Jagat Singh and Nagarjuna A have won the inaugural race of the T1 Prima Truck Racing Championship, organized for Indian truck drivers. The championship, which is in its third edition, for the first time, featured the Super Class - a category for Indian drivers. These drivers were selected through training and selection programs from Tata Motors' fleet customers' operations across the country.

The drivers were trained by race instructors in India over a period of three months. The race attracted a crowd of over 50,000 people. The first place winners of the two Super Class category races were awarded Rs. 10 lakh each.

The Pro Class (which featured international racing drivers) saw David Jenkins, Rick Collett and Graham Powell finish first, second and third respectively.

David Jenkins of Team Tata Technologies, who had finished fourth in the first 8-lap race of the two Pro Class races, managed to take top honours in the final 20-lap race. Rick Collett and Graham Powell, both from Team Tata Cummins, took second and third place respectively.

Matt Summerfield of Team Castrol Vecton, winner of the first 8-lap race, clocked the fastest lap of 1:50:691 seconds in the second race, around the 3.1 kilometer long race track.

Results:

Race 1 - Indian Drivers Batch 1

1. Jagat Singh
2. Malkeet Singh
3. Rajkumar Mahato
4. MD Parvez
5. Rabinder Yadav
6. Syed Akram Pasha

Race 2 - International Drivers

1. Matt Summerfield
2. Graham Powell
3. Rick Collett
4. David Jenkins
5. Tony Smith
6. Ben Horne
7. Olly Janes
8. Paul McCumisky
9. Adam Bint
10. Brian Burt
11. Simon Cole
12. Ray Coleman

Race 3 - Indian Drivers Batch 2

1. Nagarjuna A
2. Bhag Chand
3. Anand
4. Jitendra Singh
5. Bacchu Singh
6. MD Iliyas

Race 4 - International Drivers

1. David Jenkins
2. Rick Collett
3. Graham Powell
4. Ben Horne
5. Brian Burt
6. Tony Smith
7. Adam Bint
8. Matt Summerfield
9. Olly Janes
10. Simon Cole
11. Ray Coleman
12. Paul McCumisky

Photos of the next-gen 2017 Suzuki Swift hatchback have surfaced on the internet. These images were first shown to select audience at a dealer conference organised by the manufacturer, and gives a fair of idea of the next-gen car’s interiors as well as exteriors.

Suzuki seems to have played it safe with the new Swift’s design, as its overall shape and silhouette is just like that of the current car.

Up front, the headlights are slightly more angular, and are likely to come standard with LED daytime running lights. Suzuki has added an aggressive-looking, Audi-esque octagonal grille with a two-part setup that merges with the muscular-looking front bumper forming a large air dam.
Moving to the sides, as mentioned earlier, the car carries forward the Swift's trademark design. The car seen in the photos could be the next-gen Swift Sport for international markets. It is a four-door hatchback with a roofline that slopes down in a more pronounced manner than on the current car.

The new Swift will come with a floating roof design, where the top portion of the C-pillar has been blackened out – a trend that's being followed by most modern-day carmakers. Also, the next-gen car will get a pillar-mounted handle on the rear passenger door, as on the Chevrolet Beat and the newly launched Mahindra KUV100. The new car sports large alloy wheels and has subtle body cladding that runs along its wheelbase.

The new Swift’s rear gets slightly angular tail-lamps which will most likely feature LED elements. The rear glass area is almost of the same size as the current Swift's, but has a slightly flatter tailgate with a prominent character line extending to either side. One can also notice a small spoiler which will be seen as standard on the Swift Sport. The rear bumper looks muscular and has a prominent blackened diffuser and integrated dual exhausts.

The pictures leaked of the next-gen Swift's interiors reveal that the car gets an all-new dashboard, steering wheel and instrument cluster. The air con vents are round and the knobs chunky. There’s a prominent band that across the length of the dashboard that dividing it into two halves. The centre console now features a large touchscreen system, which could be an updated version of the SmartPlay infotainment system. The instrument binnacle is a twin pod setup with a largish multi-info display located at its centre.

The next-gen Swift will be based on the new platform that made its debut in the Baleno hatchback. This platform is lighter than the current version and is more structurally rigid. The low weight will surely result in better fuel economy figures as well. As reported earlier, the car will come with a 1.0-litre turbo-petrol Boosterjet engine along with the standard normally aspirated petrol engines. It is also likely to continue with the 1.3-litre Multijet diesel engine and may get a slight bump in power.

A global unveil of the new Swift can be expected later this year, with an India launch likely sometime next year.

Courtesy : Autocar

Manufacturer exports the 150cc naked street motorcycle to eight countries; India launch not confirmed.

Even as Pulsar aficionados in India await the launch of the 150NS, bikers abroad have already got astride the 150cc iteration of Bajaj Auto’s successful naked street motorcycle. Bajaj Auto, which has been on an aggressive export drive for this model, has shipped over 20,000 units to as many as eight countries worldwide.

Speaking to sister publication Autocar Professional, Eric Vas, president, Motorcycle Business at Bajaj Auto, said, “Yes, we have been shipping the Pulsar 150NS to several markets internationally for some time. These include Colombia and some other Latin American markets as well.” According to export data records accessed by Autocar Professional, the motorcycle has been shipped to other countries such as Mexico, Peru, Ecuador, Turkey, Finland, Thailand and the United States. The Pulsar 150NS has been exported in completely knocked down (CKD) form to countries where the Pune-based two-wheeler manufacturer has assembly lines and in semi-knocked down (SKD) form to others without assembly facilities, revealed Rakesh Sharma, president, International Business, Bajaj Auto.

