Bentley is looking to develop its customisation division, to manufacture bespoke versions of its road vehicles.

Bentley is exploring ways to develop its customisation division, Mulliner, to offer bespoke versions of the carmaker’s road vehicles.

A six-seater version of the Bentley Mulsanne is set to be revealed at the Geneva motor show, and will be called the Bentley Grand Limousine by Mulliner, with each car built to order. Mulliner has long customised car colours and specs to customer requirements, and when asked by our sister publication Autocar UK if the highly re-engineered car signalled a new direction for Mulliner, Bentley boss Wolfgang Dürheimer said: "Yes, I think we can do more.

"Mulliner is an asset with a history nearly 500 years old, but it is not a well-known name and we must change that. It's an asset, both for customers and for us to develop one-off ideas and see where they lead. It is somewhere exceptional ideas can take shape, and small scale ideas can be developed to larger scale ones."

Asked how far Mulliner could go, and if it could revive the art of coachbuilt one-offs, Dürheimer added: "It's possible, yes. The only thing to say is that Stefan Sielaff is the design director, and what he says is the rule. If someone wants a Bentley that looks like a tank, then he will say no.

"But if a customer demands something unusual but tasteful, then why not? We'll explore all ideas - our capabilities do not end with the standard option list, but extend to Mulliner."

Dürheimer also added that customer safety must come first and that any change that could alter the aerodynamics, suspension or weight balance of the vehicles needs careful consideration.

Courtesy : Autocar

Indian Air Force inspires Royal Enfield’s new Squadron Blue-coloured Classic 500

Royal Enfield, the world’s oldest motorcycle brand in continuous production, has introduced a new colour – Squadron Blue – for its Classic 500 range of motorcycles.

The bikemaker says the inspiration for the new colour variant has come from the Indian Air Force and is a tribute by Royal Enfield for its longstanding history with the soldiers of the skies.  Commenting on the choice of colour, Rudratej Singh, president, Royal Enfield, said, “The Classic 500 Squadron Blue is a tribute to Royal Enfield’s war-time presence and association with the armed forces. We wanted a variant with a genuine armed forces heritage for our customers and for this, Royal Enfield turned to the Indian Air Force for inspiration.

We had to be very particular about the colour to create an authenticity and also provide the motorcycle its post-war appeal. This inspiration led us to create the Classic Squadron Blue which is now available at price of Rs 186,688 on-road Delhi.” Royal Enfield’s tryst with the armed forces began way back during the World Wars where the motorcycle was extensively used by the British Army. The manufacturer received its first-ever order from the Indian Army in 1952 for 800 motorcycles. The company started production in India from 1955 onwards and has been supplying to the Indian Army ever since. The Indian Air Force also started using Royal Enfield in the 1950s and it has been most popularly used by the Air Force Police. Royal Enfield's motorcycles continue to be one of the commonly used motorcycles in the Indian armed forces and also state police. The Classic is one of the most successful products in the Royal Enfield stable and has been the company’s bestselling model. The new Squadron Blue variant is powered by the 500cc Unit Construction Engine.

The motorcycle is available at an on-road price of Rs 193,372 in Mumbai, Rs 189,350 in Chennai, Rs 198,649 in Bangalore and Rs 196,700 in Kolkata. It may be recollected that Bajaj Auto’s recent move to introduce its V brand of motorcycles, which embodies metal from India’s venerated aircraft carrier, the INS Vikrant, has seen a handsome  response from motorcycle enthusiasts and the general public. Earier today, the company announced the bike's pricing at Rs 62,000.

Courtesy : Autocar

Iconic Indian two-wheeler manufacturer Royal Enfield inaugurated its first dealership in Thailand. The new showroom is located at Bangkok and is the second Southeast Asian dealership for Royal Enfield after Indonesia

Expanding its global dealership network, Royal Enfield (RE) inaugurated its first dealership in Thailand. The new Royal Enfield showroom has been situated in the capital of Thailand at Bangkok. The first RE retail store in Thailand has been set up by General Auto Supply Co. Ltd. The complete portfolio of its motorcycles will be made available at the new dealership alongwith the official Royal Enfield apparel and accessories range. 

