The Bespoke division's Rolls Royce Phantom Nautica gets a unique paint scheme on its exterior; draws inspiration from yachts.

After the limited-edition 'Inspired' series for the Rolls-Royce Wraith, to celebrate Rolls-Royce’s association with movies, haute-couture, and music, the Spirit of Ecstasy now has bestowed the Phantom with a new variant. Badged 'Nautica’, it has drawn inspiration from high-end yachts.  

The highlight of Rolls-Royce’s bespoke programme is how dramatically the character and feel of an automobile can be altered, just by adding in a few details and design elements. The Phantom Nautica features a two-tone paint scheme; Orchid White for the doors and fenders, and Arabian Blue on the bonnet, the panoramic roof, and the boot-lid. Besides the custom paint on the Nautica, the car features a double pinstripe below the shoulder line with anchor-shaped insignias on the front fenders, adding to the seafaring theme. The 10-spoke wheels come with Arabian Blue inserts as well.

Inside, the dashboard gets Tudor Oak veneer dashboard, along with white instrument dials, and Forest Fall white leather with Navy Blue piping to match the exteriors. Also tucked away in the drawer of the dashboard is a vintage style custom-made compass.

The bespoke Phantom’s underpinnings remain unchanged. It will be powered by Rolls-Royce’s 6.75-litre V12 engine rated at 453bhp and 73.4kgm of torque, mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission.

Courtesy : Autocar.

UM will launch three different variants of the Renegade series of motorcycles, designed specifically for the Indian market and will price them below Rs 2 lakh

American two wheeler manufacturer UM Motorcycles has postponed plans of launching their bikes in India to February 2016.

UM was earlier slated to launch a new series of cruiser bikes in June 2015 and then later the launch was postponed to September 2015.

Three new bikes – the Renegade Commando, Renegade Classic and Renegade Sport – will be launched in February 2016, around the time the 2016 Auto Expo is held. All three bikes will share the same heart - a 300cc single-cylinder air-cooled engine that is expected to make around 18PS of power.

UM’s three new bikes are expected to be priced below Rs 2 lakh and they will be officially unveiled in November 2015. All bikes will have features like dual disc brakes and ABS.

UM has already signed a 50:50 joint venture with Indian electric bike maker Lohia Auto. Manufacturing is believed to be underway at Lohia’s existing facility in Kashipur, Uttarakhand. Eventually, the manufacturing unit in India will serve as an export hub for UM to markets in South East Asia and Africa.

The subsidiary will directly sell to dealers and even to customers as a well as directly conduct all market development and support activities such as marketing, service, after sales etc for the Royal Enfield brand in North America.

To cater to the North American market, niche bike maker Royal Enfield has set up a direct distribution subsidiary in the US, its first outside India.

The company, the two-wheeler division of Eicher Motors, also plans to open its fully-branded retail stores in the US that will sell its entire product line up of motorcycles and gear.

The subsidiary will directly sell to dealers and even to customers as a well as directly conduct all market development and support activities such as marketing, service, after sales etc for the Royal Enfield brand in North America, the company said in a filing to the BSE.

"North America is a key international market for Royal Enfield with a rich history of riding enthusiasts. Given the lack of attractive options in the mid-size segment, we are well poised to fill the gap and serve potential customers at a close, intimate level by localising our operations in North America," Royal Enfield President Rudratej Singh said.

This strategic announcement is in line with Royal Enfield's focused international thrust of leading and expanding the global mid-sized motorcycle segment (250cc-750cc), with North America representing a priority market for it, the company said.

Royal Enfield's current product line up in North America includes Bullet 500 cc, Classic 500cc and the Continental GT 535 cc cafe racer, priced between USD 4,995 to USD 5,995.

Royal Enfield North America, President, Rod Copes said: "Royal Enfield's first fully branded retail store in the US will soon be launched in Milwaukee that will retail its entire product line of motorcycles and gear."

Over the next 18 months, the company plans to launch several such stores in key metropolitan areas across the US, he added.

"We are also focussing on building a strong independent dealer network that will maximise our brand awareness and sales," Copes said.