Sharma said Bajaj Auto commenced exports of the Pulsar 150NS late last year, adding that each market has a fixed schedule for deliveries. It is understood that Colombia has been the biggest market for the Pulsar 150NS so far with a major chunk of exports heading there. Officially launched along with Auteco, the company’s authorised partner in the country, the Pulsar 150NS has been available across all dealers in the country from March 15.

Bajaj’s latest offering from the Pulsar family borrows most of its design cues from its elder sibling – the Pulsar 200NS – and retains several features like the tank design, instrument cluster and the rear monoshock suspension as well. Powered by the single-cylinder, 149.5cc DTSi engine and the patented triple-spark plug technology, the motorcycle delivers a maximum output of 17hp and a peak torque of 1.32kgm. Even as speculation has been ripe about the motorcycle’s launch in India, Bajaj Auto has not shared a timeline for the same. “We have not yet decided the India launch date for the 150NS,” said Vas. Likely to be slotted above the ageing Pulsar 150 DTSi, the Pulsar 150NS is expected to take on the likes of Suzuki Gixxer, Yamaha FZ-16, Honda Unicorn, and Hero MotoCorp’s CBZ Xtreme and Hunk in the Indian market.

The Pulsar family has been a dominant force in the premium motorcycle segment in India. With the RS200 and the AS150 and AS200 duo, which were launched last year, seeing a good market response, the NS150 could be another winner in the making for Bajaj.

Courtesy : Autocar

The latest in the series of V6-powered AMG models, the GLC 43 uses the same 362bhp, 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6 as the C 43 and SLC 43.

Mercedes has added a new performance model to its GLC SUV line-up. The AMG GLC 43 4Matic, is the latest model in a series of V6-powered AMG models, the GLC 43 shares the same engine that was revealed under the hood of the AMG SLC 43 and the C 43 Coupe and Cabriolet.

The talking point of the GLC 43 is the engine, which is a 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6 developing 362bhp that can propel the SUV from 0-100kph in 4.9 seconds. Not equipped with a full-blown AMG V8, the GLC 43 comes as a replacement for what would have been the GLC 450 AMG Sportline, a model designed to fill the void between the standard GLC and the range-topping GLC 63 AMG currently under development.

The engine is paired AAA+ Replica Watches UK to the company’s 9G-Tronic nine-speed automatic gearbox along with offering a choice of drive modes – Eco, Comfort, Sport, Sport Plus and Individual. The gearbox additionally also boasts a double declutch function and holds gears at maximum revs when in Sport Plus mode.

The GLC43’s 4Matic four-wheel drive system has been tuned to deliver a distinctly rear-biased distribution of drive, with 31 percent delivered to the front axle and the remaining sent to the rear.
Underpinning Mercedes-Benz’s new performance SUV is a revised version of the standard GLC’s optional air body control suspension, featuring air springs and adaptive damping across three modes: Comfort, Sport and Sport Plus. It also receives 19-inch alloy wheels as standard.

As with the SLC 43, C 43 Coupe 4Matic, C 43 Convertible 4Matic and the more powerful E 43 4Matic, the GLC 43 4Matic too receives a reworked chassis with new steering knuckles and load-bearing joints up front as well as unique spring, damper and bushing tuning. The brakes have also been upgraded to 360mm discs up front and 320mm discs at the rear.

The GLC 43 comes with an aggressive body Replica Breitling Watches kit and quad exhaust setting it apart from the standard range. On the interior, it gets new sport seats, a revised instrument cluster and a flat-bottomed steering to show its sportier intent.

Mercedes showcased the standard GLC at Auto Expo 2016 in Delhi. The company has plans to bring the SUV to India later this year, and it is likely that the model will get the familiar 2.1-litre diesel engine and will rival the likes of the BMW X3 and Audi Q5.

The automaker has also been testing a coupé variant of the GLC which is expected to make its international debut alongside the GLC 43 at the New York motor show. Currently for India, Mercedes is readying a new entry-level petrol variant for its S-class limousine, the S 400,Replica Cartier Watches with its launch to take place sometime this month.

Courtesy : Autocar

Suzuki Motorcycles India has launched the new facelifted Access 125 for Rs 53,887 ex-showrooom Delhi

The Suzuki Access125 used to be the highest selling scooter for Suzuki India in the home market. But due to a steep rise in competition especially thanks to the Honda Activa 125, the market share for the Access 125 had started to dwindle. So the need for an upgrade was imperative. Shortly after unveiling the new Access 125 at the 2016 Auto Expo in Greater Noida, the company announced the launch of its flagship 125cc scooter today and prices start from Rs 53,887 ex-showroom Delhi for the base model. The scooter will be offered in two variants, the base drum version with steel wheels was launched today while the disc brake version with alloy wheels as pictured above will be launched in a couple of months the Japanese manufcaturer announced.   

Aesthetically the new Access has been completely redesigned. It now features a larger redesigned headlamp which gives the scooter a retro appeal. The indicators have been reworked as well along with the side panels. The tail lamp cluster is also new and comes with a wraparound styling and LED brake light flanked by clear indicators. It also now sports a semi-digital instrument console unit. 

Mechanically the scooter remains identical to the outgoing model. It still employs the 125cc single cylinder motor producing 9PS of max power and 10Nm of peak torque. That said, Suzuki has fiddled with the engine to reduce frictional losses by introducing its SEP or Suzuki Eco Performance technology to improve fuel efficiency and performance. The new Access claims a fuel efficiency of 64kmpl. The engine is mated to a CVT gearbox and the scooter features telescopic forks up front. Though in place of the 120mm drum brakes up front, Suzuki will introduced a disc brake as an option extra in near future.

Courtesy : Zigwheels