Land Rover has introduced the 2018 model year Discovery Sport in India. The car receives new connectivity features and updates to the infotainment system.

New for 2018 is a Wi-Fi Hotspot that can provide in-car access to the internet for up to eight devices. The functionality of the infotainment system has also been advanced with the introduction of InControl Pro Services. On offer is a downloadable route-planning app, a commute mode (it learns your regular route and suggests faster alternatives) and an app that allows passengers to share their ETA via SMS with contacts. These apps are available on the Apple Store and Google Play Store, and sync with the car’s own navigation system.

With the new update, Land Rover has also rejigged the Discovery Sport line-up. Land Rover has withdrawn the model’s petrol engine for the time being, suggesting the new Ingenium petrol engine may launch sooner, rather than later. For the moment, the Discovery Sport is being offered with the same 150hp and 190hp, 2.0-litre diesel variants, as before. The SUV-maker has also removed the five-seater option for the mid-spec SE trim and the top-spec HSE Luxury trim – it will now only offer a five-seater model on the base pure variant. The three other trims will come in a 5 + 2 seater configuration.

The 2018 Discovery Sport range starts at Rs 42.48 lakh (ex-showroom, India) and tops off at Rs 57.46 lakh. Spec-to-spec, the new model is pricier by Rs 30,000-40,000.

Courtesy : Autocar

Royal Enfield had announced an online sale of 15 limited-edition 'Stealth Black' Classic 500 motorcycles that were part of National Security Guards’ motorcycle expedition ‘Fight Against Terror’. This sale received interest from more than 2,000 buyers who stood an opportunity to purchase one of the 15 bikes. All 15 of of these motorcycles were sold out within 15 seconds of going on sale at 12pm on December 13, 2017.

Priced at Rs 1.90 lakh (ex-showroom), these motorcycles are decorated with unique NSG insignia and the entire proceeds from the sale will go to Prerna – a not-for-profit initiative supported by NSG for differently-abled children. The Classic 500s on sale were part of NSG's 40-day motorcycle expedition in which the Black Cat NSG Commandos covered over 8,000km, across India. They did this to spread the message of citizens' awareness of their collective responsibility toward fighting terror.

These limited-edition motorcycles are based on the matte-black Classic 500 that was launched, back in September. It has a matte-black finish on the body and the exhaust, along with black-spoke wheels. Powering it will be the same 499cc single-cylinder engine that makes 27.2hp and 41.3Nm of peak torque, mated to a five-speed transmission.

The 15 buyers who managed to reserve their limited-edition Stealth Black 500 motorcycles will be handed over their respective purchases at a local dealership on the payment of the full amount.

Courtesy : Autocar

With three engines on offer, choosing a Scorpio can be quite a task. In all, the 75hp Scorpio is available in a single variant, the 120hp version is offered in three, while the new 140hp model is offered in the top two, namely S7 and S11 trims, with four-wheel drive in fully-loaded form. Also, lower trims can be optioned with nine seats while the top-spec version can be had with a captain’s chair in the middle row.

The base Scorpio S3 (Rs 9.96 lakh, ex-showroom, Delhi) only gets the bare essentials like power steering, air conditioning, central locking and tilt adjust for the steering. Vinyl seats and the absence of ABS and airbags make this version hard to recommend.

The S5 version (Rs 11.6 lakh) with its full wheel covers and body-coloured bumpers looks far nicer on the outside and also comes with basic safety kit like dual airbags and ABS as standard. The S7 (120hp for Rs 12.69 lakh; 140hp for Rs 12.99 lakh) model sees the inclusion of projector headlamps, driver’s seat height adjust, a 2-DIN audio system, reverse parking sensors, rear wipers and a defogger, among other upgrades.

Alloy wheels and daytime-running LEDs are elements only the top-spec S11 version (120hp for Rs 14.78 lakh and 140hp 4x4 for Rs 16.01 lakh) get. Other additions include faux leather seats, a 6.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system with navigation, a reverse camera, auto headlights and wipers and a tyre pressure monitoring system.

The S11s offer the most kit but also make the Scorpio very expensive. If you don’t mind compromising on a few goodies and 4x4, the 140hp S7 comes across as the best value in the range, offering added punch from the more powerful engine and a reasonable level of kit. 

Courtesy : Autocar

Outgoing Audi Sport boss Stephan Winkelmann has confirmed that Audi’s performance arm will introduce electrified vehicles from 2020 and would produce faster models based on SUVs.

Winkelmann, who will become president of Bugatti from January 2018, spoke at the RS4 launch and said that Audi Sport “will be less evolutionary and more into revolution”.

Audi Sport – rebranded from Quattro, last year – will see “the start of the introduction of battery electric vehicles from 2020 onwards”, said Winkelmann. “This will start by the end of 2020, with the first car of Audi Sport, and then there will be more coming, in the third decade of this millennium."

“We are also looking into cars which are – let's say – in a growing segment or a body segment, which is growing. These are the Qs. We will get more of them and we think that this is going to help us because every car we are building, and every car we are investing in, should have global visibility – not just in Europe but in Asia and the Americas.”

Such models wouldn’t replace Audi Sport’s traditional line-up, though, Winkelmann added: “In 2018, 2019 and 2020, we will have a lot of turbo engines with new models. We are not forgetting our icons, so we will continue to build them. Even if we keep in mind that electrification is important for us; legislators permitting, our turbo engines will stay because we are very proud of these.”

Courtesy : Autocar

Navnit Motors, Ferrari’s dealership in Mumbai, is celebrating the Italian supercar maker’s 70th anniversary by organising a leisure drive in Mumbai on Sunday, December 17, 2017. The drive is one part of Ferrari’s celebrations of the anniversary which was kicked off in March with the highlight of the celebration taking place in September, in Maranello, Italy.

The event is scheduled to begin on December 16, 2017 with a dinner for owners at the St. Regis hotel. Sunday morning will see a bevy of Prancing Horses take to Mumbai’s roads, starting at Navnit Motors in Bandra-Kurla Complex, before heading to Marine Drive via the Bandra-Worli Sea Link. The drive will conclude at the Festival Square in High Street Phoenix in Lower Parel, where the cars will be displayed for the remainder of the day.

While it is yet unknown which models will be present at the drive, some new liveries have been promised, to attract crowds.

Ferrari had also celebrated its anniversary in Delhi, last Sunday with a drive from the Claridges Hotel to the Buddh International Circuit, in Greater Noida.

Dieter Knechtel, Chief Executive Officer - Far East and Middle East, Ferrari, was present at the press event. “We are truly proud of the incomparable heritage and history of our brand, founded by the great Enzo Ferrari, which continues to enthral Ferraristi worldwide even today and bring in more people into the Ferrari family," he said. "Our 70th anniversary is a great milestone for us and we look forward to the future with renewed hope and confidence in the company’s ability to produce cars that inspire the dreams of millions of people worldwide.”

At Autocar India, we celebrated 70 years of Ferrari with a comprehensive road test of the 488 GTB as part of our anniversary issue, in September 2017.

Ferrari returned to the Indian market in January 2015. after a hiatus and officially announced two new dealers – Navnit Motors in Mumbai and Select Cars in Delhi. It currently sells the 812 Superfast, GTC4Lusso, GTC4Lusso T, 488 Spider, 488 GTB and the California T in the country. 

Courtesy : Autocar