At Delhi Yamaha showcased two of its models which are likely to be launched in the third week of February if reports are to be believed. Though these two are no R15s or FZs but one of them isn’t pretty bad. The SZ looks promising to play the role of a tone downed conventional Yamaha for the commute kinds. With a 150cc engine from the FZ range the bike is quite punch packed as far as power is concerned. It would be retailed around Rs. 60,000 on road which would make it cheaper than its rivals Pulsar 150 and Unicorn by 5000 rupees. As far as I can find the only reason for the lesser price is the absence of front disc brakes. If the SZ would get the mileage figures right it would put Yamaha into the numbers game.

SZ up close 360 degree video:

The YBR is the Yamaha of the recent past, from when Yamaha made bikes like Alba and G5. Honestly compared to the G5 YBR is pretty dull. One would think given Yamaha’s current trend it might as well add a bit of life to the G5 to make a commute Yamaha like YBR, but no.

Though The Auto Expo closed down a week back we aren’t done with it.

Fiat showcased two new variants of it Honda City rival Linea. One is a turbocharged variant of its current 1.4L petrol engine. This car is called the Linea T-Jet and is expected to make it to the showrooms by March this year. The T-Jet would have 20 more PS of power at 110ps compared to the current turbo-less Petrol engine.

The second Linea is more significant in terms of new technology. This Linea is called Dualogic which means the logic behind this car is double fold as the Linea Dualogic could be driven in both manual and automatic modes. This is no conventional automatic gear box, the technology behind is so smart that it is not just 10% more fuel efficient than any other automatic gearbox it is 3-5% more fuel efficient than any other manual gear box of this capacity. The Dualogic and T-Jet were spotted sporting 16” inch alloys.

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Since Maruti didn’t have any new facelifts of its existing models as it has already launched various BS-4 compliant models, it decided to show what modifications you could do with your current Maruti. I for one was awestruck by the potential of these hatchbacks and I wonder why modification stereo types exist.

Modified Swifts:

Let’s start off with the Swift which is the most modification friendly car in India. Auto Expo saw two of these one a very usual modified Swift in Red with white stripes and a pretty good body kit which you can live with, the other had outrageous Alien machine sort of modification. Modifications were done on the interior as well, with dashboard material and colors changed and Stock seats were replaced with very comfortable old school sports coupe kind of ones.

Modified A-Star:

Modifications done on all these Marutis included exterior body kits like, front and rear bumpers and side skirts and even a spoiler in the case of A-Star which definitely was the most craziest mod on the show. A-Star’s body kit must have taken more quantity of molten plastic than all the other mods combined. It was so enormous that it looked like a lotus with endless layers of pink petals.

Alto Xcite:

The best modified cheap car award (if there was one) has to go to the Alto Xcite. Selling at 22,000units a month, it is definitely the most lovable cheap car in India. With that Maruti could have called it a day but no. Maruti has given the Alto a new avatar for the Expo. What we have here is the reincarnation of 70’s best looking hot hatchs. I am even tempted to call it the DB5 of cheap cars. This amazing blend of paint job and red blue racing stripes running down the sides is hugely responsible for the outcome. The 70’s style alloy wheels and tire threads seal the deal. This package wins me over completely.

Modified Ritzs:

The best mod on the entire floor has to be the Ritz blue whose modifications are done very tasteful and the fit is finished to the last millimeter. The color is fresh and the interior refreshing. The other Ritz, the one is gold is quite a show dog on the outside with a big hollow front grill. Again the interior is as neat as plain paper.

Wagon R Hiker:

The most happening mod on the floor has to be the Wagon R Hiker not because everyone was rampaging towards it but because it had the most amount of things on it, including a ladder. Interior is done in a mix of black and orange which is alright expect for the hideous center console orange cover.

Estilo Elegenza:

Estilo Eleganza as it is named, this modified Estilo is the most uninteresting mod on the floor, it would have been better off if it didn’t have any of those body kits on or if it was painted in a different color.

Modified SX4:

Let alone the body kits, the enormous radiator grill, what is kick ass about this SX4 mod is its alloys.

Grand Vitara Modified:

There were two Grand Vitara modifications on the floor one in purple and another in a greenish gold paintjob which is unique and the alloys it sports look like a sharp Kung-Fu weapon. On top of these mods this Vitara has a spare wheel on top of it. But for some reason a big SUV doesn’t fit well in a family full of hatchbacks.

