Cult bike-maker Royal Enfield will price its limited edition range of motorcycles, inspired by despatch riders of World Wars, at Rs 2.17 lakh (on-road Delhi). "The motorcycle will be available in two colours in India - Desert Storm Despatch and Squadron Blue Despatch - and only 100 units of each colour variant will be manufactured for the domestic market", the company said in a statement. Royal Enfield said it is opening online bookings for the limited edition bike from July 15. In May, the company had unveiled the bike along with new collection of gears and accessories for both domestic and international markets. The limited edition range is based on Classic 500 model. The bikes are inspired by despatch riders, who relayed vital information between headquarters and ground forces through the World Wars. Moreover, the World War inspired range includes gears and accessories such as leather jackets and shoes with ankle guards. These would also be available at around 50 global markets where the company is present. Courtesy: Business Today

Just a day after making headlines for a possible collaboration between Red Bull Racing and Aston Martin for the next F1 season, it has now been revealed that Red Bull Technologies is partnering with Aston Martin to develop a Red Bull road-going hypercar. This collaboration is expected to see Adrian Newey, the designer of the F1 cars which won the championship four years running between 2010 and 2013, working in close relations with Aston Martin to develop this car. This deal however is not expected to affect the F1 deal mentioned earlier, as Red Bull Technologies and Red Bull Racing are two separate entities within the Red Bull Group. The new road car project is also expected to rope in Mercedes to supply the engine and electronics, leading to the speculation of a wider link-up between the companies. Speaking about the project, Red Bull Racing boss Christian Horner, told our sister publication Autocar UK, “It’s something that Adrian is keen to do as a legacy project. At the moment our focus is on being a Formula 1 constructor, but as we see more technology cross over with the road car market, it’s something that will organically grow.” No other information is available regarding the road car project. Reports have suggested that the new hypercar is expected to be a track-only machine, while some have stated that the car will be road-legal like the Mclaren F1 designed by Gordan Murray. Courtesy: Autocar

Nissan today launched the base-trim Micra XL with a CVT (constantly variable transmission) automatic gearbox at a sticker price of Rs 6.4 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi). The automatic gearbox was previously offered only on the XV petrol trim, which was a trim lower than Micra’s top XV Premium variant. The fourth-generation CVT gearbox will be mated to Micra’s 1.2-litre petrol engine and will get a few additional features as compared to the standard Micra XL. Extra features include a new steering wheel borrowed from the Sunny, a stylish black roof, glossy black finish for the audio console, driver armrest and illuminated door sills among others. The car also gets side stickers, along with an ‘X Shift’ sticker on the front passenger side. It gets EBD, ABS and four airbags as standard. Currently, the mid-level XV trim of the Micra with a CVT gearbox is priced at Rs 7.05 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi). By offering the Micra base variant with a CVT gearbox, Nissan hopes to attract customers who are solely looking for the convenience of an automatic gearbox, without the want for any significant additions to the features on the variant. Courtesy: Autocar

Aston Martin has entered into negotiations with Red Bull Racing for a possible comeback to F1 racing, next season. The deal could also see the British manufacturer broker a possible four-year engine deal with German carmakers Mercedes-Benz, on behalf of the racing team. Aston has participated only in two F1 seasons till date, with the last season being way back in 1960. The deal currently under negotiation is expected to see Mercedes – which owns a 5 percent stake in Aston Martin – become the long-term engine provider for Red Bull Racing while Aston will become the racing team’s technical partners. Some reports have suggested that Mercedes have green-lighted these negotiations at the senior board level, with the company eager to run more customer teams to offset the costs of its investment in F1. Christian Horner, Red Bull Team Principal, has however dismissed this as a rumour. In an official statement, he told Autosport, "The fact is, we have a contract with Infiniti and Renault until the end of 2016. Anything beyond that is pure speculation. Last week it was Ferrari, this week it''s Aston Martin, next week it will probably be Honda or Lamborghini. We have a contract and commitment with Infiniti, a very good relationship with Infiniti, and anything beyond the end of 2016 is purely speculative." At present, Red Bull racing have a contract with Renault for Luxury Replica Watches Brands for Men,Cheap Rolex Replica ... its race engines until the end of 2016. The deal is however unlikely to continue with Mercedes having outpaced the French automakers over the past 18 months. Last month, Red Bull owner, Dietrich Mateschitz appeared to be trying to force a split with Renault when he claimed in an interview that Renault’s inability to improve its pace was “destroying” his enjoyment of F1. The deal with Aston Martin and Mercedes is yet to be confirmed by company officials. However, there is a possibility that Red Bull Racing will not be signing a new contract with Renault for engines.

It’s been 12 months since Autocar India first broke the news of Nissan’s plans to introduce the GT-R in India, but it’s only now that the Japanese automaker has finally given the green light for the launch of its iconic sports car, which is expected in showrooms by the end of this year. The delay in launching the GT-R was largely due to the challenge in setting up a service infrastructure to maintain this sophisticated, four-wheel-drive machine which, like all supercars today, needs high-octane fuel to run optimally. Built to fine tolerances and with extreme precision, there are only four engineers in the world who are allowed to hand-assemble the GT-R’s twin-turbo 3.8-litre V6 engine. “It is easy to launch a car, but what’s the point if we cannot offer after-sales support after we sold a car that would cost about Rs 2 crore," said Guillaume Sicard, president of operations, Nissan India. For the handful of GT-Rs in India which have been directly imported by their owners (the list includes cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar), Nissan flies technicians in from Dubai to get them serviced, which is not an ideal solution. However, Nissan is now investing in getting select service facilities upgraded with trained technicians to service the GT-R. According to Nissan, mechanics have to undergo four months of intensive training to qualify as a GT-R technician, before they can carry out even routine maintenance. Every dealership that sells the GT-R is expected to have a fully trained technician. In India, Nissan is in the doldrums owing to lacklustre sales and an overall lack of consumer confidence in the brand. The Japanese company feels that it desperately needs a halo product and is counting on the legendary GT-R could give its image a much-needed boost. One of the fastest point A to B cars in the world, the GT-R can humble many Ferraris, Lamborghinis and Porsches and yet pass off easily as an everyday car. It’s the fifth fastest car in the world around Nürburgring‘s famous Nordschleife circuit with a time of 7 minutes 8 seconds. But to put the GT-R’s astonishing pace in perspective in the Cheap Replica Watches UK Shop Sale,Buy Fake Swiss Cool ... Indian context, it remains the fastest production car we have tested on the Sriperumbudur circuit outside Chennai with a time of 1 minute 52 seconds, beating cars like the Lamborghini Gallardo and Porsche 911 Carrera. Expected to cost a shade over Rs. 2 crore when it goes on sale, the GT-R which has cult like following, will find a small but ready clientele. Courtesy: Autocar