The new V15 motorcycle from Bajaj will be launched towards the end of March; likely to be priced close to Rs 70,000.

Even before they were revealed, Bajaj’s new 'V' family of motorcycles gained instant appreciation and fame for having been made from the metal of the scrapped warship, INS Vikrant. The video that teased the 'V' family gave us only a glimpse of the new motorcycle, or motorcycles, that were to come. Now Bajaj has taken the wraps off the new V range and here’s when we come to know just how exciting the motorcycles are.

Cruiser? Or, Café racer

The new V is more café-racer albeit with a hint of cruiser. This is down to the stance because of the 18-inch front and 16-inch rear tyres. The V15’s wheelbase is also 10mm longer than the discover, giving it the solid stance. The 780mm seat height also highlights the low stance of the motorcycle, making the saddle some 15mm lower than that of the Discover! Its contemporary design mixes sporty and muscular bringing a new flavour to the commuter space. Bajaj has taken many cracks at the commuter space and this family of motorcycles looks set to live alongside their successful and more simple-looking Discover range. From the wind deflector on the headlamp to the boat-tail rear, and the swoopy design in between, there’s a lot to like on the V. The chrome dual shock absorbers at the rear, the white contrast stitching on the seat, the removable cowl for the rear seat and the smart instrument cluster, all make it very appealing. The instrument cluster features a fuel gauge that switches from green to red as the fuel level dips really low. Chunky tyres give it a stronger stance and the smart, slim ten-spoke alloy wheels are hung off telescopic forks with blacked-out siders.

Underneath it all…

When it comes to the chassis the V has a fairly conventional setup that is aimed to provide durability and reliability. The chassis is a dual-cradle setup and uses stouter than usual 33mm diameter telescopic forks at the front and twin shock absorbers at the rear. The engine is an air-cooled DTS-i 150cc two-valve, four-stroke motor. This engine makes 11.8bhp of power. That puts the V about 2bhp down on power compared to its 150cc siblings in the Discover family.

The V also boasts of 1.3kgm of torque. Due to its two-valve head, it offers a solid 1.2kgm of torque from 3,000rpm, while peak torque is available at 5,500rpm. While this should also result in good fuel efficiency, the company hasn’t disclosed the ARAI test figures yet. Bajaj Auto. Eric Vaz, said that the V15 will offer a real word fuel economy figure of about 60kpl with pillion on board. He also stressed, that the V15 isn’t a motorcycle for high speed cruising but will offer hassle-free performance requiring minimal gear-changes. 

In keeping with its commuter oriented positioning, the V15’s chunky tyres are Eurogrips that should offer good longevity as well. Also, the gear shifter has a heel shifter as well. Lastly, the footpegs and brake pedal are large and wrapped in soft rubber again pointing at convenience and hassle free use.

Production will commence on February 5, 2016, with the  launch scheduled to take place towards the end of March. The V15 will be offered in one variant that comes packed with electric start and disc brakes as standard. Prices will be revealed closer to delivery date, and are expected to be somewhere close to Rs 70,000.  Dealers all over India have started accepting bookings for the Bajaj V. 

Courtesy : Autocar

The proceeds from the sale of the DB10 will go to 'Doctors without Borders'.

The Aston Martin DB10 driven by Daniel Craig in the James Bond film Spectre was sold at an auction for £2,434,500 (Rs 23.96 crore). The DB10, one of two remaining out of the 10 examples made exclusively for use during the filming, was donated by Aston Martin for the charity auction at Christie's in London. It is the only one of the remaining cars that will ever be put on sale by the Gaydon-based car company.

An anonymous buyer paid £2,100,000 (Rs 20.67 crore) for the car, well above the £1.5 million estimate that had been placed on it ahead of the auction. With buyer's fees taken into account, the final sum came up to £2,434,500, although this fee will also go to charity once the auction house's costs have been taken into account. Proceeds from the sale will go to Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF). MSF, or ‘Doctors without Borders’, is a global humanitarian-aid organisation that provides medical care and support to victims of armed conflict, epidemics and other disasters.

Aston Martin CEO Andy Palmer said: “The DB10 is one of the rarest cars ever created. Only 10 will ever be made and this is the only one that will be made available for sale. It’s great to see this DB10 raising vital funds for Médecins Sans Frontières. It is a fantastic charity that we are delighted to support”. The DB10 was the star lot out of 10 Bond-related items being auctioned for charity.