Swift Dzire Luxury:

Swift Dzire Luxury was more of a sportier mod than luxury. Out of all the mods the Dzire luxury was the only one which looked familiar.

Scorpio Special Edition:

This Special Edition gets the trim treatment with European leather upholstery kind of thing. On the outside it gets a few checkered flag stickers and that’s about it, oh ya only a 1000 of these will be made. If you are into fine interiors you might want to act fast.

Scorpio Lifestyle Modified:

This Scorpio was spotted outside of Pragati Maidan where the Auto Expo is going on. Best guess is that it’s a modified version of Mahindra’s Scorpio Lifestyle which is made only up on special orders by Mahindra’s Customization Department. Some call it the Platoon, why? Cos some guy named his customized Scorpio Platoon and the name kind of got stuck.

Xylo Celebration Edition:

Xylo Celebration Edition gets a bit more than the European leather upholstery treatment. This edition gets a DVD player, a new music system, blackened B and C pillars, roof ski racks,new pearl paint job and distinguishing Celebration Edition Decals. Again only a 1000 of these will be made available.

Xylo Modified:

M&M showcased the body kitted Xylo we saw on the 2009 Autocar Performance show. This body kit costs 3.5 lakhs and include some seriously bonkers modifications. Click here to read more on this one.

Since Mahindra’s 2 wheeler wing hasn’t named these two we are calling it Mahindra’s Performance bike and Scooter concept.

Performance bike:

It is quite astonishing that this bike with a 125cc engine produces 53hp of power. To gain a little perspective the Pulsar 220 which is the fastest bike made in India with an engine capacity of 218cc produces 22hp. The 125cc Honda Stunner just produces 11.3hp. So this concept produces 5 times more power than what is expected out of it. Mahindra claims that this will hit a top speed of 245kmph which makes it the fastest 125cc bike in the world surpassing the Aprilla RS125 which has a maximum speed of 177kmph. These claims are so humongous it makes me think that M2W might be lying but if they aren’t they have defied all laws of physics!

Scooter Concept

This on the other hand is more realistic. With a 2-stroke, ya it’s a 2-stroke 124cc engine with 8hp it is quite conceivable. The Weight of this scooter is 105kgs and the 2-stroke performance shows in the 120kmph top speed. I am sure it can achieve the claimed top speed but would it keep me safe from plummeting into my own death at 120kmph?

Photo Courtesy: Motorbeam

The Show stealer for M&M at the 2010 Delhi Auto Expo without a shallow of double was Thar. This according to Mahindra is an Indian take on the iconic Jeep CJ series and frankly I am blown away from what M&M has done with it. With its naked muscle it convinces that it can take up any terrain and the specs sure confirm it.

It has a 5-speed gear box and a transfer case for switching it to 4-wheel drive. On top of this it has a 2-speed gear reduction which bring the lowest gear ratio to 277.48:1, this means the wheels rotate only once for every 277.48 rotation of the crankshaft which provides the brute torque for pulling anything or pushing through any terrain.

The Thar displayed at Delhi is left hand drive and what we hear from Anand Mahindra’s Twitter page is that they are working on a right hand drive for India other than that there is no official word on the launch or the price. Hope Mahindra drops the Thar in the Indian Thar soon.

Thar Specification:

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Photo Courtesy: Team-BHP

Maruti-Suzuki unveiled the R3 concept at the Delhi Auto Expo 2010. It’s an MPV with seating for six people, but for a car which seats six, it looks ridiculously small and quite good in fact. The good looks are as much of a surprise as the capacity, considering the fact that it was Indian-Designed (at ths point one may recall the Swift “Dzrie”). The R3 has more going for it as it is bound to hit the market in about two years and should hit it at its soft spot. The MPV segment is getting rather crowded at the moment and this car could not have come at better time as Maruti looks to consolidate its market-leader position.

How much of the concepts quirkiness will the production model retain? What engine will it be powered by? How will it hold up against competition from Tata and Toyota to name a few?…All questions for which we will know the answers by 2012, when it is scheduled for production.

