Harley Davidson developing low cost motorcycle for India

Few weeks ago, two un-camouflaged V-Twin cruisers were spied testing on the roads of Faridabad in Haryana. The news of low cost motorcycle from Harley Davidson, few design cues from its other line of products and it having a CKD plant in Haryana has made us believe that test vehicles are the new low cost models from Harley Davidson. A report from Motorbeam now confirms that the test motorcycles are indeed a low cost motorcycle from the American manufacturer that are being tested.

he upcoming motorcycle is likely to get a new 500cc V-Twin engine that is rumoured to churn out 45bhp and 50Nm. This low cost Harley Davidson is being developed under a new platform called –G platform that will become the base design for future low cost models which are targeted to emerging markets like India.

It is likely the company will rely on local manufacturing to keep the price very competitive which might be possible as there is still time for this motorcycle to hit Indian roads as its currently in early stage of development. We expect the motorcycle to hit the market in next 2 years.

One of the reason we feel Harley Davidson will take their time to develop this motorcycle is because for the first time, they are developing a low cost and low displacement (883cc being the smallest one) motorcycle. They are known for developing some really nice big displacement cruisers, so ‘not very developed’ low cost motorcycle might give them bad PR which obviously no manufacturer would like to have.

Currently the company sells most of its motorcycles in India through completely-knocked-down (CKD) route. The cheapest Harley-Davidson you can buy in India is the Superlow for Rs 5.71 lakh. We can expect the upcoming low cost Harley to be sold in India somewhere between Rs 4.5 and Rs 5 lakh and might be called as ‘ReallyLow’

‘Bolt Gold’ Nissan GT-R delivered to its owner

In the car world, the Nissan GT-R is probably the best incarnation of the fast man on earth, Usain Bolt and to solidify this lineage, Nissan had earlier joined hands with Bolt to develop a unique GT-R. The car painted in ‘Bolt Gold’ to celebrate his 2012 Olympic triumph was auctioned earlier as a concept and Nissan has finally delivered the exhibit to its owner in Australia.

The car in context is a replica of the one owned by Bolt himself, and features a pair of unique titanium shaded alloy wheels hand-picked by the athlete along with the paint scheme. While the one owned by Bolt is a 2013 edition of the GT-R, the auctioned piece is a 2014 example and is pegged to a 553PS/627Nm, 3.6-litre twin turbo V6 engine.

In addition to its bright paint finish, the one-off GT-R features a number of gold elements in the cabin that include a special plaque embossed with Usain Bolt’s signature embossed onto it. The auctioned amount of USD 1,87,100 (Rs 1.25 crore) will be donated he athlete’s charitable foundation in his native Jamaica.

Beyond its uniqueness and the glaring paint job, the initiative is believed to be aimed at a noble cause, one that we feel a number of other celebrities and their endorsements can learn from. 

Honda Launched CBR250R in Indian market to Hit KTM Duke390. Dose it Stands Againts KTM Duke390??

Honda has fired a swift response to the KTM 390 Duke, launched just two days ago, by introducing the 2013 edition of CBR 250R bike. The updates, though, are merely cosmetic and the new CBR250R is now available in 4 new colours – Sports Red, Black, Pearl Sunbeam White and the hottest and priciest of the lot – the iconic Repsol racing livery that also adorns the RC213V MotoGP bike. 

Honda has cleverly kept the Repsol edition a limited one, putting it on sale only till October 2013 and that too in C-ABS variant. C-ABS, for the uninitiated, stands for Combined Anti-lock Braking System which essentially adds more bite to the bike’s braking capabilities. Other standout features on the new CBR250R include blacked-out alloys and exhaust heat shield. The Repsol edition, however, gets orange alloys. As aforementioned, there are no changes to the mechanicals and the CBR250R will continue to be powered by the same reliable 250cc, 26PS mill as on the outgoing model.

The new bikes will be available across all Honda dealerships by the end of the month and as per prices below. The question that comes to mind now is whether the changes to the CBR250R are enough to combat the KTM 390 Duke, which is all new, offers better performance, and comes with a whole lot of customisation options aside from being cheaper as well at Rs 1.80 lakh?

Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG price and review in India

During our stint at the AMG driving academy, the E63 AMG was called “the soft one”. We were told, with a slight smile, that the customers for the E63 were “gentlemen of an older persuasion”. Which makes you believe that the new all-wheel drive system fitted to the upcoming E63 AMG is something made to please that target group. AMG fans might see this as the death of the German muscle car – of all the AMGs, only the C63 will remain rear-drive only once the current generation updates go on sale.

Don’t let that fool you, though. The head of vehicle development at AMG, Tobias Moers, has said that he will make an AWD AMG only if it was done right. So the 4MATIC system in the E63 turns a blind eye to the traditional 45:55 torque split of the regular 4MATIC cars for a more sporty 70:30 in favour of the rear. What this means is more grip, but less hooliganism – which is what defined AMGs to most petrolheads seeking a four-door rocket.

