India’s second largest two-wheeler company Bajaj Auto is all set to launch its first KTM bike in India, in May 2009.

This would mark the company’s entry into the 750cc segment.

The Bajaj KTM bikes will be launched as Completely Knock Down (CKD) units. Bajaj’s KTM bike will be priced over Rs 2 lakhs.

Meanwhile, Bajaj Auto’s 250cc Kawasaki Ninja 250R will also hit the Indian roads in May 2009. The Kawasaki Ninja 250R, that will be launched as a CBU product, is likely to be priced in the range of Rs 2.5-3 lakh.

The Indian automotive major also plans to roll out its latest bike, the Bajaj XCD 135 cc DTS-Si, with drum brakes soon. The date of the launch of the Bajaj XCD 135 cc DTS-Si is yet to be finalized.

The Bajaj XCD 125 bikes are already available in the Indian market at a price tag of Rs. 43,000. The Bajaj XCD 135 cc DTS-Si will be priced at Rs. 45,000.

Bajaj had presented a range of KTM bikes at the Auto-Expo 2008 in Delhi, which was held in January 2009. These were the rally-tested 690 Supermoto, the superior street bike the 690 Duke, the powerful 990 Adventure, the light and agile 250 EXC-F, and the ultra-precise performer the 990 Superduke.

Earlier, Bajaj had increased its stake in KTM, from 14.5 per cent to 25 percent. Bajaj had taken a 14.5% stake in KTM through its 100% Netherlands subsidiary, Bajaj Auto International Holdings BV.

KTM is famous for its sharp brand positioning, differentiated designs, and hyper performance bikes.

Bajaj now aims to focus on the value segment and will, therefore, launch two bikes in a span of 4 to 5 months.

Meanwhile, Bajaj Auto is also planning to double the number of its Bajaj Probiking outlets, from 21 to 42 outlets, by 2011.

Bajaj Auto has poured in Rs 150 crores to set up the Probiking network across India, so far. The company plans to position the Probiking outlets as a space for dedicated bikers, shopping for high-performance motorcycles.

The Bajaj Probiking showroom will display all Bajaj high-end motorcyles, such as the Pulsar 200 cc and Avenger 200 cc upwards, Kawasaki, and KTM bikes.

The company said that while KTM models will be sold as an extreme high-performance bike for a niche segment of bike enthusiasts, Bajaj models will be sold on the performance plank to a mass audience.

Much has been made of Indian industrial giant Tata's "$2500 car," dubbed the Nano. But the truth is that while many Americans might be fascinated with the idea of paying a mere two-and-a-half-large for a brand-new automobile, the Nano would barely qualify as a modern car in the minds of most. With essentially no amenities (let alone emissions or safety equipment) to speak of, and with power for this 5-door 4-seater coming from a 30-horsepower, 2-cylinder engine, some Americans have more tech and power in their riding mowers than in this bad boy. 
 

But according to Tata, the new Nano Europa unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show is not merely a concept but a full-fledged production model ready for prime time in the continent's auto market. Thus it meets all of the European safety regulations in crash worthiness, and includes features such as front passenger airbags, stability control and ABS.

Power will come from a 3-cylinder, all-aluminum engine (displacement not given) mated to a 5-speed automatic transmission. The company says this powertrain will be a "class-leader" in both high fuel-efficiency and low CO2 emissions.

Perhaps with a few tweaks to upgrade the crashworthiness and emissions, it would not be inconceivable to see this car make its way across the Atlantic to the U.S. in a few years.

Nano America, anyone?

BUT HANG ON GUYS THIS WONT BE A " LAKHTAKIA", EVERYTHING COMES FOR A PRICE.

For the past year or so Bentley's enthusiastic engineering board member, Dr. Ulrich Eichhorn, has been talking about bio-fuels with a zealot's intensity. He also seemed quite fond of teasing the media, dropping subtle hints about what was to come while never actually revealing anything — the automotive equivalent of a glimpse of Victorian ankle. 
 
Now we know why. The Bentley Continental Supersports revealed at the Geneva Motor Show is the most powerful road-going Bentley to date: 621 bhp and 590 lb.-ft. of torque. No wonder Bentley is claiming a 204-mph top speed and zero to 60 in 3.7 seconds.

Yes, but how does a car this powerful fit into a world dominated by collapsing economies and a need to be more eco-friendly? Think of it from Bentley's perspective: This project probably started 24–30 months ago when the words "sub," "prime" and "mortgage" appeared mostly on Scrabble boards. The car industry is imploding, multimillionaire sports stars can't get loans for cars and we're all going green. 