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TVS has officially been bitten by the green bug. It has just bombarded the Delhi Auto Expo floor with two hybrids. The TVS Scooty becomes its first scooter to get the Hybrid treatment, also on offer was the King hybrid three wheeler. These vehicles (13 of them to be precise) have been made available for use by the organizers and visitors at the Pragathi Maidan. The King Hybrid is the worlds first Mild Hybrid – Plug in – CNG three wheeler…and as specific and boring it may sound, it is actually a pretty important step as more and more of our three wheelers are becoming CNG and the pollution for these vehicles are among the highest for any particular category. The CO2 levels are down a whopping 22% and NOx by 20%, these figures are made possible by a flux motor coupled with the engine and it helps out during acceleration. The system is specifically designed to reduced the carbon footprint and its advanced systems include regenerative braking which charges the batteries with energy from braking.

The Scooty Streak Hybrid also has all the advanced tech mentioned earlier along with start-stop technology. This shuts off the engines automatically when the vehicle is stationary and turns it on again when given some acceleration. This results in huge fuel eonomy savings.
The Scooty will have four modes of operation:

1. Electric Only: For short trips and zero-fuel consumption
2. Engine Only: When battery SOC is very low
3. Hybrid Electric Mode: Both sources run as per the programmed strategy
4. Hybrid Power Mode: Both engine and electric together for better acceleration

These myriad number of modes will result in sharp reduction of emission numbers, up to 30% for CO2 and 25% for NOx. Not that we done care about the environment, but if we can save some money while saving the environment, we will be all the more merrier. And that makes us smile the most when we hear the fuel consumption will be reduced by a massive 30%. High school boys and girls, your pocket money is a little bit safer..

Press Release:

Bangalore, 31 December 2009: TVS Motor Company will showcase its range of vehicles including those that run on alternative energy sources at the up-coming auto expo in New Delhi. The company has also provided the organizers with eight hybrid two-wheelers and five hybrid auto-rickshaws. The hybrid version of Scooty Streak will be for use by the organizers while the hybrid version of the auto-rickshaw, TVS KING, will be available for use by visitors, to move within the premises at Pragathi Maidan.

TVS Motor Company will also have on display the TVS QUBE 2.0, carrying forward
the iconic minimalistic DNA of the award winning QUBE that uses an electric-hybrid motor, as it gets closer to reality.

These products are in alignment with TVS Motor Company’s stated mission to produce environment friendly vehicles that exceed prevalent emission norms and create good value proposition to customers. These products further emphasize TVS Motor Company’s commitment to pursue green technologies that will lead to substantial reduction in CO2 levels from a portfolio of products.

Incidentally, TVS Motor Company is the first established automobile manufacturer in India to commercially produce electric vehicles.

With the Hybrid-TVS KING, TVS Motor Company announces the arrival of the world’s first mild hybrid – plug in � CNG 3 wheeler. The vehicle’s cutting edge technology features a high efficiency axial flux motor coupled with the engine to provide power assistance during acceleration. This effectively supports the low emission CNG engine to ensure vastly reduced overall emission levels. TVS King Hybrid brings down the CO2 emission level by 22% and HC+ NOx emission by over 20%. When managing the power assist operation, the intelligent micro-controller based high efficiency power drive, additionally recovers the energy available during deceleration and braking by the way of regenerative charging. An advanced micro controller based system, manages the energy generated from the battery and CNG such that it is best suited to the operating points in terms of CO2 generation. It also works as a smart battery SOC monitor by way of high speed-high sampling rate current integration. In addition, the system control conserves the energy by shutting down the relevant power sources to optimize the CO2 reduction at relevant operating points.

The TVS Streak Hybrid two-wheeler has a four-stroke engine and an electric hub motor as the two sources of power. This is a parallel hybrid system wherein both engine and electric vehicle modes are available. The power sources will be in operation as per the programmed strategy or the mode selected by the user. To make the most efficient use of the energy, this hybrid system charges the battery when the brakes are applied and utilizes this power whenever required. In addition, this two-wheeler conserves energy when the vehicle is stationary at a traffic signal or at a standstill condition by stopping the power source.

The TVS Streak Hybrid has four optional modes for users to choose from

1. Electric Only: For short trips and zero-fuel consumption
2. Engine Only: When battery SOC is very low
3. Hybrid Electric Mode: Both sources run as per the programmed strategy
4. Hybrid Power Mode: Both engine and electric together for better acceleration

Green technologies used in these hybrid electric vehicles deliver excellent emission reduction and improved fuel economy. This achieves 30 % CO2 emission reduction,
25% HC + NO x reduction and 30 % improvement in fuel economy (all at IDC condition).

These products are the result of company’s unwavering pursuit for green technologies to create pragmatic innovations that benefit the lives of people.

