Already launched in the international market, the 2016 Toyota Fortuner will only make its way to India late next year

Earlier this year in August, Toyota took the wraps off the 2016 Fortuner and launched it in the international market a few months later. Since then there have been a lot of speculations about when the model will make its way to Indian shores. ZigWheels.com recently learnt that the Japanese car maker will only bring it to India towards the end of 2016. 

Just like the current generation model, Toyota will continue to produce the 2016 Fortuner at its plant in Bangalore. Toyota is currently in fake watches sale talks with vendors and is concentrating on localisation of the product prior to the launch next year. However, they are still to finalise as to how much of the car will be locally produced, keeping in mind Toyota’s global quality standards. Toyota Motor Corporation has allocated enough funds to the Indian sub-division for future offerings like the 2016 Fortuner and the 2016 Innnova. 

Toyota has already launched the 2016 Fortuner in Thailand. Aside from having an all new design, the 2016 Fortuner gets a new 2.8-litre direct injection four-pot turbocharged motor that will produce 177PS of power. The 2016 Fortuner too will come with a manual and an automatic gearbox option producing 420Nm and 450Nm respectively. 

While Toyota will bring the new Fortuner late last year, Ford too has launched the new Endeavour in the international market and is expected to launch it in India in the first quarter of 2016. Mitsubishi will also be bringing in the new Pajero Sport. Meanwhile, the first manufacturer to make the move in this segment is Chevrolet as they launched the Trailblazer last week. 

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Carlos Ghosn, chairman and CEO of Renault and Nissan says that India will play a crucial role in next mid-term plan.

In a global media interaction session held at the Tokyo Motor show 2015, Renault and Nissan CEO, Carlos Ghosn revealed that the two companies planned to focus more attention on the Indian market in the next mid-term plan.

India is becoming a major attractor for multinational companies with the market being seen as one of the most promising in the emerging BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) markets.

“Among the large markets of the world, India is the market with the highest growth in 2015. It will end up seeing a 7-8 percent growth. We think it will continue. We can envision India will be in the top level of growth among the large markets for the next 2-3  years," Ghosn said in response to a query from our sister publication Autocar Professional.

This is in contrast to the Russian market which has seen a 50 percent fall in the last three years and the Brazilian market which has witnessed a 40 percent fall in the last two years. The growth rate in China has also started to slow down as well.

“For all carmakers, India is becoming more and more important because there’s growth and two car manufacturers having 70 percent of market share. So, everybody thinks there’s opportunity here. Atleast the small guys thing they can do a better job. And we are part of the small guys,” added Ghosn.

Renault recently launched the Kwid entry-level hatchback in India, with the small car garnering a lot of interest with bookings for the small car crossing 25,000 within a few weeks of its launch. The CMF-A platform underpinning the hatchback is expected to give rise to a new model in Nissan’s line-up under the Datsun brand with the new entry-level hatchback expected to be launched in India in March 2016 to celebrate the brand’s anniversary. Nissan is also learnt to be tweaking its strategy for the Indian market the results of which are expected to kick in in the coming three to four years.

Ghosn also said that since the global automobile industry’s growth was expected to be reach stagnation in the coming years, the two companies were looking to enhance its efforts in India and South Africa and also look towards developing newer markets.

Courtesy : Autocar

At the 2015 Tokyo Motor Show, Kawasaki announced that the 2016 Kawasaki Ninja H2 will get equipped with slipper clutch thereby signifying the fact that production of the supercharged motorcycle has been extended by one more year.

Kawasaki announced that it has given the Ninja H2 superbike cosmetic and mechanical updates at the 2015 Tokyo Motor Show. The Japanese bikemaker announced that the ECU system on the motorcycle has been tweaked to better suit the emission norms. Also the 2016 Kawasaki Ninja H2 will get the benefit of slipper clutch which was oddly missing until now given the power on tap and the pricing the motorcycle commands. A slipper clutch acts to prevent rear wheel lock on aggressive downshifts which might catch the rider by surprise on few occasions and is an useful feature while riding the motorcycle on the limit. Talking about the cosmetic updates, the 2016 Kawasaki Ninja H2 will be now offered in a new colour option of “Mirror Coated Spark Black”. The updates also mean that Kawasaki will continue the production of the supercharged Ninja H2 and Ninja H2R in 2016 albeit in small numbers. 