Which is where this latest Bentley fits in: The Continental Supersports is capable of running on either petrol or E85 biofuel, or any combination of the two. E85 biofuel can offer a reduction of up to 70 percent in CO2 emissions on a "well-to-wheel" basis, which is a measurement of a fuel's net CO2 contribution to the atmosphere, not just tailpipe emissions. It includes refinement, distillation and transport of the fuel. The fuel supply system detects the blending ratio of the fuel in the tank and ensures that power and torque remain constant regardless of the ratio of petrol to biofuel.

E85 ethanol makes the Continental Supersports the most powerful street-legal Bentley ever.

In reaching back into its storied history, Mercedes' ultra exclusive brand showed the 2010 Maybach Zeppelin, a car that pays homage to one of the great limousines of the 1930s. Offered in both the standard length 57 S and the long wheelbase 62 S, the Maybach Zeppelin is distinguished by its unique two-tone paint scheme of light brown and black.
  

Other improvements include new streamlined outside mirrors, 20-in. chrome shadow wheels and Zeppelin lettering beneath the double M emblem on the radiator. Power comes from a 6.0-liter V-12 producing 631 bhp and 738 lb.-ft. of torque.

Inside, the Zeppelin features a combination of California beige and Stomboli black leathers that play off the exterior paint scheme. Piano black lacquer accents add to the elegant surroundings. And it's not just the new car smell that sets the Zeppelin apart, but rather a high-quality perfume atomizer that sprays premium fragrances at the touch of a button. The atomizer features a Plexiglas sphere mounted on the rear center console and can be activated either from the driver's seat or the rear center console. The chosen fragrance wafts into the passenger compartment in 10 to 12 seconds, with the system shutting down after 10 minutes.

The Zeppelin will be offered for sale beginning this summer with the first deliveries slated for January 2010

As first blush, there is little on the exterior of the 2010 Porsche 911 GT3 to tell you that this version of the company's ultimate performance car is any different than preceding models. Indeed, what makes this dual-purpose road and track machine so special are the improvements in the engine bay and the availability of stability control for the first time.
  

At the rear end of the car, the 3.6-liter flat-6 has been enlarged to 3.8 liters enabling the engine to produce 435 bhp, a gain of 20 over the pervious model. And the engine features variable cam timing for the first time on both the intake and exhaust valves. Porsche says the gain in performance results in 0–62 mph acceleration in 4.1 seconds and enables the GT3 to hit a top speed of 194 mph.

The new 911 GT3 is also equipped with a more sporting variant of the Porsche Stability Management (PSM) system that allows the driver the option of deactivating both stability control and traction control in separate steps. Unlike the standard PSM, once these systems are turned off, they stay off until reactivated by a push of a button or the car is restarted.

While the overall look of the car remains the same, improvements to the aerodynamic package more than double downforce. Other upgrades include larger brake discs, new bi-xenon headlamps, LED taillights and a revised active suspension with stiffer settings. The GT3 goes on sale this fall in the U.S. with an MSRP of $112,000.

Just unveiled at the Geneva Auto Show is the 2010 Lamborghini Murciélago LP670-4 SV. The number 670 represents the car's metric horsepower rating (661 bhp in the U.S.), the SV stands for SuperVeloce (extreme speed) and the number 4 signifies all-wheel-drive. 
 

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The bump in horsepower from the standard Murciélago's 640 hp (631 bhp SAE) was accomplished with modified intake system and increased valve lift. According to the factory, the 30-horsepower gain helps to push the new SV to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 3.2 sec. Top speed of 212 mph is reached with the standard rear spoiler. A larger rear "Aeropack Wing" can also be ordered to improve stability at high speeds, though the top speed is then reduced to 209 mph.

To further enhance performance, the SuperVeloce went on a diet with lighter components such as a new exhaust system, optimized high-strength sectional steel for the chassis, and sport bucket seats covered with Alcantara. All contributed to the car's overall weight reduction of about 220 lb. 

On the outside, a redesigned carbon-fiber front spoiler is pulled forward and painted in matte black to emphasize the SV's increase in power. Larger air intakes for the front brakes are installed, with additional vents in place on the fenders for better cooling. At the rear, a single, flat exhaust tip is complemented underside by a two-level carbon-fiber diffuser.