Maruti launched its Versa van replacement Eeco (which is pretty much the same except for few details) a couple of days back during the ongoing Delhi Auto Expo. At first glance you won’t be able to differentiate Eeco from Versa, not even on the second glance and neither on the third. That’s because Versa was too much of a flop to have been seen on the road and stuck in our minds. What Eeco really is a Bharat Stage 4 emissions compliant Versa whose looks have been mercilessly compromised for pricing it at Rs. 2.59lakhs ex-showroom Delhi. Versa was prettier than the Eeco by mile but I would pick Eeco at 2.59lakhs any day over a Versa which was sold for more than 4lakhs.

The engine is smaller than the Versa’s by a 100cc at 1.2L and producing 73ps of power. The gear shift has been made smooth with a new first of its kind technology called DS. Eeco is trying to sound too environmental friendly for a boxy people carrier with its ELV compliant which stands for End of Life for Vehicles which means that Eeco sticks to the limit in usage of harmful elements like lead, cadmium, mercury and chromium. Maruti is so out of words with the Eeco they start taking chemistry class in the Press Release. If I were Maruti I would stop at just the price and people carrying capacity of Eeco.

Eeco being a people carrier is available in 5-seat and 7-seat configurations but only the 5-seater gets A/C and the 7-seater doesn’t. The reason for this is quite clear. To get cool air to the third row would mean an extra vent and rise in price. The A/C 5-seater costs Rs. 2.85lakhs and the non A/C 7-seater Rs 2.79lakhs.

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Comparison between Eeco, Versa and Omni:

Eeco is bigger than the Omni in every way, except for the seating capacity. The only difference in dimension between Eeco and Versa is the height.

Press Release:

To been green in India doesn’t come cheap. Toyota just launched its world renouned Prius Hybrid at the Delhi expo 2010. It will be available for sale from March with a price tag of Rs. 26.55lakhs. Toyota’s Indian wing has ordered for 200 Prius from Japan which would arrive as CBUs causing the 110% increase in price. It would be the 3-Generation Prius which would be on sale in India.

Though there may be a million other hybrid fishes in the ocean, Prius still is the salmon everyone wants. It beats the second best Hybrid car sales with a huge difference and there is no Hollywood celebrity who doesn’t own a Prius. It is the first mass produced Hybrid and sales has crossed over 1.5 million.

Here are some technical details:

The Third-generation Prius:

A 1.8L, 2ZR FXE engine and 136PS Horsepower
Hybrid Synergy Drive
Electrically controlled CVT (Continuously Variable Transmission)
Electronically Controlled Shift Lever
Regenerative braking
Aerodynamic design of 0.25Cd (amongst the lowest in the world)
Head Up Display
Push start system and smart entry
Audio and Bluetooth controls with touch sensor on steering wheel
ABS, BA, EBD, VSC, Traction Control and 7 airbags

Brochure:

Press Release:

New Delhi, January 7, 2010:Toyota Kirloskar Motor Pvt. Ltd. (TKM) today launched the latest generation of the Prius in India at the Auto Expo 2010 that is underway in New Delhi. To further emphasise Toyota’s commitment to the environment, the Altis CNG was also launched, and the Innova CNG and Camry Hybrid were on display.
Speaking about the Prius launch in India, Mr. Sandeep Singh, DMD-Marketing, TKM said: “Through the launch of the Prius, Toyota is keen to demonstrate its commitment to offer the latest eco-friendly automotive technology to its customers in India. Since becoming the world’s first mass-produced hybrid vehicle in 1997, the Prius has received worldwide acclaim, and we will continue to popularize hybrid vehicles worldwide to further our efforts to help save the environment.”

Prius

Staying true to the meaning of its name, i.e. ‘to go before,’ in Latin, the Prius today is the most successful hybrid in the world with cumulative sales of nearly 1.5 million.

Equipped with the latest of its pioneering technology – the Toyota Hybrid System II (also called Hybrid Synergy Drive), and with one of the best aerodynamic performances, the Prius has achieved world-leading fuel efficiency. The Third-generation Prius comes with three driving modes – Power Mode, Eco Mode and EV (Electric Vehicle) Mode, as well as a host of dynamic features that combine to give improved driving pleasure with superior environmental performance.

The Prius will be available in limited numbers in two variants, priced at xxx and xxx, ex showroom, New Delhi. Toyota dealers will start taking bookings from the beginning of March 2010.