Kawasaki India will launch the new Versys 650 adventure motorcycle in the Indian market on December 24th. The new Motorcycle will be the third 650cc motorcycle from the Japanese bikemaker in India and the first CKD offering to get ABS

Kawasaki India will end 2015 on a high as it will launch the new Versys 650 on December 24th in the Indian market. The Kawasaki Versys 650 will be brought in via the CKD route to India and will be the fifth motorcycle to be locally assembled in India after the Kawasaki Ninja 300, Z250, Ninja 650 and the ER-6n. Kawasaki hasn’t announced the pricing yet but through our sources ZigWheels has found out that the bike will carry am on road price of Rs 6.75 lakh in Mumbai. This means that the Kawasaki Versys 650 will be priced at a premium in comparison to its 650cc siblings as the Kawasaki Ninja 650 carries a sticker price of Rs 6.05 lakh while the ER-6n at Rs 5.58 lakh (both prices on-road Mumbai). The reason for the steep pricing of the Kawasaki Versys 650 is the fact that it would be offered with ABS as a standard fitment which makes it the first CKD Kawasaki motorcycle to offer the above.

The styling of the Kawasaki Versys 650 is similar to its litre-class sibling with a dual headlamps and a quarter fairing while the LED tail lamp has been inspired from the Kawasaki Z1000 street bike. Powering the bike is the same 650cc motor as seen on the Ninja 650 and the ER-6n but the engine has been tuned to better suit the dual purpose nature of the Versys 650. The 649cc parallel-twin has been retuned to increase performance further up in the rev range whilst improving fuel efficiency at the same time. The twin-pot mill develops 72PS of power and 66Nm of peak torque. Power is transmitted to the rear-wheel via a 6-speed gearbox. The windscreen on the Kawasaki Ninja 650 can be manually adjusted whereas a stronger subrframe allows the use of clean-mount panniers. Aside from the inclusion of ABS, the Versys 650 will also come with adjustable suspension springs up front as well as at the back.

Courtesy : Zigwheels

The new Beetle is powered by a 1.4-litre turbo-petrol engine; gets a more muscular stance owing to features such as new bumpers and wheels.

Volkswagen has launched the iconic Beetle in India with prices starting from Rs 28.73 lakh (ex-showroom, Mumbai), with the model being a CBU import. Launched internationally way back in 2011, the new Beetle has been heavily reworked compared to its older model and now gets a lower and wider stance with reworked body panels to make it appeal to a wider audience.

The older Beetle had gained a reputation for being more of a women’s car with its rather cute styling as well as the driving experience it offered. Volkswagen seems to have covered this misconception of the old car with the new Beetle getting squared bumpers, a flatter roofline and hood, an integrated spoiler and larger 16-inch wheels to make it look more muscular and give it a planted stance. However, the basic silhouette of the car remains unchanged.

The new Beetle draws power from a 1.4-litre turbo-petrol engine developing 149bhp and 25.5kgm of torque in place of the older model’s 2.0-litre naturally aspirated petrol motor. This engine is mated to a seven-speed DSG automatic gearbox with paddle shifters. The car also gets a four-link independent rear suspension to better manage Indian road conditions. The engine comes equipped with a start/stop system and regenerative braking as standard. Stopping power is provided by disc brakes all around.

The Beetle for India is offered only in one fully loaded variant and is equipped with a panoramic sunroof, bi-xenon headlamps, leather interiors, mood lighting and chrome packages for the exterior and interior as standard. Other comfort and convenience features include dual zone climate control, an eight-speaker audio system with aux, SUB and Bluetooth connectivity, cruise control along with automatic headlamps and rain sensing wipers.

On the safety front it gets dual front, side and curtain airbags and ABS, hill hold assist to keep the car from rolling back when starting on hilly terrain and a brake pad wear indicator.

The Beetle in India will be available in four exterior paint shades – orange, red, white and blue, and will be sold via select Volkswagen dealerships only.

Courtesy : Autocar

Lamborghini looks to capitalise on the success of the Huracan; as many as five derivatives likely to come in future.

The Lamborghini Huracán model range will be expanded to “at least five” derivatives, according to the company’s chief executive, Stephan Winkelmann.

The new rear-wheel-drive LP580-2 brings the number of Huracáns on sale to four, with it, the LP610-4 coupé, LP610-4 Spyder and LP620-2 Super Trofeo race car making up the current range.

Winkelmann, who may be about to leave Lamborghini according toindustry reports, said the Huracán is Lamborghini’s most “flexible” car yet and was engineered from the outset with multiple variants in mind.