The second-most expensive item was the Day of the Dead costume worn by Craig in the movie. It went for £98,500 (Rs 96.95 lakh). In total, the 10 lots raised £2,785,500 (Rs 27.41 crore) for MSF and other charitable causes. 

Courtesy : Autocar

New Maserati dealership in Mumbai is located in the Taj Santacruz hotel; is the third dealership in India.

Maserati opened its third dealership in India, in Mumbai. The Mumbai showroom, the first one for the western India region, has been opened in partnership with Group Planet Petal. It is located in the new TajSantacruz hotel.

The showroom will showcase all of Maserati’s India offerings – the Quattroporte, the Ghibli, the GranTurismo and the GranCabrio. The showroom will be supported by a workshop located in Marol, Andheri, which Maserati claims “houses 6 work bays, a parts warehouse and is equipped with all high-tech tools and equipment required for servicing the entire Maserati range of cars.”

Group Planet Petal also owns Nissan, Hyundai, Yamaha, Suzuki (two-wheelers) and Ashok Leyland (light commercial vehicles) dealerships, and operates exclusively in western India. 

Courtesy : Autocar

The Levante is expected to be powered by a choice of two petrol and one diesel engine; could get a hybrid model.

Maserati has released official images of its first-ever SUV model, the Levante, prior to its public debut at the Geneva motor show 2016.

The images reveal that the SUV features a dramatically sculpted bonnet with a bold interpretation of Maserti's front grille, a new design of tapered headlights split into two elements and large front air intakes. The SUV also features the company’s signature three air vents on the front wings, and other styling cues like frameless door windows, a trapezoidal C-pillar featuring the 'Saetta' logo seen on the Ghibli and other Maseratis, a roof-mounted spoiler and four exhausts.

There are also a few styling elements seen earlier on the 2011 Kubang concept car, which first signalled Maserati's intent to enter the SUV market.

Though no official interior images were released, leaked images of the new car's interior show that the model gets steering-wheel mounted paddles for the automatic transmission and a large central infotainment screen.

Mechanically, the SUV will share its engines with the Ghibli and Quattroporte and though not officially confirmed, reports state that the Levante will be using the 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6 from the Ghibli and Quattroporte in two states of tune along with the 3.0-litre V6 diesel. Power will be channelled to all-four wheels via an eight-speed automatic gearbox and Maserati’s ‘Q4’ all-wheel-drive system.

As per the report, the petrol models are to be badged as 'Levante 350' and 'Levante 430' as per their engine outputs. The 350 is claimed to sprint from 0-100kph in 6.3 seconds and reach a top speed of 243kph while the more powerful 430 is claimed to do the sprint in 5.2 seconds and reach a top speed of 264kph. The diesel is claimed to complete the sprint in 6.9 seconds and reach a top speed of 230kph.

The Levante is also expected to get the V8 powerplant from the Quattroporte as a range-topping performance model. A hybrid model is also being planned.

The Levante is part of Maserati’s plan to improve its annual sales to around 70,000 units by 2018, internationally. The SUV will rival the likes of the Mercedes GLE, BMW X5 and Porsche Cayenne.

Courtesy : Autocar

On display at the India Bike Week 2016, the new Ducati Panigale will be priced at Rs 14,04,000 (ex-showroom, Delhi NCR).

Ducati has unveiled its new superbike, the 959 Panigale at the India Bike Week (IBW). The new middle-weight 959 Panigale is the successor of the Ducati 899 Panigale.

According to the company, the Panigale 959 will be available in showrooms from July 2016, at a price of Rs 14,04,000 (ex-showroom, Delhi NCR). The model is powered by a new 955cc, L-twin Superquadro motor that meets Euro-IV emissions standard, which Ducati claims has resulted in an increase in power and torque. The middle-weight superbike shares its styling with the 1299 Panigale.

“We are very excited to bring the new super-mid Ducati Superbike to India. The Ducati 959 Panigale is the perfect balance between impressive design and breath-taking performance and it embodies Ducati’s premium sportbike culture," said Ravi Avalur, managing director, Ducati India.

Bookings for the new 959 Panigale are open and can be made at Ducati dealerships located in Delhi, Gurgaon, Mumbai, and Bengaluru.

The bike maker also has plans to open a new dealership in India, underlining the company’s plans to expand its network in 2016.

Courtesy : Autocar