Price In Delhi Ex Show room - About 1.29 Crores

The four-wheel drive doesn’t add as much weight as a Quattro system, and neither does it rob the E of steering feel, so all might not be lost. It still retains its guttural bark on startup and the menacing roar that makes other cars get out of the way. It’s just that there aren’t any tyre-melting powerslides to go along with it any more.

We aren’t sure if India will get the rear-drive only model or the 4MATIC – the former will be slightly cheaper to purchase and easy to maintain, while the second will be far more useful on our less-than-perfect roads. There are also two variants to choose from: the “AMG Performance Pack” is now the S Model, with an extra 1.5psi of turbocharger boost taking power from the standard car’s 550PS and 720Nm to 590PS and 800Nm. Those latter figures make it the king of the spec sheet in the performance saloon territory.

Of course, the interior will be as luxuriously appointed as before, and of course, India will not get the estate version – but for those gentlemen of an older persuasion looking at the E63, there’s one thing you need to know: the S Model 4MATIC gets to 100kmph 0.2 seconds quicker than another AMG: the SLS.

There’s just two more words to say to those still not convinced: Black Series.

Next generation Porsche 911 GT3 RS in the pipeline

Porsche 911 GT3 RS, named after the GT3 European Championship is set for its next iteration by 2014. The news follows the official unveil of the GT3 at this year’s Geneva Motor Show as Porsche plans to expand its 911 series.

The new GT3 RS will most definitely live up to the expectations of the RS badge and will be a track focused model like its predecessor. Reports claim that the car may be powered by an inline flat six-cylinder 4.0-litre engine or a retuned version of the 3.8-litre found under the hood of the new GT3. The performance figures are expected to be in the range of 500PS with the dual-clutch PDK gearbox as standard.

The new 911 GT3 RS is expected to be even wider than the 911 GT3 and will inherit design cues from the 2013 911 Turbo. The four-wheel steer from the GT3 and the Turbo S is also expected to feature in the new RS along with a track tuned suspension, electronic rear differential and titanium exhausts. Extensive use of carbon fibre including an adjustable rear wing will help improve the Nürburgring lap time of the RS to less than 7 minutes 25 seconds.

RS badged Porsche’s have been a favourite among enthusiasts with the likes of Jenson Button and Patrick Dempsey owning them. It is the most track-focused production car from the Porsche line up and is not meant for the faint hearted. Stay tuned for more updates on the car which are expected to surface closer to the year end.

BMW may increase price by AUG 15

BMW is likely to increase prices of all models across the line up including the cars under the Mini brand. The price hike is expected to come into effect from August 15 and is expected to be around five per cent.

The hike is most likely due to the depreciating value of the Rupee and the impact that it has had on the economy. The most obvious reason is that BMW much like its ‘Big German three’ counterparts Audi and Mercedes-Benz imports its parts and this is hurting its profit as well as cost margins.   

The hike is not one of surprise, as the measure has already been taken by mass market manufacturers like General Motors and Mahindra who manufacture their cars locally. Maruti on the other hand had earlier opted to outsource some of its parts production to local manufacturers but is also likely to up their prices in the near future.

Other manufacturers are expected to follow, but the current lethargic market makes the decision a dicey one for the manufacturers who are currently have their work cut out in terms of meeting their targets.

The approaching festive season is hoped to improve the current state and manufacturers are eyeing the period to introduce new and improved models in an effort to tap the possible bloom in the market.

Lamborghini Gallardo series LP 570-4 Super Trofeo single-series race car

Lamborghini has announced another edition to its Gallardo series with a road legal version of the LP 570-4 Super Trofeo single-series race car. Dubbed the LP 570-4 Squadra Corse, the baby Lamborghini mimics its sinful race car sibling quite brilliantly. Set to debut at this year’s Frankfurt Motor Show, the Squadro Corse is named after the new motorsports department at Lamborghini Automobili.

Based on the Gallardo Superleggera, the Squadra Corse inherits the 578PS-V10 engine from the race car along with the carbon fibre rear wing. This addition generates nearly three times the down produced on the standard Gallardo, enough to replace a pile driver.

The inside gets an array of carbon fibre inputs on the door panels, the centre console, the handbrake frame and lower section of the steering wheel. The health conscious Squadra Corse has also opted for carbon-fibre bucket seats and Alcantara inserts in an effort to stay fit and as a result weighs nearly 70kg lighter than the standard car.

The performance figures of this baby faced assassin may make the standard Gallardo look rather subdued. The 0-100km drag clocks at 3.4 seconds while the run to 200kph is completed in 10.4 seconds. The car comes to a standstill courtesy of the bright red carbon-ceramic disk brakes.

Road legal twins of race bred supercars have always fascinated us, and when it bears a raging bull badge from Italy things only get better.  One word of advice though for anyone who intends to own this monster, please fasten your seatbelts, the ride might just rip you apart!