Royal Enfield Despatch first look

Royal Enfield recently introduced two limited edition versions of its Classic 500 for the Indian market called Despatch. The Despatch, available in two camouflage shades are the Desert Storm Despatch and the Squadron Blue Despatch. Only 200 units each of the Despatch motorcycles were sold and the company has already run out of stocks. This motorcycle range is dedicated to the very brave despatch riders of the past, who transported important parcels or messages, back and forth from military camps to the army’s headquarter base.

Taking a closer look at the motorcycle, it’s clear that Royal Enfield has gone for an overall dark theme along with the trademark chrome. The motorcycles get a hydrographic and camouflaged paint scheme, which was individually handcrafted. Parts such as the spoked wheels, headlight case, rear suspension and under-seat springs are finished in chrome. If you look closely, you will notice that along with the engine and exhaust, its indicators and pilot lamp casing are finished in matte black too. Newer elements on the bike are the addition of a brown rider seat, which is unique across Royal Enfield’s Despatch models and also the battery box, finished in black, gets a buckle with the same shade of leather on it.

 Also, each one of Royal Enfield’s Despatch motorcycles get a limited edition badge that reads: Built at the Oragadam factory in Chennai, India. The name of the motorcycle and the unique number of the limited edition model along with the year 2015 is also printed on it.

The Royal Enfield Despatch is powered by a 499cc, single-cylinder and four-stroke engine that produces a maximum power output of 27.2bhp, made at 5,250rpm and 4.2kgm of torque is made at 4,000rpm.

The Royal Enfield Despatch gets telescopic forks for suspension at front, and the bike uses dual shock absorbers at the rear. For braking duty, the bike get a disc brake at front and a drum brake at the rear. The Royal Enfield Despatch was sold for Rs 2.05 lakh (ex-showroom, Mumbai).

Piaggio India launches two scooters in Nepal

Piaggio India has extended its operation to Nepal with the introduction of two models to its line-up for the country. The models unveiled are the Vespa VX and the Vespa S.

Both the scooters come with 125cc, four-stroke, three-valve engines that is good for 9.9bhp of maximum power, and 1.08kgm of maximum torque.

The engines are mated to a CVT transmission. Construction for the scooters is a steel monocoque body. Both the VX and the S Vespas come with 200mm disc brakes at the front and 140mm drum brakes at the back.

Speaking about the brand’s reach in Nepal, Stefano Pelle, Managing Director, Piaggio India said, “This event is particularly important for the Piaggio Group that is very focused on this part of Asia in its globalisation strategies.

“The youth here [Nepal] has a great fashion sense of their own, which is why we think that Vespa will fit perfectly as a brand. We are certain that Vespa will allure the youth with its unmistakable style and Italian charm. We look forward to receiving a great response on this new venture.”

The Vespa VX has been launched at a sticker price of NPR 2.5 lakh (Rs 1.5 lakh), while the Vespa S will retail for NPR 2.64 lakh (Rs 1.65 lakh). The Vespa VX is available in five colours, while the other model will be available in four.

Yamaha YZF-R3 launched at Rs 3.25 lakh

The ever-heating, small-displacement sportsbike segment in the country features some interesting offerings such as the KTM RC390, Kawasaki Ninja 300, and the Honda CBR250R. This segment got another addition today with Yamaha launching the YZF-R3.

Priced at Rs 3.25 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi), the India-spec Yamaha YZF-R3 borrows plenty of styling cues from its bigger brother, the Yamaha YZF-R6. It has a similar front-biased mass silhouette, albeit with more angular styling, and less muscle. On the front end, it gets a set of twin lights, and the rear end of the bike looks quite similar to the R6. The bike will come in only two colours – Racing Blue (white with blue) and Black Lightning (black with red)

On the performance front, the Yamaha YZF-R3 gets a 321cc, parallel-twin, four-valve engine that is fed by a fuel injection system, and makes for 41bhp of power at 10,750rpm, and 3.0kgm of twisting force at 9,000rpm. Further down the drivetrain is a six-speed gearbox.

Suspending the Yamaha YZF-R3 are hydraulic units on the front, however it misses out on USD forks. At the rear is a hydraulic monoshock unit. It gets 110/70 tubeless tyres on the front, and 140/70 tyres at the rear, each mounted on 17-inch alloys. Ready to ride, the entire set-up weighs 169kg.
Some of the features available on the Yamaha YZF-R3 are current fuel consumption, average fuel consumption and coolant temperature readouts, two trip meters, a fuel trip meter and an oil trip meter. Bringing the motorcycle to a halt is a 298mm single disc brake up front, and a 220mm single disc brake at the rear. Disappointingly, Yamaha has not added the safety net of ABS.

At this sticker price, the YZF-R3 is priced considerably lower than the Kawasaki Ninja 300, but almost Rs 1 lakh above the popular KTM RC390. The motorcycle will be imported from Indonesia, and will not have any local sourcing as of now, says Yamaha. Scheduled to reach showrooms within a week, the manufacturer expects to sell up to 1,000 units a month.

Mercedes-AMG S 63 sedan launched at Rs 2.53 crore

Less than a fortnight after the launch of its coupé counterpart, Mercedes has launched the AMG S 63 sedan at Rs 2.53 crore (ex-showroom, Bengaluru). The AMG limousine gets aggressive styling, all the luxuries of the standard S-class, along with a powerful 577bhp AMG V8 engine.

The Mercedes-AMG S 63’s body kit includes a new front bumper with large air vents and a central air-dam, a new rear bumper with quad chrome tipped exhausts, large AMG alloy wheels and side skirts with chrome inserts.

