 1.6L diesel engines. To qualify for the small car excise norm, Indian i20 diesel is likely to get 1.4L engine. But Hyundai remains tight lipped.

Cometh the Fiat 500C Cabriolet

Fiat has released the official photographs of the 500C, a cabriolet model of the immensly popular 500. The car has not been revealed to the public but only to the people who registered on the car’s official website.

The new 500C draws its inspiration from the 1957 convertible model and has the same dimensions as the 500.

The car will came with the same range of petrol and diesel engines starting with the 1.2 Litre Petrol developing 69 bhp, a 1.3 Litre Multijet Diesel with 75 bhp and another 1.4 Petrol with a healthy 100 bhp. All the engine are mated to a 5-Speed manual transmission. The petrol engines can also be had with the robotized dual logic automatic transmission.

The little Fiat uses a clever “parallelogram hinge device” which enables the ragtop to fold over the luggage compartment keeping the luggage almost the same as the hard top model.

The company has also equipped the 500C with the ’start&stop’ system which shuts the engine off when car is stopped in neutral and the clutch is released. The car is restarted again as soon as a gear is selected. This new techology would help the little Fiat’s green credentials.

The car will be available in three colors Ivroy, Red and Black and the original soft top will also be matched with several bodywork color schemes of which two have been specifically concieved for this car, brilliant pearl red and special warm grey.

Fiat is also emphasizing on the safety part which has not been compromised in the ragtop version

Press Release

A worldwide preview of the Fiat 500C presentation will take place at the next Geneva Motorshow, before its launch throughout Europe this spring. Evocative of “freedom and emotion”, this original ‘cabriolet’ pays homage to the open-top 1957 model whilst offering leading-edge solutions for mechanical units, powerplants and interior comfort. All this in authentic Fiat tradition giving access to higher segment engineering and technology hitherto unheard of.

Featuring an innovative softtop – a fully fledged window to the sky – the new 500C comes in the same size as the basic model (3.55 m x 1.65 m x 1.49 m) and the same three powerplants: the 1.3 liter 75 HP Multijet Turbodiesel coupled to a 5-speed manual transmission and the two 1.2 liter 69 HP and 1.4 liter 100 HP gasoline engines, available with either manual or robotized Dualogic transmission. Providing different features, all three engine types are generously sized, have a brilliant temperament and offer high performance based on sophisticated technology. Standard features include stubborn reliability and environmental friendliness.

Moreover, as proof of Fiat Automobiles commitment to ecology and sustainable mobility, the new 500C incorporates the innovative “Start&Stop” system, a device controlling momentary engine shutdown and subsequent reignition. To this end, at every stop when shifting to neutral and releasing the clutch, the engine is switched off and then restarted simply by selecting a gear.

Created by the Fiat Styling Center and manufactured at the Tichy plant in Poland, the 500C is of the “open source” design, implying the addition of new functions to a highly successful existing product. Indeed, the Fiat 500C incorporates all the strong points of the basic model, namely top-of-segment safety features, 4-adult seat habitability and generous luggage space combined with excellent loadability also with the soft top fully open, thanks to a clever parallelogram hinge device.

A highly original exercise in design, the softtop of the Fiat 500C stands out for its refined electrically operated linkage and engineering solutions of great quality and finish, such as the glass backlight and the built-in center high mounted stop light. Available in three colors (ivory, red and black), this original soft top will be matched with several bodywork color schemes, two of which have been conceived specifically for the new car, i.e. a brilliant Pearl Red and a special Warm Grey typical of sports supercars. Last but not least, thanks to the adoption of the innovative sliding softtop combined with a styling concept which retains all-round protection, the Fiat 500C offers a delightful ride in any season of the year. All told, its many special features make this new car one of the best turned out cabriolet models currently on offer in the city-car segment.

The 500C is further proof of Fiat’s undisputed leadership in this vehicle class where continuous innovation ensures that its position as the industry’s standard is maintained. In fact the car sets new levels of in terms of comfort and safety, engineering and appointments whilst maintaining that unique and inimitable “Italian style”. A new cabriolet is born which gives great excitement and utmost driving pleasure, combining captivating lines with the performance of flexible, environment-friendly engines.

Birthday wishes for Valentino Rossi

Today is Valentino Rossi’s 30th birthday and many people may think why does a motorcycle rider get so much attention from the Italian and Spanish media and not only from them. It’s hard to not remember 8 World Championship Titles, 97 race wins, second only to the great Giacomo Agostino, 151 podium finishes and 51 pole positions and 78 fastest laps and 3720 championships points in his career or his special helmets or his colorful post race celebrations.

Valentino’s popularity and following is second to none in the motorcycling world and on the web, according to Mike Werner from Bikes in the Fast Lane, only in Facebook, the popular social network, Rossi has 972,263 registered fans compared to 2007 World Champion Casey Stoner who has 32,621 registered fans or his old rival Max Biaggi who has a mere 5,027 registered fans. If you check out Spanish website La Lista Wip (the webs important persons survey) Rossi finds himself in 254th position world wide and 4th in Italy with 6.371.769 web references.

Italian sports daily, Gazzetta dello Sport interviewed ‘The Doctor’ in occasion of his birthday and one of the questions they asked him what would he like as a special present, and his answer was the “maybe a new world title”.

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