Speaking about the new store , Arun Gopal, International Business Head, Royal Enfield said,  “Royal Enfield is today one of the most profitable automotive brands in the world and we believe that our future growth will come from our international markets such as Thailand where motorcycles are a popular medium of commuting. Our phenomenal success in India gives us the confidence to thrive in similar markets like Thailand and Indonesia, which will play an instrumental role in fuelling our growth in Asia. We see a huge potential for our evocative, all purpose, and middle-weight (250-750cc) motorcycles that will allow customers an optimum choice for upgrade”, said Mr

Royal Enfield has been expanding its global retail footprint across UK, Europe, Latin America, Middle-East and now in South East Asia. Its latest store in the Southeast Asian market prior to Thailand was in Indonesia. Royal Enfield announced its entry into Thailand, the fifth largest two wheeler market in the world in Dec 2015, at the Thailand International Motor Expo. The Royal Enfield Thunderbird 500 has been priced at Rs 3.45 lakh in Thai market while the RE Classic 500 retails for  Rs 3.64 lakh and the Royal Enfield Continental carries a sticker price of Rs 4.21 lakh. 

Courtesy : Zigwheels

The Tata Tiago, earlier named the Zica will be launched in March 2016 and come with both petrol and diesel engines.

Tata Motors’ all new hatchback, the Tata Tiago is all set to be launched in March 2016. The car was renamed from its original name ‘Zica’ due to its uncanny similarities with the Zika Virus that has recently been discovered in parts of Central and South America. The new Tata Tiago will be available with both a petrol and diesel engine and is expected to be priced extremely competitively in order to take on the likes of the Hyundai Grand i10 and the Maruti Suzuki Celerio.

The Tiago will be the first new car to get the updated design language from Tata Motors. The front end will get a well crafted grille and swept back headlamps whereas the rear gets a sporty tailgate and bumper along with an inbuilt spoiler. The Tiago will get 14-inch wheels as standard with the top of the line variants getting alloy wheels.

On the interior front, the Tiago will get a new dashboard with a gloss black centre console and a well crafted infotainment setup. The Tiago does not get a touchscreen but will get an app support feature by which you can stream music and navigation. The new Tiago is also very spacious and has a large boot that can easily carry a large bag.

In terms of engines, the Tiago gets both a petrol and a diesel engine. The petrol is a 1.2-litre 3-cylinder engine that makes 85PS of peak power at 6000rpm and 114Nm of peak torque at 3500rpm. The diesel engine on the other hand will be a 1.0-litre engine that makes 70PS of peak power and 140Nm of peak torque. Both engines are mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox with the possibility of an AMT gearbox in the future. The new Tiago should be priced between Rs 4-6 lakh when launched soon.

Courtesy : Zigwheels

Company to commence S340 e-scooter production by end of year; to be sold online only.

Ather Energy, a Bangalore-based start-up, today unveiled an electric scooter called the S340. The scooter is powered by a lithium-ion battery pack, has a top speed of 72km/h and a range of upto 60km, according to the company. The S340’s IP67-rated battery can last for as much as 50,000km. The vehicle achieves an 80 percent charge in 50 minutes in fast-charging mode and can be charged from any five-ampere socket.

The scooter gets features such as LED lights that respond to ambient light conditions, a touchscreen dashboard, on-board navigation and drive modes like Sport and Economy to enable a personalised experience. The touchscreen is integrated with a S340 mobile app that keeps the rider connected with the vehicle, and can also sync navigation routes remotely.

The company has a manufacturing unit set-up in Bangalore, and production of the S340 will commence by end of this year. It is planning to build an online-only purchase model with doorstep delivery and service. It will also start pre-ordering in Bengaluru, Chennai and Pune initially in the next quarter. The company is still working on the price of this scooter.

“The future will be connected and inevitably electric, and the Ather S340 has been built as a manifestation of this philosophy,” said Tarun Mehta, CEO and co-founder. “The electric vehicle has been designed and built mostly in-house with engineering precision,” he added. Ather Energy aims to set-up a public charging infrastructure in every city it operates in, by partnering with government and private enterprises.

The company has been founded by IIT graduates Tarun Mehta and Swapnil Jain in 2013 and has received funding from Tiger Global and Sachin and Binny Bansal (Flipkart founders). According to reports, Ather Energy, which has raised Rs 81 crore till date, is planning to invest Rs 25 crore for the manufacturing of this scooter.

Courtesy : Autocar