The sticker price for the new car is set to be around $450,000. Only 350 SVs will be produced. Look for the new car to arrive in the showrooms early summer.

Yes, the Toyota Fortuner is finally coming to India. But the news is that it would be launched only towards the end of 2009 - and that means beginning of 2010. Yaaaarghhhh… (pray for a Diwali 2009 launch, guys.)

If there is an award for the most maddening automobile rumour in Indian automotive history, it should go to the Fortuner.

Unfortunately, we have to report every rumour that comes our way. If we don’t the rumour might turn out to be true in a couple of months and we would be the fools who let a good story go. So here we go again, singing the praises of the nth coming of the Toyota Fortuner.

The Fortuner was initially introduced in - 2005! So thats a goodly 4 years gone by, and probably one more to do. Some of us who were college kids when we heard about it have no developed a paunch and drive Scorpios.


The Toyota Fortuner is a good looker, alright. We do not know if the Fortuner that would finally make it here would be the current model, or an upcoming facelifted variant. Will have to wait and see. The facelifted version of the Fortuner, though, I think looks a bit like the Landcruiser Prado from the front. Not a bad thing.

What you would get in the Fortuner would be projector type headlamps and foglamps, side step, alloy wheels, and the standard SRS airbags, ABS, etc.

Expected price for the Fortuner would be something between Rs 16 lakhs and Rs 20 lakhs. See, it can’t get more accurate than that. There is a bit of time to go, and lots of things, such as duties, input costs coudl go up; on the other hand, the economy would not pick up and government might be forced to cut duties for many classes of vehicles. Or things could go all wonky and the Fortuner may never make it to India at all. Anything’s possible. Already, car purchases, especially at the high end, are down in the ditch.


But if and when it comes, Toyota would give the Fortuner two engines - one, a petrol 2700 cc and the second, a 2500 diesel. The petrol would be a four-cylinder engine, while the diesel Fortuner would have a turbo. Power would be somewhere above and below 160 bhp for both. There are also some counter-rumours which say that no, there would only be a single diesel engine. Who knows? Don’t take any of this as the final word - like I said, there is a lot of time to go, and anything can change.

An automatic and a manual version are to be expected, though. After all, every SUV including the Scorpio in India now have an automatic, or have an automatic variant planned. So it is quite likely that Toyota would launch the Fortuner in India with an automatic. Four wheel drive also is expected.

We would like to see the Fortuner in India though. It has been a long time that the Honda CR-V is ruling the luxury SUV market in India, and I really would like to see them brought down a notch. It won’t be Chevrolet who will do it - it has to be Toyota. The only real competition for the Honda Civic in India is the Toyota Corolla, and the Toyota Camry battles the Honda Accord. No one else has the brand image that these two has. So it has to be a Hodna CR-V vs Toyota Fortuner battle.

Toyota Kirloskar has always been very cagey about the Fortuner for India. in the last 4 years, I don’t think they have ever clearly said whether the Fortuner is coming or not. They have already lost out on half the sales numbers of the CR-V already anyway.

I am personally not a fan of the looks of the CR-V. The new chrome lip, and the sedan-ish windows look quite awkward to me, not something which all those satisfied customers of the CR-V agree on. But the Toyota Fortuner is quite classically handsome, with strong and modern lines never once crossing over into the realm of the gaudy and the vulgar.

People have spotted the Fortuner being road-tested in India in many locations. Hopefully they would get the pricing right and launch it as soon as possible

Engine type:

Toyota Fortuner petrol engine specs (4×2 petrol)

VVT-i, 4-Cylinder In-Line DOHC, 16 Valve

CC: 2,694

PS: 160 at 5,200 RPM
Torque: 241 @ 3,800 RPM
Transmission: Gate-Type, 4-Speed Automatic with ECT
Fuel system: Electronic Fuel Injection (EFI)
Toyota Fortuner diesel engine (4×4 diesel)

Engine type:

Toyota Fortuner diesel engine (4×4 diesel)

Direct Injection, 4-Cylinder In-Line, DOHC 16 Valve, Variable Nozzle Turbo with Intercooler

CC: 2,982
PS: 163 at 3,400 RPM
Torque: 343 @1,400 ~ 3,200 ROM
Transmission: Gate-Type, 4-Speed Automatic with ECT
Fuel system: Direct Injection Common Rail (D-4D)

There is a 4×2 diesel engine too, but it has a maximum output of 102 PS, and I don’t think Toyota would bother introducing that engine for the Fortuner in India. It would be too anemic for us.