The company's current distributors - Classic Motor Works (CMW) located in Fairbault, MN, would be transitioning out of distributing Royal Enfield motorcycles by the end of 2015, he added.

The Chennai-based bike maker has been exporting bikes to North America for 15 years.

All manufacturing activities of the company would continue in Chennai, while global headquarters would also continue to reside in Gurgaon, it said.

In 2014, Royal Enfield sold more than 3 lakh bikes globally. In 2015, the company aims to produce 4,50,000 motorcycles to support its growth strategy globally.

Courtesy : Autocar

Fiat is likely replace Linea with production version of Aegea concept or Brazil’s Grand Sienna in late 2016.

Fiat is evaluating a replacement for the Linea, which is nearing the the end of its lifecycle.The possible options being considered are the production version of the Fiat Aegea concept that was unveiled in May 2015 at the Istanbul Motor Show or the Grand Sienna that the manufacturer currently sells in the Brazilian market.

The Aegea concept is yet to go on sale internationally as a production car (albeit under a different name) and Fiat has only developed the car for left-hand-drive markets.  But to launch it in India, Fiat will have to invest in tooling for a right-hand-drive (RHD) version which will be hard to justify if India is the only market for the RHD car.  The current Linea sells on average 171 units a month and these volumes are too low to amortise the costs of expensive tooling for a new RHD dashboard and other ancillaries.

The other option is the Grand Sienna. The car is essentially a heavily reworked derivative of the Linea developed for the Brazilian market. As with the Aegea concept, the Sienna is also a left-hand-drive and will go through the same steps to adapt it for right-hand-drive markets.

Fiat is set to significantly upgrade its model range sometime in 2018 with a family of new cars spun off an all-new platforms. The Aegea or Grand Siena hence may only be a stop gap arrangement till then.

Courtesy : Autocar

The Daihatsu FX concept hints at a production mid-size SUV; larger FT concept is expected to give rise to a flagship SUV.

Daihatsu has showcased two SUV concepts at the ongoing Gaikindo Indonesia International Auto Show, the FX concept and the FT concept. The FX concept hints at a future crossover for the brand while the larger FT concept is expected to make way for a full-size flagship SUV.

The FX concept uses a B-pillar-less design with the front and rear doors hinged on opposite ends. At the front, the concept crossover features LED headlamps on either side of a narrow rectangular grille, with a thick strip of chrome running the width of the front fascia just below. The front bumper gets a prominent hexagonal central air dam along with LED daytime running lamps, black body cladding and a faux skid plate. On the flanks, the concept continues to sport body cladding along with black wing mirrors and blacked out door elements. The rear of the concept car features LED tail-lamps, and also gets a thin band of chrome running the width of the rear and a bumper with black body cladding and a faux skid plate flanked by vertically stacked exhausts.

Inside, the concept crossover gets a dual-tier all-digital instrument cluster along with sporty- looking front seats, a dual-tone interior, a panoramic sunroof, a flat-bottomed three-spoke steering and chrome and silver trim inserts across the cabin. No details were revealed about the engines to be featured in the FX concept.

The second reveal, the FT concept, gets a large vertical slat grille with LED inserts with LED headlamps placed on either side. The bumper gets high set fog-lamps with chrome surround and black body cladding along with a faux skid plate. On the sides, the SUV gets a tapering window line with chrome along the lower edge, black body cladding and silver side skirts. The roof line of the concept tapers gently towards the rear. At the back, the SUV concept gets large wrap-around LED tail-lamps, black body cladding, and silver body cladding on the bumper with LED fog lamps on the edges. An integrated spoiler is seen above the tailgate.

Inside, the FT concept gets a dual-tier dashboard split by a section of blue ambient lighting elements. The dashboard is finished in contrast-stitched leather on the top and gets a brushed aluminium finish on the lower section. The instrument cluster is an all-digital unit. In addition, the concept features a freestanding display for the infotainment system. Other details include white leather upholstery for the seats and doors, and chrome and brushed aluminum inserts around the cabin.

As with the FX concept, Daihatsu did not provide any engine details about the FT concept SUV.

Courtesy : Autocar