Inside, the S 63 gets AMG-developed front seats with electric adjust with memory and massage functions, AMG leather upholstery, a panaromic sunroof, a heads up display and AMG badged door. The S63 comes equipped with a 13 speaker Burmester Surround Sound System as standard, but a 24 speaker 3D system is available as an option. Features such as reclining rear seats, individual rear screens and Mercedes COMAND infotainment system are carried forward from the standard S-class.

Mercedes also offers the S 63 with the newly introduced Designo platform. It gives buyers customisation options that include choosing from a wider range of exterior colours, interior trims and upholstery options for the car.

Under the hood is a 577bhp 5.5-litre twin-turbo AMG V8 that develops a massive 91.77kgm of torque, mated to a seven-speed automatic gearbox with paddle shifters. Mercedes says that’s enough to get this two-tonne limousine to 100kph in a sportscar-beating 4.4 seconds! The AMG S 63 sedan gets a stiffer suspension setup as compared to the regular S-class and is equipped with the company’s revolutionary Magic Body Control system. The system uses a front-facing stereo camera (rather than radar, which is illegal in India) to examine the road for undulations and adjust the suspension in real time to achieve the most comfortable ride possible.

Under the hood is a 577bhp 5.5-litre twin-turbo AMG V8 that develops a massive 91.77kgm of torque, mated to a seven-speed automatic gearbox with paddle shifters. Mercedes says that’s enough to get this two-tonne limousine to 100kph in a sportscar-beating 4.4 seconds! The AMG S 63 sedan gets a stiffer suspension setup as compared to the regular S-class and is equipped with the company’s revolutionary Magic Body Control system. The system uses a front-facing stereo camera (rather than radar, which is illegal in India) to examine the road for undulations and adjust the suspension in real time to achieve the most comfortable ride possible.

Honda BR-V likely to get 6-speed manual, CVT gearbox

Honda’s new small SUV, the BR-V will make its global debut in the coming days. The carmaker will also showcase the model to the Indian audience at the upcoming Auto Expo 2016.

Although based on the same platform as the Brio, Amaze and the Mobilio, the BR-V will look more angular and rugged. At 2,652mm, the wheelbase is the same as the Mobilio, but there is a possibility of the engines getting an update. There will be the familiar 1.5-litre petrol and the 1.5-litre diesel on offer.  However, the big news is that Honda is likely to offer a six-speed manual gearbox on the BR-V, in place of the five-speed unit seen on the Amaze and the Mobilio. According to our sister magazine, Autocar Indonesia, this new six-speed gearbox will have optimised ratios for better engine response and class-leading fuel efficiency.

Also, likely to be on offer is a CVT gearbox which could be a segment first. Currently, the Amaze and Brio come with a five-speed automatic gearbox in India. This CVT gearbox mated to the petrol motor, will be an all-new compact unit developed specifically for the BR-V that uses Honda’s Earth Dreams technology.

The carmaker has clearly focussed on giving the BR-V SUV-like design cues, and that includes the butch cladding that runs around the entire car, the rising beltline, the pronounced wheel arch flares and the roof rails. The interiors of the BR-V are likely to get updated dashboard designs to attract many car buyers in India. It will come with three rows of seats, and it's safe to expect it to be similar to the ones seen on the Mobilio.

The new Honda BR-V will directly compete with the likes of the Mahindra Scorpio, Renault Duster and the recently-launched Hyundai Creta.

Maruti Ciaz diesel to get mild hybrid tech

Maruti is preparing the Ciaz diesel with the SHVS mild hybrid system. The hybrid Ciaz diesel will be badged Ciaz SHVS (SHVS stands for Smart Hybrid Vehicle by Suzuki). The hybrid sedan is expected to be launched sometime this month.

The mild hybrid technology-equipped Ciaz is expected to feature the existing tried and tested 1.3-litre DDiS diesel engine but with the addition of an integrated starter generator, start-stop technology and a larger battery capacity. As mentioned by us in an earlier story, the SHVS system uses an integrated starter generator that reduces the load on the engine and starter motor by charging the battery while braking or coasting. The system also doubles up as the starter motor when utilising the start-stop technology to restart the engine. The generator will also assist the engine during acceleration by drawing power from the battery and providing additional power. The driver will also be able to deactivate the system using a button mounted on the centre console.

The Ciaz SHVS will cost Rs 30,000 more than the non-hybrid diesel Ciaz. It will be the first sedan in this segment to feature hybrid technology, in India. Furthermore, like the recently launched S-Cross, Maruti is likely to offer ABS, EBD and driver airbag as standard across all variants of the Ciaz.

Toyota developing C-HR concept-based SUV

Toyota is developing a new SUV to take on the likes of the Nissan Qashqai and Honda HR-V in the international markets. The model will be closely based on the C-HR concept that Toyota revealed last year at the Paris motor show, and will go on sale in 2016.

The Toyota C-HR concept was distinguished by its heavily flared wheel arches, angular haunches and ‘floating’ rear light clusters, all of which gave it a notably broad stance. The C-HR’s flamboyant looks were created in response to a demand from Toyota’s boss Akio Toyoda for more adventurous designs.

The new SUV will be based on the Toyota New Global Architecture, the firm’s equivalent of Volkswagen’s MQB platform. It has been designed to underpin a variety of cars, in front, rear and all-wheel-drive configurations. By 2020, around half of all Toyotas will be based on this platform; the next-gen Prius will be the first to use it.

One of the most significant benefits of this platform structure is that it allows greatly enhanced interior space. The C-HR concept was said to have the interior space of a Qashqai despite having slightly smaller dimensions. Toyota is also keen on upgrading the quality and functionality of its interiors, and this is move will be accelerated as new-generation cars are being planned.

The new SUV is expected to be revealed at the 2016 Geneva motor show.