“Unlike the Gallardo, where our derivative strategy came after the car was developed, and was also mainly in the second part of the life cycle, with the Huracán we initiated all those things during the development of the base car,” he said.

The next Huracan is likely to be a Spyder version of the LP580-2, but Winkelmann also confirmed that a more focused variant, perhaps adopting the Superveloce or Superleggera suffix, was part of the plan. “For sure there will be a car that is going in the direction of ‘lighter’ and ‘faster’," he said. "We are really looking at a lot of approaches.”

Winkelmann explained there were five key areas that Lamborghini wanted to cover with the Huracan range. “In simple words, we want to cover lifestyle, fun to drive, performance, high performance and race," he said.

“It could be more than five derivatives over the life cycle. We have a lot of ideas that are already planned, but the more we think, the more things are coming up; it’s a matter also of whether we can allow ourselves to do it because we also have to consider investment, production capacity and complexity.

“The effort we made in the beginning of the car’s development was remarkable and now we need to work to get all these derivatives into the market."

Courtesy : Autocar

Mahindra will launch the 125cc variant of the Gusto scooter in the first half of 2016. The new Mahindra Gusto 125 will rival the Honda Activa 125 and the Suzuki Access

Ever since the Mahindra Gusto was launched in the Indian market last year there have been rumours that Mahindra will be launching a higher displacement variant of the scooter soon. ZigWheels.com has learnt through its sources that the Mahindra Gusto 125 is almost production ready and the launch of the new 125cc scooter has been confirmed for early 2016. We expect the new Mahindra Gusto 125 to be showcased at the 2016 Auto Expo in February with a nationwide launch soon after. The scooter will be powered by an in-house developed 125cc motor churning out around 10PS of power and 11Nm of peak torque. The Mahindra Gusto 110 produces 8PS of peak power and 8.5Nm of maximum torque. Expect the claimed mileage figure for the Mahindra Gusto 125 to be around 55kmpl.  

In terms of styling the new 125cc scooter is expected to retain the design cues of the Mahindra Gusto 110 with minor tweaks to differentiate them. Expect the Mahindra Gusto 125 to retain all the features including the height adjustable seat with two different settings (35mm difference in seat height). The seat also has a self-locking mechanism, which means the rider doesn’t have to hold it manually while filling fuel or accessing the under seat storage. The kick lever has been provided at front on the Mahindra Gusto so one can kick-start the scooter while being seated. It also has a storage slot under the instrument cluster and will be offered with a multi-function remote flip key. Suspension duties will be handled by telescopic front forks and coil type setup at rear. While braking is done by 130mm dia drum brakes at front and rear. The Mahindra Gusto 125 is expected to be priced around Rs 55,000 and compete against the Honda Activa 125 and the Suzuki Access.

Courtesy : Zigwheels

With an expected price tag of under Rs 2 lakh, the TNT 25 is set to become the cheapest offering from DSK-Benelli in the country.

Benelli has had an eventful year, ramping up its sales and service and expanding vigorously to metros within the country. The Italian company, brought to our shores by the DSK Group in the form of DSK-Benelli, is now preparing to end the year 2015 on a high note with the launch of the Benelli TNT 25 tomorrow in Pune.

Set to be the cheapest, err... least expensive, offering from DSK-Benelli, the TNT 25 is also the first Benelli in the country to be powered by a single-cylinder engine. Liquid-cooled and mated to a six-speed gearbox, the 249cc mill puts out a peak power figure of 24.5PS at 9,000rpm and 21Nm of torque at 7,000rpm.

Style-wise, the TNT 25 borrows a lot of design cues from its slightly bigger sibling, the TNT 300, albeit with its own differentiators. The split seat, red trellis frame, multi-spoke alloy wheels, and gorgeous exhaust done up in a brushed gunmetal colour looks appealing, contrasting nicely with its signature white colour. The redesigned bellypan is larger now, and done up in white as well. Upfront, the TNT 25 gets the same 41mm upside-down forks as the TNT300, but the monoshock at the rear is now centrally mounted as opposed to the asymmetrically mounted unit on the TNT300. Braking duties are handled by a 280mm single disc upfront and a 240mm disc at the rear.

Like its other siblings, the DSK-Benelli TNT300 will be brought in via the CKD route, to be assembled at DSK’s plant on the outskirts of Pune. With an expected price tag under Rs 2 lakh, the TNT 25 will play ball with the likes of the KTM 390 Duke and Mahindra Mojo in the country. 

Courtesy : Zigwheels