The Kawasaki Ninja H2 is the most expensive motorcycle offering from the Japanese two-wheeler giant in India and has been priced at Rs 29 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi). The biggest talking point of the Kawasaki Ninja H2 is the addition of supercharger to boost the power output of the motor and it’s the only supercharged mass production motorcycle on sale globally. Powering the Kawasaki Ninja H2 is a 998cc, liquid-cooled, inline-four motor churning out 200PS at 11,000rpm and peak torque of 113.5Nm at 10,500rpm. The Kawasaki Ninja H2 will be offered with an option of Ram Air that hikes the power output to 210PS. These numbers make it among the most powerful litre-class motorcycle on sale globally. The Kawasaki Ninja H2 is also the only supercharged production motorcycle on sale currently.

Courtesy : Zigwheels

The new Discovery is expected to be powered by a family of four- and six-cylinder Ingenium engines; to share platform with the Range Rover.

British automaker Land Rover has started testing the next-gen Discovery on international roads. Previewed by the Land Rover Vision concept that debuted at the New York motor show in 2014, the new model, to be called the Discovery 5, in line with previous models is expected to be based on the platform used by the Range Rover and Range Rover Sport, making it lighter than its predecessor.

In terms of styling, the spy pictures display a front-end styling similar to the new Discovery Sport while the overall styling of the Discovery is less boxy than its predecessor. Inside, the new Discovery is expected to feature the use higher quality materials along with getting the company’s latest infotainment system and head-up display. The cabin is expected to be offered in five- and seven-seat layouts.

The Discovery 5 is expected to be powered by a family of four- and six-cylinder Ingenium engines along with the possibility of a hybrid powertrain combining a 2.0-litre Ingenium engine with an electric motor to drive the wheels.

The next-gen Discovery  is expected to make its debut sometime in 2016. There is also a possibility of a hard-core off-roading model developed by JLR’s Special Vehicle Operations division, badged Discovery SVX, expected to follow around a year later.

Courtesy : Autocar

Hero launched the new Duet scooter at Rs 48,400 (ex-showroom Bangalore). The Duet employs full metal body and has a claimed mileage figure of 63.8kmpl and will rival the likes of the Honda Activa 3G, TVS Jupiter, Yamaha Ray and Suzuki Lets

Hero MotoCorp Ltd expanded its scooter portfolio and launched the new Duet scooter in India. Hero had showcased the new Duet earlier this month and hinted at a festive season launch. The Hero Duet has been priced at Rs. 48,400 for the LX version and Rs. 49,900 for the VX version (both pricing are ex-showroom Bangalore). The Hero Duet is based on a new platform and comes with full metal body. The Hero Duet will be the second scooter to employ a non-Honda engine and will be powered by a indigenously developed 110-cc air-cooled, 4-stroke single cylinder OHC engine, producing a maximum power output of 8.5PS at 8,000 rpm and maximum torque of 8.3 Nm torque at 6,500 rpm. Hero claims that the Duet scooter has an overall mileage of 63.8kmpl which is among the highest for scooters on sale in India. Also Read: Hero Duet First Ride Review

Speaking at the launch, Pawan Munjal, Chairman, MD and CEO, Hero MotoCorp, said “We have now expanded our scooter portfolio with the launch of the new scooter Duet. The Duet and Maestro Edge scooters – the first of the products developed by our own in-house R&D team - mark a significant step in Hero’s journey. The Maestro Edge has already proved to be a blockbuster since its launch earlier this month. Now with Duet in the market, we are confident of further strengthening our presence in the scooter segment.” 

Talking about features, the Hero Duet scooter gets equipped with semi-digital instrument console, mobile charging port, boot light, tubeless tyres and side stand indicator. The Duet also gets external fuel filler cap which is an useful addition. The new Hero scooter gets benefit of telescopic front forks and braking is done by drum brakes on both the ends with Integrated Braking System. The new Hero Duet will be available in the following shades of Candy Blazing Red, Pearl Silver White, Grace Grey, Matte Nature Green, Panther Black and Vernier Grey (Non-metallic). 

Courtesy : Zigwheels